There are essentially two different kinds of righteousness; both kinds are
legitimate and both kinds are to be present in us.
One kind is the saving kind and it is superior to the other kind; it is the kind of righteousness that is given to us as a free gift from God. It comes not by anything we can physically do; it doesn’t involve our human deeds or works. Rather it comes from our trust in God’s Son as Messiah. It is the kind (the only kind) that gives redemption and eternal life and it is based upon God’s great mercy and grace.
The other kind of righteousness comes from our physically doing things, our behaviors, that please God. That is, it indeed flows from our deeds and works. It comes from our being obedient to The Law of Moses which we all know we are unable to do without making mistakes. If we’ve ever transgressed any of these Laws, we are a sinner. There’s no mulligan allowed with God. So, we can’t be saved in this way.
Even so this kind of righteousness, while good and pleasing to God, does not save because indeed it is something that we do and thus it cannot be pure enough or perfect enough or even achieve the proper requirement to be saved. If it could have then God would not have needed to send His Son to redeem us.
One thing is for sure; we cannot substitute one kind of righteousness for the other. As Believers, we cannot just strive for one kind or the other kind of righteousness to receive salvation. Our obedience and doing righteous deeds in God’s eyes is the expected response for Him having given us the gift of a saving righteousness.
Even though we are born again spiritually, we still live in these fleshly bodies full of evil inclinations just waiting to spring forth from us. We can’t help it. Just Read what the Apostle Paul says about this in Romans chapter 6.
God understands and has given us His provision of the Holy Spirit to transform us and help us to put to death the deeds of the flesh, repenting of one habitual sin after another.
This not too hard for us to do