God’s Favor

Jan 17, 2022
7:00

Video — Psalm 5:12 says, “Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.” What does it mean to have God’s favor and how do we obtain it? Can we earn it? Can we lose it? We answer all of these questions in less than seven minutes in our newest video release, God’s Favor. We hope this video is a blessing to you. Please share it with others, like, subscribe, and leave a comment on YouTube. God bless!

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We want to thank our first video sponsor, Arizona Community Church, a Bible-based, non-denominational, Protestant Christian church in Tempe, Arizona. You can watch their sermons online at AZ.CHURCH.

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No Image Found — Psalm 5:12 says, “Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.” What does it mean to have God’s favor and how do we obtain it? Can we earn it? Can we lose it? We answer all of these questions in less than seven minutes in our newest video release, God’s Favor. We hope this video is a blessing to you. Please share it with others, like, subscribe, and leave a comment on YouTube. God bless!

VIDEO SPONSOR:

We want to thank our first video sponsor, Arizona Community Church, a Bible-based, non-denominational, Protestant Christian church in Tempe, Arizona. You can watch their sermons online at AZ.CHURCH.

FREE TO VIEW AND SHARE:

All Christianity Engaged content is free for you to view and share. You are permitted to embed, download, duplicate, and distribute our content for any non-profit purposes. You do not need a license to play our content at your event or gathering. All we ask is that you do not edit the content in any way and credit Christianity Engaged. Please visit our terms of use for more information.

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If you enjoyed this video, please leave a comment, like, subscribe and share it with your family and friends. You can also follow us on social media for more great content from Christianity Engaged!

https://www.youtube.com/ChristianityEngaged
https://www.facebook.com/ChristianityEngaged/
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https://twitter.com/CEvideos

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Christianity Engaged is supported by viewers like you. Please consider helping us accomplish our mission by making a tax-deductible donation.

GOD’S FAVOR

TRANSCRIPT

Does God have favorites? What does it mean to have the Lord’s favor and how do we obtain it? Can we earn it? Can we lose it?

Hello everyone and welcome to another Christianity Engaged video. My name is David Erhart and today we are going to talk about God’s favor. I hope this video is a blessing to you.

Today’s video is sponsored by Arizona Community Church in Tempe Arizona.

“Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.” [Psalm 5:12]

What does it mean to have God’s favor?

When we look at the Bible verses that talk about God’s favor and the original words used which are translated to “favor” in English, here’s what we find:

God’s favor is usually referring to one of two things: it can be “God’s pleasure, delight, acceptance or approval of us or our actions” or it can be very closely related to God’s grace, which is often defined as “God’s unmerited favor”. In fact, the words “favor” and “grace” are often used interchangeably.

Sometimes, God’s favor can refer to His kindness or even His beauty. [Psalm 90:17 NIV, NASB, NKJV] Sometimes, God’s favor is depicted by Him looking at or focusing on those who are doing what is pleasing to Him. [Isaiah 66:2 NIV] And other times, there is a much deeper intimacy implied… like we are gazing at the face of God, [Psalm 119:58 NASB, NIV] or He is literally turning His face toward us. [Numbers 6:26 NIV]

How do we obtain God’s favor?

If you have received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, you are saved by grace through faith. You are declared righteous. You are a child of God, and guess what, you live in God’s favor. So, the most basic answer to the question “how can I get God’s favor?” is “believe in the Lord Jesus Christ”.

In addition to this general favor given to all believers, the Bible does mention specific things we can do that result in God’s favor. For example, Isaiah 66:2 says, “These are the ones I look on with favor; those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word.” [Isaiah 66:2 NIV]

In my opinion, humility is one of the foundational Christian characteristics. So, this verse is saying those who are humble, repentant in spirit, and who revere His Word with awe and wonder have God’s favor.

Another way to obtain God’s favor is to seek wisdom. In Proverbs 8:35, Wisdom says, “For those who find me [Wisdom] find life and receive favor from the Lord.” [Proverbs 8:35 NIV]

God delights in many things, including our righteousness, obedience and faithfulness. Therefore, the Bible says these also result in God’s favor.

The Bible mentions many other things which result in God’s favor, such as in Proverbs 18:22, which says, “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.” [NASB]

Though having God’s favor is a blessing, it does not mean we will never experience difficulties. Heroes of faith such as Noah, Moses, Daniel, and Mary had the Lord’s favor upon them, and yet they experienced difficulties and hardships just like anyone else.

Can we earn God’s favor?

God’s grace is unmerited favor given to all believers. The Bible is very clear that God’s grace is a gift, not the result of works, so that no one may boast. [Ephesians 2:8-9]

We could never earn being reconciled to God, declared righteous, adopted into God’s family, filled with the Holy Spirit, or promised an eternal inheritance. These are all aspects of His favor and grace which are completely undeserved.

Once we place our faith in Jesus and trust in His sacrifice and righteousness for our redemption, we experience firsthand His amazing grace and undeserved favor. And after that, as we pointed out earlier, the Bible does mention specific things we can do which result in God’s favor, things that are pleasing to Him and demonstrate that we love Him and trust Him.

Can we lose God’s favor?

God’s grace is a gift to those who believe in His Son. The Bible says the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable. [Romans 11:29] The redeemed cannot be unpurchased and eternal life cannot be temporary. So, I believe we can never lose the unmerited favor that is given to all believers. Of course, not everyone who claims to be a Christian is truly born again, a new creation and filled with the Holy Spirit.

You might ask, What about the aspect of God’s favor which refers to His delight or approval of us or our actions? In my opinion, this part of God’s favor is somewhat similar to the Biblical concept of rewards in heaven. Again, salvation is not earned; it is a gift received by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

After we say “yes” to Jesus and enter into a restored relationship with God, we still have a choice each and every day. We can choose to walk in the Spirit or walk in the flesh. We can choose to focus our minds on heavenly things or earthly things. We can choose to trust Him and obey Him, or not. The choice is ours and the Bible says we will all give an account for everything said and done while in the body and that God wants to reward us for our faithful service here on earth.

So, let’s do the things that are pleasing to Him, not in an effort to earn the righteous standing we already have, but simply because we love Him, and we trust that His ways are better for us. And by doing so, we will not only increase in God’s favor, but we will also store up treasures in heaven as well.

I hope this video was a blessing to you. God bless you all.

God’s Favor

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