On our Christian walk, we are gradually becoming more and more like Jesus Christ. Despite our progress, however, there is still a gap between who God says we are and what we see in our everyday lives; although He says we are the righteousness of God, sometimes we still do unrighteous things. Our faith in Christ is a critical component in this; we must believe what God says we are, even when our lives are not reflecting that yet. Our belief in our redemption contradicts what religion tells us, which is that our salvation hinges on what we do; the truth is that we are saved because of what Jesus did, and our trust in that. God never contradicts Himself; although our stance in perfection was forever determined when we believed in Jesus, our state of perfection, which refers to our earthly lives, is still unfinished. This is an important point that confuses many in the church. Understanding this gives us peace and lets God work in us to make us as righteous as He is.