For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Romans 3:23 NLT
Once we come to believe that there is a God, one who created us and has full authority over us, we want to know how to find favor with Him. This life is temporary and short in comparison to all eternity. So how can we make sure that we spend eternity with God in heaven? The first logical answer is this: Live well, show love to others, do the right things and God will be pleased. But the Bible makes it clear that we all fall short of God’s standard, so that can’t be right.
As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous—not even one. Romans 3:10 NLT
We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind. Isaiah 64:6 NLT
All humanity has the same problem, we are born sinners. Even if our good deeds outweigh our sinful acts, it’s not enough to earn God’s favor. Nothing we do, even our greatest acts of love and kindness change the fact that we are sinners. We all fall short.
So how do we find favor with God?
We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. Romans 3:22 NLT
For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:6-17 NLT
Jesus came to do for us, what we could never do for ourselves. He lived a perfect sinless life, then willing paid the penalty for our sin with his own blood. Because Jesus died for our sins, we get a clean slate. If you align yourself with Christ, when God sees you, He will no longer see your sin, for your sin will have been washed away by the blood of Christ!
So favor with God is a free gift, purchased and given to us by Jesus. not a reward for good things we do.
For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. Romans 3:23-25a NLT
Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. Romans 5:1-2 NLT
And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God. Romans 5:9-11 NLT