"our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith."

Beloved of God, believe right. See the story of our salvation in Christ in Romans 3:

21 But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses[i] and the prophets long ago. 22 We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.

"23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, in His grace, freely makes us right in His sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when He freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed His life, shedding His blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when He held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, 

26 for He was looking ahead and including them in what He would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate His righteousness, for He Himself is fair and just, and He makes sinners right in His sight when they believe in Jesus.

27 Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. 28 So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law."

The justification/right-standing that we who believe have with God is not because of anything we did. It is 100% what Christ has done. This is crux of the message of the cross: 

Righteousness by faith. 

Remember the Pharisees who despised "tax collectors and sinners" were all about God and keeping the Law but rejected His saving Grace-Jesus Christ? They were anti-Christ. Meanwhile the despised tax collectors and notorious sinners followed Jesus with their baggage of sins and addictions and they never remained the same. 

Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today and forever is still saving sinners who look to Him for salvation from sin and death. Those who, like the Pharisees, think they are doing a good job of this already cannot have any part with Him. Beloved of God, by Grace, let's not be found here- putting confidence in the arm of flesh. (human effort at obedience.)

The message of Christ annoys religious Pharisee-type pastors and churchgoers who feel that they have some good in them and can keep the Law in order to get right with God or sow seed to get Him to bless. But to the helpless sinner who knows that he is a sinner through and through and that he can do nothing to redeem himself from sin and death, it is Good News. And in Christ, we never remain the same. He is at work in our lives, transforming us to right living:

"He gave His life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us His very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds." Titus 2:14.

This is what it means to be born-again: None of Self. All of Christ.

Right believing always produces right living.

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