What exactly does it mean for a Christian to do dead works? It means failing to live by trusting in the righteousness of God. For Christian sinners to return to Christ and live a proper life of faith, they must first know what the righteousness of Christ is, cast away their dead works that are done among the heathen, and come into the presence of God. In other words, they must turn around from their worship of this world, correctly understand who God is and what His righteousness is, and truthfully return to Jesus Christ. To do so, they must realize how God has blotted out all their sins, and what glorious blessing He will give them in the future.