Righteousness - a Line of Credit
Genesis 15:6
Abram believed the LORD, and He credited it to him as righteousness.
Genesis 15:5-7 (in Context) Genesis 15 (Whole Chapter)
Abram was not a perfect person. He would marry his half-sister, lie about her being his wife, and later sleep with his wife’s servant because Sarah wasn’t getting pregnant fast enough. Apparently, being righteous isn’t on account of being perfect, and it doesn’t make you perfect. But look at Abram’s first recorded righteous action: believing the LORD… and God credited it to Abram as righeousness.
God didn’t see Abram any different than how he was, yet decided to treat him as being better than he was, a status in a way, but not the boastable type.  Like a credit to an account, which he didn’t deserve. Unmerited favor. Grace. “But, I thought that was a Christian concept”… well it was Jewish before it was Christian… and it traces back to Abram… back to Noah even (”Build me an ark!”), back to Adam who squandered his righteousness for a taste of the apple after believing Satan’s lie. It all goes back to creation.