Therefore, we must acknowledge that we are sinful in order to be justified by faith, rather than relying on our own ability to obey or the works of the law. Our righteousness is declared through imputation, as we are not inherently righteous enough to please God. When God looks at Christ, He sees us as completely righteous. The righteousness of Christ is solely His own. It is credited to our account, but it is not inherently our own righteousness. This righteousness does not stem from our obedience, but rather from Christ's obedience that is credited to us. If Christ's righteousness were to contribute any goodness or acceptability to God in our own righteousness, then there would need to be a comparison. We would have to compare our obedience to His passive and active obedience, but we could never meet the standard of Christ's obedience. If His righteousness somehow enables us to please God through our own obedience, then we would be diminishing His righteousness to our level.