I have come to call not those who think they are righteous,
but those who know they are sinners and need to repent." (Lk. 5:32) 

To be found in a favorable position with God necessitates the use of His standards. To assume otherwise will cause us to be found on the wrong side of the door when it is closed. 

If you're serious about being found in right standing with God then you would agree that it is His standards that we must submit to. In the big picture what good is it if I feel good about myself and yet I'm found to be out in the cold with God? Let's face it. He's the One that must be satisfied with us.

Right from the word "go" I'm going to make it very clear that what I have to say
is based on the Bible, the Book I believe, God wrote. What makes me think
this? This is a vital question to have answered in a legitimate and honest way. There are a number of reasons why I'm willing, and why I do base my entire
belief system on the Bible, the Book I believe to be God's Word. I ask that you bare with me as I lay the foundation from which I will share with you.

I sincerely desire to help you understand God's view of being found in favor with Him. I feel it's important for you to understand where I'm coming from. I was not raised to be a Christian. I would have to say that my family background would be atheistic. I always seemed to have an inner desire to know the truth about life and living. I was always curious to know where we had come from and where we were going as people of the earth. One night I found myself in a Christian meeting were the man preached about Jesus being the Son of God and that He came to save sinners, (people who had done things that displeased God). His knowledge on this matter had been gained from the Bible. That was the Book He was speaking from. I was told, from that Book, that Jesus had died for my sins and that He had taken my sins upon Himself and had died in my place, He had taken God's judgment for my sin upon Himself. I was told that Jesus had died for me so that I could be free from the penalty and power of my sins. As the man preached I understood from God's Word that I had in fact sinned against God. I had failed in various ways to live according to His standards, standards that were recorded in the Bible. I was told that according to the Bible I needed to be saved from my sins and that Jesus was ready and prepared to save me if I would come to Him confessing my sin and believing from my heart in Jesus Christ. That night I saw clearly my need for the Savior and I did respond and seek God's forgiveness. I did surrender my heart and life to Jesus. I did receive Christ and acknowledged Him as my personal Lord and Savior.

Note:There's a reason I'm telling you all this and the reason is,it proves the Bible is God's Word. I did exactly what the Bible told me to do and what I experienced that night I cannot deny. To do so would make me liar. My initial salvation experience took place in February 1975, that's over thirty years ago! The Bible says that if a person repents of sin (which I did) and receives Jesus Christ, fully embracing Him from the heart as Lord and Savior (which I did) then that person will be "Born Again" by the power of Almighty God and their life will be changed from that moment on. That is exactly what has happened to me. I can't deny it. What has happened in my life is exactly what the Bible said would happen. To me that is proof enough that the Bible is God's Word.

        Col 1:6  This same Good News that came to you is going out all over
        the world. It is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives, just
        as it changed your lives from the day you first heard and
        understood the truth about God's wonderful grace.


The Bible is very clear on the subject of being found in a favorable position with God. He has establish requirements that MUST be met if a person is to be acceptable with God and and fit to enter His Kingdom and inherit eternal life. The issue of righteousness targets the human heart. This is what must be right with God. Math. 5:8 - God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. This being the case, let's see what God has to say about the human heart, about your human heart. Jer 17:9,10 - "The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? 10  But I, the LORD, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve."  When it comes to God we're not dealing with some inexperienced amateur. God created people and He, unlike us, is able to see into the human heart. He knows exactly what motivates us. He's capable of putting His finger directly on the issues of "why we do what we do". 1 Sam. 16:7 -...The LORD doesn't see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

Prior to any Biblical enlightenment our standard of righteousness (right living) is basically governed by personal or social standards. What we often fail to understand is that all people, the entire human race, have been birthed with
a fallen sin nature. This is inherent to all peoples regardless of nationality, education, or social position. The problem the human race has is that it's humanistic, and does only what it's capable of and that is sinning. A fish can't walk, a cat can't fly nor can a bird bark! People are born with a sin nature and therefore do only what comes natural to them. 1Pe 1:18 - For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom He paid was not mere gold or silver. 19 It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.

Is it really that bad? It's that bad! Here's how God sees us. Rom 3:10 - As the Scriptures say, "No one is righteous-not even one. 11 No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. 12 All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one." On our own people are incapable of pleasing God. Why? Because we've all inherited hearts that are in rebellion against God. Rom 8:7,8 - For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God's laws, and it never will. 8 That's why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God. Because this state of sin is natural to us we cannot see the problem unless we're confronted with it.

Over the years the medical profession has had some great heart surgeons, none however have been capable of giving themselves open heart surgery. In the same manner people born with the sin nature are incapable of performing the spiritual surgery necessary to implant a heart favorable and acceptable to God. Even if they could where would they get such a heart? Only the Great Creator Physician has the capability to both make and implant these new "God pleasing" hearts.

Doing good is right but that's not the issue when it comes to finding oneself in a favorable position with God. The issue has to do with getting a "new heart", one that's had it's origin in the heart of God rather than one inherited from those whose spiritual heart died the day they rebelled against God. The first man Adam, who by the way is the federal head of the human race, was told by God that he would die the day he rebelled in sin against God's command. Gen 2:17-  But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and blessing and calamity you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. (AMP) Bible history records the events surrounding Adam's transgression against the LORD and God's dealing with him. Clearly Adam did not suffer a physical death when he and Eve sinned. Outwardly things could have looked very much the same as they had. Then what had died the day he sinned? His spirit died! His spiritual heart was now dead towards God and it had taken on pollution of sin. In Matthew Jesus mentions a few "human heart" traits. Mt.15:19 - "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders." It doesn't matter what nation or culture you go to these traits are common to all. This is the how spiritually sick the human heart is.

I'm going to take the time here to mention some of the other humanistic traits common to all peoples of the earth. My purpose in doing so is to help you understand that you, even though you may think that you're not that bad a person you are still in need of a spiritual heart transplant. I'm asking you to look over these traits and to be honest with yourself. Is there anything in this list that describes some part of your human nature?