There is nothing I can do to make myself righteous. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. Through faith, we receive the goodness of Jesus. His goodness and love begins to show in our actions.
Justification comes through faith.
We cannot be justified by our works. Our works should be an expression of the love that God gives us. Sanctification means to be made holy. Sanctification is the process we work through with God to allow His holiness to develop in every area of our life. But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.