It is logically inconsistent to say that God justifies the righteous while they are ungodly, because there is never a time when they are ungodly. You seem to think that their actions prior to their actually obtaining salvation are not ungodly because they are in Christ, but that doesn't make sense either. If they are reconciled while they are ungodly, that would mean that God is condoning their ungodliness.There is a belief that humans cannot achieve salvation through their own efforts, as we are only able to make choices that lead to our own success. The logic behind this belief is that if a horse - which is a much more powerful animal - cannot hope to be saved by its own efforts, then humans certainly cannot. However, this is flawed reasoning. If we cannot achieve salvation through our own efforts, then how can we be sure that God will be able to help us? But if we believe that salvation is possible through God's help, then we can have a lot of confidence in his ability to help us.Our tendency to trust in our own abilities instead of God's often leads us to seek idols. We may swear by God that our abilities are equal to His, thinking that we can steal good from Him. But in doing so, we take what is rightfully God's and try to claim it as our own. We are seeking to take the glory for ourselves. However, "God does not share His glory with any man." When we speak about events in our lives, we should always keep God's glory in mind. His light has shone in our eyes, and His glory is evident in our historical success.This denial of our own role in the work of God is the foundation of our proclamation of His works. Our approach to God for deliverance is based solely on His actions and not on our own desires or abilities. Our confidence in His ability to act is not based on our own merits, but on His promises. We declare the works of God to be successful in their own right, without any human input or assistance. In this attitude, we display our hatred of idols. It is in this context that we put to death our sinful nature.