1) God's righteousness is presented apart from legalism and man's attempts to follow laws and rules. It is received solely through faith in Christ's finished work on the cross. 2) God's righteousness is constructed on the revelation and testimony provided by the Old Testament Law and Prophets, which pointed to the coming Messiah who would provide righteousness. 3) God's righteousness is required by and received through faith alone, as opposed to any works of the law. It has always been available to all who receive it by faith.

2. In other words Paul is describing a righteousness to which our obedience to the law contributes nothing whatsoever.

3. Literally our Lord was “totally apart from sin.”

4. Just as sin and Jesus Christ have nothing in common, so too the righteousness was not received by keeping the law but it was by faith in Christ's finished work on the cross when, for as Paul writes elsewhere God the Father made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

5. “But I believe that in this passage Paul primarily has in mind the sense of legalism, of men’s attempt to become acceptable to God by means of their own human efforts."

6. It is not that God has not the right to demand legal righteousness from us: but that He does not do it. "Righteousness which is of God" speaks in a way diametrically opposite to man's law- obedience, of any sort whatsoever.

8. Righteousness is attitude and action which conforms to a standard and can be either man's imperfect standard (as exemplified by the self-righteous Pharisees) or God's standard of perfect holiness.

11. They knew they were sinful

12. They knew they needed a Saviour