WE ARE DEAD IN SIN.

The bible is very clear in stating that every single one of us is hopelessly wicked: [Rom 3:12  They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.]. Courtesy of original sin, all humans are fallen and evil  [Jer 17:9  The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?].

So the bible is clear that we humans are dead in sin. We can do all the good works we want, but they will never make us right with God. That isn't to say that good works aren't very important, as James cites them as proof of genuine faith [Jas 2:18  Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.]. The problem comes when we believe those same works, which are signs of genuine faith, justify us in the eyes of God. They don't and never will.

Embracing legalism as a way to earn one's own salvation is pointless, as you have zero chance of success. In the days of Jesus, the Pharisees devised over 600 of their own laws, in an attempt to earn the respect of God. While these people were greatly respected by their peers, they received no such respect from Jesus. In fact, it was just the opposite. Jesus was typically gentle while rebuking the common sinner, but not so much with the self-righteous Pharisees [Mat 23:27  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Mat 23:28  Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.]. 

In the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 25, Jesus further elaborates on the futile nature of justification through works. Regarding anger, He said: [Mat 5:21  Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: Mat 5:22  But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment...]. Regarding lust: [Mat 5:27  Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: Mat 5:28  But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.] 

In these verses, Jesus is really raising the bar. So, even if you haven't physically killed anyone, or physically cheated on your spouse, just being angry with someone or mentally lusting after them is equivalent to the physical acts. To double down on the matter, the book of James states that anyone who breaks the laws of God in even the most minor way, in guilty of breaking the entire law: [Jas 2:10  For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.] 

In the end, we are being told that legalism is pointless. We can puff up our chests and believe that, by works, we are 'paying our own way' with God, but that belief is a damnable lie. So, we have a serious dilemma here. We are all hopelessly wicked, and have no currency whatsoever to make things right with God for our trespasses. The situation would be utterly hopeless, if not for the blessed intervention of Jesus Christ.