Salvation and the favor of God. Did you know you do a favor for God when you accept the invitation of Jesus to be born again? There is an intimate link between this favor and enjoying the favor of God in return. Have you ever wondered why it must be a free will act we take, to accept the offer of salvation?Jesus is asking us to participate in the principle of doing blood covenant favors.

Reciprocating favors are the basis for our love-based, grace-based, blood Covenant relationship with Jesus. How and when does Jesus obligate Himself to give us grace and forgiveness and favor, far more than we deserve? It is when he asks us to do him a favor first, of our own free will.

Our favor of accepting salvation and the favor of God

Jesus asks us, as a favor, to accept His offer to covenant with us. We must accept the offer of the covenant. We are not born into it, and He will not force us into it. Our acceptance must be doing a favor for Jesus because He asked us to. Jesus does not break down your door, He knocks. Then, He asks you to do Him the favor of opening the door to your heart.

By us doing the favor of accepting Him, Jesus obligates Himself to give us the favor of accepting us. This is a very big favor Jesus is doing for us. Notice the favor He asks of us is optional, but the return favor is an obligation. His making us acceptable is part of what Jesus obligated Himself to do. The favors are not of equal value, but they are completely fair. This is because of the principle of blood covenant favors.

Reciprocal favors are part of making a blood covenant.

In a blood covenant, partners can do favors for each other. There are a few important rules in place to guard against partners taking advantage of each other.

1. You cannot ask your partner to do something that violates the terms of the underlying agreement.
2. Your partner must already be capable of doing what you ask for.
3. Favors are done in good faith for love. You do not have to justify or tell them why you are asking them to do it. If they love and trust you, they will gladly do it.
4. The one you are asking can say yes or no and does not have to justify their response. Denying the request will only prevent you from getting the return favor that otherwise would have come. This can be costly because of the last rule of doing covenant favors.
5. The last rule is that the stronger can ask the weaker to do a favor for them. The favor must be within the weaker one’s ability to perform. Just by asking, he is obligating himself to do a return favor. The return favor will be of far greater value than the one He asks for. Its only limit is His own far greater ability to reciprocate.

God purposely obligates Himself to do more in return

The key to understanding our covenant with God is this. We must know that He will ask us to do favors for Him. It is not because He is domineering. It is to purposely obligate Himself to do more for us than He asks of us. God’s ask for a favor from Abraham that results in paving the way for our salvation. God asks Abraham to sacrifice his own son. By asking this, God obligates Himself to give His Son as a return favor. There is much more about this important truth in my book, The Mystery of the Blood Covenants.

So here is the key thing to know about salvation and the favor of God. The wealthier one is not taking advantage when he asks the one with little to offer for something. He knows what He must do in return. Because it is a love-based grace covenant, Jesus gladly does it.

The New Covenant is the basis for what He asks of us

Christians to a large extent are not aware of this all-important principle. It is by doing Him the favor of accepting His offer of this Blood Covenant relationship that Jesus saves us. The fact that He dies to be able to legally offer it does not automatically give it to everyone. There is no return favor for those who refuse to do the favor He asks of them. We only get what the Covenant relationship offers if we accept the covenant relationship on the terms set forth. The price of admission to His Kingdom is the perfection of the lamb whose blood His Son provides. You and I do not have to come up with our own perfection as the down payment to purchase salvation. We do not have to make future installment payments to keep the agreement in force. He paid our membership fees in full for eternity. 

It is important to also remember that the blood covenant predates our birth. The Father and the Son are the two who made it. They are honor-bound to uphold and keep the promises of and to one another for eternity. God accepts the Son and those who enter this pre-existing love-based Blood Covenant based on the perfection of Jesus. Christ is the only one perfect enough to be acceptable to God. If we are in Him, Jesus makes us acceptable, enabling us to receive salvation and the favor of God.  

Back to the Garden

The love-based Blood Covenant Gospel invites us back into the Garden of Eden relationship. It restores us to a relationship unbroken by sin. God restores our citizenship in the kingdom of God. Now He asks us for more favors, such as to share this good news with others. When we do these favors greater return favors abound.

Many of us have received the revelation of ours being a grace-based covenant. Now I challenge us to see how this favor principle underlies that covenant. When we get the revelation of this, it makes all things possible. God will not be limited to just doing us a favor now and then. He can infuse our lives with His blessings and favor.

Matthew 5:8 (AMPC)

“Blessed (happy, enviably fortunate, and spiritually prosperous—possessing the happiness produced by the experience of God’s favor and especially conditioned by the revelation of His grace, regardless of their outward conditions) are the pure in heart, for they shall see God!”

In each of the “Blessed are” verses of Matthew 5:1-10, the Amplified Bible spells out what is being made available. Those who do the favor of accepting Jesus as the Messiah can qualify to receive these promises. He is not asking us to become perfect apart from His provision. The Messiah obligates Himself to give us salvation and the experience of God’s favor. I believe what He is asking us to do right now, is to step out in faith. Let’s do Jesus the favor of believing and embracing the promised outcome seen in Matthew 5. Allow Him to increase our experience of what can accompany our salvation and the favor of God.

Photo by Jackson David on Unsplash