Apart From the Law
God’s righteousness has been revealed. He didn’t use the Ten Commandments, the Kosher Laws, the Community Responsibility Laws, or the Financial Laws to make it known. He used prophets and the Law to inform us about it ahead of time, but He used grace to reveal it.
His righteousness is revealed in His people, whom He redeemed from unrighteousness by the blood that was tortured out of Jesus. He allowed sin to be condemned in His body so that ours could be free.
Your “rightness” is declared by and real-ized by the facts that you are born of Him and then led by Him. He changed your nature so that He could influence your behavior. Because He justified your life, He could give you the power to live it righteously.
You were made righteous by your faith in Jesus. Your behavior can exceed the Pharisees with regard to doing things right. Not because you have a better set of rules, though. It is because you accept the Ruler.