New Life

Ephesians 4:24
    “and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.” NKJV

    If we are to embrace our new Christian life, we must be filled to the brim with the new life lest the old one return to the throne of our hearts.
    This verse also mentions that God created our new spiritual bodies. Just as He has hand-crafted each one of our carnal bodies, He has also--with his infinite wisdom and grace--crafted the new lives and new spirits which He has allowed us to take hold of through the cross.
    This gift of new life and spirit is the only way to attain true righteousness and holiness.

    But what is righteousness? Certainly there have been good people without Jesus!
    “There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins.” Ecclesiastes 7:20

    To be righteous is to be in accordance with moral law. Certainly non-believers have moral laws which they follow. Just look at pre-conversion Saul (popularly know as Paul). In his mind he was disposing of heretics and keeping the synagogues clean. He was righteous according to his own moral law. However, Ephesians 4:24 says true righteousness. Godly righteousness is the one we cannot attain without Christ, for it is the only true moral law without the corruption of sin.
    I should never try to justify myself in the things of this world because there is only one moral law which is right and only one way to attain it--not by chasing after doing right, but chasing after Christ, and through my focus on Him I will do right.