God’s Special Favor

When they heard the Gospel, many Believers living in the Roman world struggled to understand the concept of “favor.” As Albert Bell has observed, in that culture, “what a person believed about the divine forces…was irrelevant”; what mattered was “a person’s actions toward the gods.”

As Philip Freeman has explained, the gods of that culture “did not relate to their worshipers on a personal level.” Religion was more a function of the state. Individuals were “not expected to ‘believe in’ a divinity in order to worship him or her.” If a person wanted the “favor” of the gods, they could sacrifice an animal or go through some other ritual. “It was very businesslike,” and there certainly was no personal connection.

No wonder the “grace” of God made no sense to many. Why would God desire to have a personal relationship with them? Why would He take the initiative to build this relationship?

But Paul knew that Believers must understand God’s favor and grace. They needed to realize that they could have the same kind of relationship he had found with Jesus, who had reached out to him at a time when Paul actually was persecuting those who believed in Him.

Paul explained, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Also, it’s “by grace you have been saved through faith”; we didn’t earn it, for “it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). In fact, all of us owe everything to God. Like Paul, we’ve been blessed by His “special favor” (1 Corinthians 10:15 NLT).

Today, many find it difficult to grasp this favor and believe that it’s really true. Many people simply feel unworthy. But God reaches out to us, asking us to accept His free gift. Revel in the depths of His love! Marvel at His unmerited favor!