Romans 5:17
"For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ"
Its is interestingly amazing to discover that as opposed to what many people including certain Christians think, Righteousness is a gift and not something you work to eventually earn or something you have to qualify for at all.

The bible records that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord", in Adam all of humanity sin and rebelled against God (Romans 5:12"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned) that is all of mankind became shearers and participators of Adam's transgression

But the good news now is recorded in 2 Corinthians 5:21 "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him" This is the gospel and this is what the gospel is all about.

Jesus Christ was made to be the embodiment and totality of sin as a nature because sin is a nature, the nature of the fallen man Adam of whom all of mankind became shearers of, which explains why it is possible for even a "good" person to still go to hell with all his "good" deeds without accepting Christ as Lord and Saviour . You see most you hear some people say things like ". . . well l don't steal, l don't kill, l give arms and don't do this l don't do that but this issue of being born again l am not into it. . . " What they don't know is that the best of all of man's "good" deeds is like filthy rag before God Almighty because the bible says He God is so Holy that His eyes can not behold iniquity that explains why Jesus Christ cried out while hanging on the cross where eternal redemption was brokered ". . . Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me (Mark 15:24" At this point Jesus became the totality of all that man's sin represents and The Father could not behold sin thus He(Jesus) died the death for man and man was redeemed at a purchasing price of Jesus' blood.

1 Corinthians 6:20
" For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's"

Jesus Christ who had no sin was made sin while man who had sin was made right before God this is that divine exchange by so doing righteousness was rendered to man as a gift as a consequence of the fact that in Christ Jesus we have been Justified and declared not guilty and have become reconciled to God
Romans 5:1
"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ"
Glory to God forever! !

Quit trying to be righteous, its a gift simply accept and embrace by faith with thanksgiving