Believers have been made right with God, regardless of their actions. As Christians, we are righteous
because God says so and we believe it; this is our stance, which is permanent. We are holy because God
declared us so, not because of our own efforts to live right. By contrast, our state is continually changing as
we progress through our earthly lives, making mistakes but gradually becoming more and more like
Christ. Jesus has made us free from sin; we win in life by maintaining the victory He obtained for us. The
world offers us plenty of choices of foundations to build our lives on; any foundation other than Jesus
Christ will crumble and fall when trouble hits. Basing our identity on Him makes us ready for heaven.