'Living Right'

Since I've been back to my native Alabama, after a 30-year stint in Dallas (which I enjoyed, by the way), I've been hearing the phrase, 'live right' bantered around a lot. What I hear in churches and in loose conversation goes something like this: 'If you live right, you can make it to God's heaven.' Hmmm, the Holy Spirit says in me, Hmmm. And He made me want to look deeper into what is being said, what is meant, and what is The Truth, according to God's Word. Well, this is what the Bible has to say about the subject of 'living right to get to God's heaven.'
It starts with John 3:16, 'For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but shall have everlating life.' That's a good start if you ask me. Then it moves on to Romans 4:3: '. . . Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness'. Then there's the kicker in Romans 10:9: 'If thou shalt confess with thou mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in thine heart God has raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.' That sealed it for me, but the Spirit moved me on to Revelation 7:14 (a book I usually try to stay out of, but this picture of God's heaven was just too good to miss):  '. . . These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.' Only the blood of Jesus has taken away, paid the price for, all of the sins of the whole world--forever--past, present and future. And we are called upon to 'believe' God for ourselves in the matter, as Abraham did, if we are to be saved, be righteous, and be fit for God's heaven.
So contrary to common lingo, 'living right' has less to do with us 'doing' the right thing as it does with us 'belieiving' the right thing.  The Bible says when (and only when) we accept Jesus Christ, by faith, as our Lord and Saviour are we 'in Christ' and thus, fit, ready, able to go to God's heaven. For God the Son is the only Righteous One accepted by God the Father (Matthew 3:17). And when we accept Jesus Christ, by faith, the Old Testament prophesy is fullfilled in us for He becomes--The Lord Our Righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6)!
And then a wonderful thing happens, as we see in Romans 5:5: '. . . the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.' When we experience and accept the love of God through Jesus Christ our Lord, the Holy Spirit is given to us, and then Jesus is able to love others through us. And, lo, and behold, through the Spirit of Christ, we become able to 'live right', e.g. love one another as Christ loves us (John 13:34-35). And Jesus helps us in the process of growth all along the way. This is the miracle of faith righteousness! This is 'living right', indeed! 
Much love, :jeanetta