When the angel Gabriel came to the virgin Mary, to announce to her that she should be the mother of Jesus, he said, "Hail, you that are highly favored, the Lord is with you." (Luke 1:28)
Who would not be glad of such a salutation as that? Well, the blessedness of it is that these words are addressed to us,--to each one who reads these lines. We need not give them all away to the virgin Mary. Let us see if this is not so.
Favor is grace. Both words, as they are found in the English New Testament, are from the same Greek word. The margin of the Revised Version has, as an equivalent for "highly favored": "...endued with grace."
Now let us not forget that the grace or favor of God is not bestowed upon us because of our goodness, but to save us. The grace of God brings salvation. "All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by His grace." (Romans 3:23-24)
It was while we were dead in trespasses and sins, that the great love of God was shown in saving us by His grace. "But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, has quickened us together with Christ, (by grace you are saved;) And has raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God." (Ephesians 2:4-8) "For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life." (Titus 3:3-7)
And so it is true of us, that we are highly favored. "[God has] blessed us with all spiritual blessings ... in Christ." (Ephesians 1:3)
We turn again to the margin of Luke 1:28, and find the reading "graciously accepted." The angel said, "Hail, you that are graciously accepted." (Luke 1:28)
That is true of us also, for we read that: "[God] made us accepted in the beloved," (Ephesians 1:6) endued us with grace. The Lord says to us, "O Israel, return to the Lord your God, for you have fallen by your iniquity. Take with you words, and turn to the Lord; say unto Him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously." (Hosea 14:12)
Thus we learn that our finding favor with God, or being graciously accepted by Him, is not because of our righteousness. He accepts us in order that He may give us goodness. God has highly favored each one of us, in common with all mankind.
There are thousands of people who would think themselves the most highly favored mortals on earth, if Queen Victoria should take special notice of them, and especially if she should make them her special personal care.
But God has done that very thing to each one of us. We are favored with His own personal presence and protection. Happy are they who have, through faith in His word, come to a consciousness of the fact, so that they can say that they have found favor.
No Special Favorites
In spite of the scriptures quoted in the preceding article, or rather, through ignorance of them, we are prone to think that Mary was highly favored because she was sinless. If that were true, then there would be no message to me in the angel's word to her. But, "All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23)
And this includes Mary as well as me. What a subtle scheme of the devil's to undermine the faith and hope of sinners, is that dogma of the immaculate conception of the virgin Mary. It takes all the hope and joy for many thousands of people, out of that angelic message. How glad I am to know that this dogma is a doctrine of the devil, and that, sinner as I am, God has graciously accepted me as He did Mary.
It is natural for people to feel somewhat bitter towards those who are partial in their dealing, or whom they suspect of being so. Therefore people who did not know the Lord any better than to suppose that He has His special favorites, feel rebellious toward Him, and stubbornly repel His advances. They think that He is altogether such a one as themselves. "God is no respecter of persons." (Acts 10:34)
He does not choose out a few persons, and shower favors upon them, and turn a cold shoulder to others, as not being in that exclusive "set." All such action on the part of men is utterly opposed to the wisdom from above, which is "without partiality": "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy." (James 3:17)
There is no partiality with God. He is willing and anxious to do for every man all that He has ever done for any man, yea, all that He does for His only begotten Son.--Present Truth, January 25, 1894--Timeline: Nativity-2 (The Annunciation)--Luke 1:28.