We [who are] Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified. Galatians 2:15-16 (NKJV)
We have been made right with God only by Faith alone. It wasn’t in anyway based on anything we ever did or didn’t do. It wasn’t our acknowledgement that we sinned, it wasn’t our sorrow for our sins, and it wasn’t our forsaking of sins. All these are right and acceptable actions but they are only responses to and follow having accepted and received God’s justification by Faith.
Even this Faith by which we are justified is a gift of God that we freely received. It’s when we heard the message of what God already did – making us right with Him through the death and Resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ that Faith came.