What is imputed righteousness?A Scripture-grounded answer about what is imputed righteousness

Imputed righteousness is the theological concept that God credits Christ's perfect righteousness to the believer's account. Rather than making a person inherently righteous at the moment of salvation, God declares them righteous based on Christ's obedience. Paul develops this idea most fully in Romans 4, using Abraham as his example — Abraham 'believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.' This concept is central to Protestant theology and the Reformation doctrine of justification by faith alone.