Righteousness

“For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’” Romans 1:17
To be righteous is to be in right-standing before God; therefore righteousness is a position that we can hold. We have right-standing before God if we measure up to His standards of perfection. This is why righteousness cannot be obtained through works, because no matter how many good things we do, the bad things we do will always mark us down. God requires 100%. 99.9999% will not cut it. Are any of us that perfect?
Rather, our right-standing before God is by faith and by faith alone. No matter if we are a brand-new Christian or have been one for decades, our right-standing before God is still on the basis of faith in Jesus Christ. We live now in faith, believing that “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 1:6). We are still in the process of sanctification, of being made in Christ’s image. It’s not about good works, it’s about faith.