Christ alone makes us righteous before God.

John 8:39-41 "Our father is Abraham, " they declared. "No," Jesus replied, "for if you were children of Abraham, you would follow his good example. I told you the truth I heard from God, but you are trying to kill me. Abraham wouldn't do a thing like that. No, you are obeying your real father when you act that way."

Abraham lived a simple life. He believed God, trusted Him explicitly, and did what was right before God. God was pleased with him and declared him to be righteous. He honored Abraham's faith and promised that through him all the nations of the world would be blessed and that his descendants would be so great in number that they could not be counted. It was through Abraham's lineage that Christ came into the world to be our Savior.

Jesus was addressing the religious elite of His day who depended on their own righteousness for their salvation. They were a very proud people who insisted on others looking up to them and obeying them. They were set in their ways and would not consider any other way but their way. They depended on what they did to make them acceptable to God.

Jesus stopped them in their tracks. He made it very clear that self-righteousness will never make us children of God. God was not their Father, Satan was. We need to examine ourselves as well in light of what we are depending on for our salvation. It's not about what we do or try to be; it's about our relationship with God through Christ. Only Christ can make us righteous, acceptable to God. He is the only way to God. No one can please God apart from living life through Christ. Salvation is found nowhere else but in Christ who died for our sins.