ISB ~ 1 John 3 v7

righteous:Believers share in the righteousness of Christ as a free gift of grace (Rom 5:17). However, once established in grace, obedience to the gospel leads to a greater possession of righteousness (Rom 6:16) inasmuch as the Spirit enables us to fulfill the righteous demands of God’s law (Rom 8:4). Scripture can thus speak of righteousness as an “unmerited” gift as well as something progressively “merited” through obedience, which is itself the work of grace.