St. Paul wrote to the Romans to describe the understanding of the gospel of Jesus as he had been preaching it. One term that he stresses is “credited as righteousness.” He wants to dispute the idea that the grace of God is “worker’s wage … credited not as a gift, but as something due.” Righteousness in St. Paul’s understanding is not something we earn, not something we deserve, not something we are due but a freely given gift. Maybe the best image is that of a mother caring for her child. She doesn’t feed and clothe and nurse the child because he or she deserves it but simply because of the relationship of child to parent. So us with God — we are beloved children of God.
