Descent

(Pro 13:6 KJV)  Righteousness keepeth him that is upright in the way: but wickedness overthroweth the sinner.

You would think that a “sinner” (2403b) was already in a bad way.  He is, but it is one of those conditions that can always get worse.  Notice the word “wickedness” (7564).  My first reading thought this was describing the condition of the heart but it seems to refer more to the actions produced by the lack of moral character.  Behavior based in rebellion and rejection will push the lives of the sinner even deeper into disaster.

So?  Behavior makes a difference.  We cannot bootstrap ourselves into salvation by following the law but the point of grace and regeneration is to produce lives that reflect the change.