Christian obedience and God's empowering are grounded in two fundamental events: Christ's death and resurrection and our conversion. Christ's atoning death secured the complete forgiveness of sins and His perfect life provided the righteousness believers receive through faith. This was accomplished once for all in history, an external reality ("extra nos") that forms the unchangeable foundation of our salvation.

Conversion is the moment when God applies Christ’s work to us, granting forgiveness and imputing Christ's righteousness, resulting in our justification by faith. This union with Christ is the link that makes His righteousness ours. Without these foundational events, God's grace would not flow to empower our obedience.

The ability to obey and pursue holiness is rooted in our already forgiven status and our identity as holy in Christ. This understanding motivates obedience out of gratitude, not to earn God's favor. Furthermore, God's promises, secured by Christ's work, are the means by which He motivates and empowers us for obedience and love, providing hope and assurance.

God is not passive but actively works in and through our struggles to ensure our perseverance and triumph over sin. This empowering work is effective because the foundation of redemption and justification has already been laid and applied to us. Therefore, our striving for obedience and God's enabling power are both made possible by the finished work of Christ and its application in our conversion.

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