How are you righteous before God?

Only by true faith in Jesus Christ.¹

Even though my conscience accuses me of having grievously sinned against all God's commandments, of never having kept any of them,² and of still being inclined toward all evil,³ nevertheless, without any merit of my own,⁴ out of sheer grace,⁵ God grants and credits to me the perfect satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of Christ,⁶ as if I had never sinned nor been a sinner, and as if I had been as perfectly obedient as Christ was obedient for me.⁷

All I need to do is accept this gift with a believing heart.⁸