God gives His own perfect righteousness—to those who are utterly desperate for it—in Christ alone

1. RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD
   1.a. What we have been waiting for since 1:17
   1.b. What we are much more desperate for after 1:18–3:20
2. RIGHTEOUSNESS APART FROM THE LAW
   2.a. Don't attempt to use the law in any part of your justification.
   2.b. Watch out for those who try to sneak it into so-called "final justification."
3. RIGHTEOUSNESS WITNESSED BY THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS
   3.a. The law dissuades us from self-justificaiotn by how "exceeding broad," ultra-detailed, and spiritual are its many requirements.
   3.b. The law itself showed us "alien" righteousness via the sacrificial system.
   3.c. The law showed that these sacrifices could not give righteousness, having to be repeated.
   3.d. The law taught by faith in the examples of its "best" saints. (The apostle will show this in the next chapter)
   3.e. We can rightly say that the law teaches us to obtain our righteous standing "apart from the law."
4. RIGHTEOUSNESS THROUGH FAITH "OF" JESUS CHRIST
   4.a. The "of" is important here. We can say that our faith "justifies" if we are speaking instrumentally, but not meritoriously. Even the faith that justifies (meritoriously!) is Christ's faith.
   4.b. Is your faith weak? Cling to Christ. His is perfect! (cf. Heb 2:13)
5. RIGHTEOUSNESS "INTO" AND "UPON"
   5.a. "Into": actually ours as much as if we had done it
   5.b. "Upon": ours by imputation, not by infusion
6. RIGHTEOUSNESS FOR ALL WHO BELIEVE
   6.a. Faith is the instrument. "For all who believe."
   6.b. Faith is the alone instrument. Nothing can increase/decrease faith's righteousness—not even its own strength or weakness.