Righteousness comes by faith

Romans 10:5-7

5 For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them.
6 But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?'” (that is, to bring Christ down)
7 “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?'” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). – Romans 10:5-7

We love to boast and to see what we can do for God. We like to work hard to prove how good and worthy we are to receive God’s love. If we can climb the tallest mountain till we are exhausted and bleeding or if we can plumb the depths of our soul and find out all the wicked things we have done and purge them from ourselves then we will please God. That is actually the furthest we can get away from the gospel. Righteousness is based on faith. We can never do anything for God . My wife summed it up as “the pursuit of God and good, for ones own righteousness.” We cannot make Him forgive us by acts of self discipline, nor can we become good by acts of self purging. Our righteousness comes by faith in the One who gave Himself to pay for our sins, the Lord Jesus Christ.

There is a huge difference between righteousness by the law and righteousness by faith. They are polar opposites. If we could fully understand the holy, pure, righteousness of God we would see that we can never attain to it. He was the one who came from heaven, He was the one who went to hell for us so we who believe will never have to experience the wrath of God:

Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. – Romans 5:9

Salvation is not put at a great distance from us. It is freely available in Christ:

Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. – 1 Corinthians 2:12