| Romans 6:16 16 Do you not know that to whom you yield yourselves as slaves to obey, you are the slaves of whom you obey; whether of sin that leads to death, or of obedience that leads to righteousness?5 [Obedience leads to being righteous. Without obedience, listening to and obeying the Word of God in your heart, you are a slave to sin. Jesus strongly confirms this: Truly, Truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. John 8:34. We through the Spirit, by faith, patiently wait for the hope of righteousness. Gal 5:5] | Galatians 5:5 5 For we, through the Spirit, by faith, patiently wait for the hope of righteousness.1 [Faith comes with the receipt of the fruit of the Spirit. Gal 5:22-23. Only when you have produced fruit, walking in love, fulfilling the law, then you are imputed righteous; and then no law applies to you. Gal 5:23. Later, when you have been born again to become a new creature that is in union with Christ and the Father, then you possess the righteousness of God; then is the end of imputation and belief. See Footnote 3 of 1 John 3 for the definition of righteousness.] | ||||||||