This teaching not only reveals what you must do to become righteous, but it explains how and where we receive righteousness. Our actions and thoughts are progressively being changed to reflect the righteousness that is placed in our spirits at the new birth, but righteousness is not an external thing. We are not becoming more righteous. At the new birth, our spirit becomes as righteous as Jesus and remains that way. Our actions should reflect that inward change more and more as we walk with the Lord, but righteousness is a permanent condition of the heart.