Moses gave the Law in the Old Covenant. The Law demands righteousness from mankind.
All these curses shall come upon you and
pursue you and overtake you till you are destroyed, because you did not obey
the voice of the Lord your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes that
he commanded you. Deuteronomy 28:45
To be righteous, a person had to keep the Ten Commandments and all the other
laws. An impossible task for fallen humans, not one person ever fulfilled the
demands of the law to be declared righteous, right with God.
None is righteous, no, not one.
Romans 3:10b
Then Jesus, grace, and truth came,
fulfilling the demands of the law, providing righteousness to all who would
believe.
For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. Romans
10:4
So by the one man’s obedience the many
will be made righteous. Romans 5:19
For our sake he made him to be sin who
knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2
Corinthians 5:21
God’s own righteousness:
…..their righteousness is of me, says the
Lord. Isaiah 54:17b
And this righteousness from God comes
through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. Rom 3:22a
Everyone who believes in him is declared
right with God–something the Law of Moses could never do. Acts 13:39
What shall we say, then? That Gentiles
who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness
that is by faith. Romans 9:30
But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the Law, although
the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it. Romans 3:21
And because of him you are in Christ
Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and
redemption 1 Corinthians 1:30
Faithful, born again Christians are the righteousness of God in Christ!