We implore you on behalf of Christ be reconciled to God. For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin,So that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.

Gal. 3:13
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”

1 Peter 2:21-25
He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.

Human beings are made in the image of God. Because of sin that image has been tarnished. Jesus Christ the second Adam fulfilled the Law that bound us and at the cross our sins were imputed to Him and punished in Him and His righteousness is imputed to us. Believers have put on the new self which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of it’s creator (Col. 3:10).

 I am a corrupted image of God but in Christ I am restored to the original goodness that characterized Adam and Eve in the garden. I am now acceptable to God. I have been clothed in the robes of righteousness. By faith God transfers the righteousness of Christ over to me. Justification means that I am not only forgiven but I now have the righteousness of Christ. Because of justification, I bear Christ’s righteousness, and I am fully pleasing to the Father. (Rom. 5:1). I’m not perfect but I am fully accepted and fully forgiven. I am justified by faith because of my union with Christ whose righteousness is counted as mine. I have died with Christ; therefore I should consider myself dead to sin. I should start to become what I am in Him and because of Him.