In Psalms, chapter thirty-two, verse two is a part of verse one, which Romans four, verses six through eight quotes to show God treats sincerely repentant sinners as righteous, not because righteousness is something they earn through works, but receive as a gift when they confess their sins and believe in the Lord, as in verse five of this theme chapter. David in the Old Testament and Paul in the New Testament understood that one’s faith receives credit for righteousness, including forgiveness of sin and reconciliation with God. It is a gift based upon God’s mercy, made possible through Christ’s death on the cross.
Righteousness is a grace gift, as in Romans four, verse sixteen, that flows from God’s nature, love, and mercy. The gift from God makes the believer’s faith response to Christ possible. When God sees the hearts of believers turn toward Christ in faith, He freely forgives their sins, counts their faith as righteousness, and accepts them as their children. Along with this counting of faith for righteousness, God also gives grace for sanctification. The faith that is counted for righteousness and brings forgiveness is faith in Christ and His atoning death, as in Romans three, verses twenty-four through twenty-six. Nothing else but Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross is the ground of reconciliation with God.
The believer’s salvation lies in Christ’s blood and resurrection life, whereby the believer is forgiven and reconciled to God. This experience is initial salvation. The believer continues to be saved by a living faith and union with the living Christ. If God loved us enough to send His Son to die for us while we were enemies, how much more, now that we are His children, will He make every provision to save us from the wrath to come through our present faith in His Son?