It is important to note that no one is truly righteous since we are all sinners. Romans 3:10, “There is none righteous, no, not one.” Jesus is the only person who lived perfectly all his life. Hebrews 7:26, “For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners…” Sinners cannot live righteously. Therefore, the first, necessary step to becoming righteous is to confess our sins, believe in Jesus’ sacrifice to cover our sins, and to consecrate our lives to do God’s will (not our own wills). When our sins are forgiven, then God begins to transform us into Christ’s likeness. Romans 12:1, 2, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind…” How do we renew our minds?
Matthew 22:37 tells us that the greatest commandment that everything else is based on is to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind." Similarly, the Old Testament reads in Micah 6:8, "And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God."
A common theme throughout the scriptures is that we need to make the Lord our focus in life. We should consult Him through prayer and scriptural study in our decisions and look to Him in all things. If we are constantly trying to fulfill His will and follow in Jesus' footsteps, we will be striving to live as righteously as possible.
Our ultimate goal should be love— love for God and love for others. If we are striving to do all things with loving motivation, we will also find that we are developing the fruit of the spirit mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23, "love, joy, peace patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance."
