Most of us know what it feels like to have to prove ourselves. Whether it is a job interview, asking for someone’s blessing, trying to earn someone’s trust, or explaining why we deserve an opportunity, we naturally start pointing to our record. We talk about what we have done, how hard we have worked, how responsible we are, and why we should be accepted. But when it comes to God, Romans reminds us that we have nothing in ourselves to point to. Our baptism, church attendance, morality, generosity, family background, and good intentions cannot make us right with God. Only Jesus can. Paul uses Abraham as the example. Abraham was not made right with God because of his works, his religious background, or his obedience to the law. Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith. The same is true for us. We are made right with God, not because of what we have done, but because of what Jesus has done.