The Favor of God versus the Will of God

Q: Can you explain the favor of God versus the will of God?

A: That is an interesting question. It is one that could take on many different answers depending on the subject matter. However, in a nutshell, the will of God is the description of the inheritance we have received from God through our faith in Jesus Christ. Whereas, the favor of God is Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 6:2 says, "For he says, "In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you." I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation." Notice how God's favor is mentioned in relation to salvation. And, of course, we know salvation as the restoration of the life of God made available as a free gift through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Hebrews 9:15 says, "For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance--now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant." A will, by definition, "is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator ... provides for the transfer of his/her property at death."

In the case of Jesus Christ, what we as Christians have inherited as a result of His death can best be described as God's will. That is why Hebrews 9:16-17 goes on to describe this truth for us. "In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living."Often times, we can be short-sighted in our thinking in that we believe that God's will is tied to what He wants us to do with our lives. While God can definitely give each of us specific instructions on where to live, who to marry, what job to take and so on, we can easily forget about what He has freely given to us. This is where I believe Christians can make a mistake believing that the favor of God and the will of God are somehow opposed to each other, as is suggested by the use of the word "versus" in your question. One key element to realize is that God created mankind for Him to indwell us and be our very life. Genesis 2:7 says, "the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being." Man, Adam, became alive when God breathed His life into him.

However, after the Fall, the life of God was withdrawn from Adam and he died spiritually. Therefore, all of us are born into this world dead to God, without His life indwelling us. Subsequently, we end up trying to fill a spiritual void, the absence of the life of God, through physical means. This is where Christians are often believing the favor of God to be revealed in the level to which He blesses our flesh. And, the only way to get our flesh blessed is through subjecting ourselves to a form of law. We believe that if we live in a way that is pleasing to God, then His favor will be bestowed on us through physical rewards and being in good standing with Him. Now, this belief is not totally without biblical support, but it misses what God's ultimate will is with mankind. In 2 Peter 3:9 it reads, "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." The ultimate will of God is that everybody come to a saving faith in Jesus Christ. That spiritual death all mankind has, that emptiness inside we try to fill with physical blessings, can only be satisfied by God Himself.

The great thing about our God is that He gave us things like the Mosaic Law, the Sermon on the Mount and the freewill to make up our own laws and codes of conduct, so that by our failure to perfectly live up to them, in order to gain His favor, we would be brought to the end of ourselves. It is when we reach the end of our own self-effort that we are ready to receive His offer of Himself to meet those deep desires of our heart, in Christ Jesus. Therefore, it is God's Favor, Jesus Christ, who ushers us into His will, the inheritance we have been given through our faith. And what is that inheritance? In Christ, we are totally accepted (Romans 15:7), unconditionally loved (Romans 8:38-39), completely forgiven (Ephesians 1:7), righteous (Romans 3:22), sanctified (Hebrews 10:14), justified (Romans 5:1), holy (Ephesians 1:4), have eternal life (1 John 5:13) and many other things. We often hope by receiving the favor of God, in the form of physical blessings, that they will meet the spiritual needs that can only be met in Him. It is the pursuit of the physical blessings from God that leads us to the realization that it was His spiritual blessing of Himself, in Christ, that we needed all along. That is why the favor of God and the will of God are compatible with each other. May God continue to reveal to you the blessings you already have received through faith in Jesus Christ.