Are You Still Trying to Earn God’s Favor? - Andrew Wommack - Charis Daily - Season 17 Ep. 2

Main Ideas and Lessons

• Most people don’t understand the difference between the Old Testament and New Testament

  • The speaker argues the difference is more than just a “blank page” in a Bible.
  • The key concept behind the difference is covenant—a legal agreement/contract.

• Covenants are real binding contracts in God’s dealings

  • God’s word functions like a contract: when God speaks, it becomes binding and cannot be broken.
  • Therefore, God’s dealings with people are not arbitrary—they follow covenant terms.

• Old Covenant = relationship based on human performance

  • After sin entered the world, God dealt with people under a covenant structure involving:
    • Commandments and required performance (including covenant promises made with Noah).
    • “Wages” of sin leading to death (Romans 6:23 concept).
  • When people failed, they could offer animal sacrifices as substitutes.
    • The speaker emphasizes that animal blood symbolically covered sins temporarily.
    • It did not truly remove sins (citing Hebrews 9–10).

• New Covenant = relationship based on what Jesus has done

  • Jesus is described as mediator of a better covenant with “better promises” (Hebrews 8:6).
  • The New Covenant is presented as replacing the Old Covenant—not running alongside it as the continuing basis of acceptance with God.
  • Under the New Covenant, Jesus’ work is presented as covering sins:
    • past, present, and future
  • This challenges common beliefs that forgiveness requires repeated cycles of confessing/bleeding or that salvation is lost every time someone sins.

• What forgiveness does not mean

  • The speaker rejects the idea that the New Covenant means “it doesn’t matter how you live.”
  • Two key points are emphasized:
    1. If someone is truly born again, God changes their desires so they will “purify themselves” (1 John 3:3).
       • Failure may still happen due to weakness and lack of understanding, but the desire is to move toward holiness.
    2. God will not judge a born-again person for sin because Jesus already bore condemnation for sins.
       • However, Satan can still exploit sin’s consequences, and people can become enslaved by sin (Romans 6:16 concept).
  • Christians are still called to reject sin and live holy, but not to earn God’s favor.

• Central contrast: earning favor vs receiving grace

  • Old Covenant mentality: God responds based on actions (obedience/keeping commandments).
    • Example: Deuteronomy 28—blessings for diligent keeping, curses for disobedience.
  • New Covenant mentality: God responds based on Jesus’ finished work.
    • Healing, prosperity, and salvation are framed as gifts, not wages.
    • The speaker warns against trying to get “New Testament results” using “Old Testament effort” (self-reliance).

• The speaker’s “life-changing” conclusion

  • If someone believes God owes them blessings because of religious effort (fasting, prayer, church attendance, holiness behaviors), that mindset is described as:
    • still living under the Old Covenant,
    • placing faith in self/achievement rather than in the Savior.
  • Since humans deserve judgment (“wages of sin is death”), blessings must come by grace, not merit.

Core theme: Acceptance with God is not earned through human performance; it is received through Christ under the New Covenant.

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Scriptural Concepts Referenced (Woven Into the Teaching)

• Hebrews 8:6 – Jesus mediates a “better covenant, established on better promises.”
• Romans 6:23 – “wages of sin is death” and (implied) salvation as gift.
• Isaiah 59:1–2 – iniquities separate people from God (used to describe division under the Old Covenant until sin is dealt with).
• 1 John 3:3 – believers with hope in God purify themselves.
• Romans 6:16 – presenting oneself to obedience leads to righteousness; sin leads to death.
• Psalm 89:34 – God will not break His covenant/word.
• Romans 8:2–3 – freedom from the “law of sin and death” through Christ; sin condemned in the flesh.
• Romans 3:23 – all have sinned and fall short.
• Deuteronomy 28:1–14 and 15–68 – blessings/curses tied to diligence in keeping commandments (used as a model of Old Covenant mentality).
• Hebrews 9–10 – animal sacrifices cannot truly take away sins; they are symbolic until the real sacrifice.
• Galatians 3 (mentioned generally) – covenant issues and human inability to keep it.
• Titus 1:2 (mentioned generally) – God cannot lie.
• Philippians 2 (mentioned generally) – every knee bows / every tongue confesses.

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Methodology / Structure Used in the Teaching

1. Step 1: Introduce the problem

   • Claim that most viewers misunderstand the Old vs New Testament.

2. Step 2: Define the core framework

   • Explain covenant as a legal contract (God’s word binding).

3. Step 3: Describe the Old Covenant system

   • Performance-based relationship.
   • Sin breaks covenant → death is the consequence.
   • Animal sacrifices substitute temporarily; symbolic and insufficient to permanently remove sins.

4. Step 4: Explain why the Old Covenant was insufficient

   • People couldn’t keep it perfectly because of human sin/flesh.
   • God’s standards are right, but humans fail.

5. Step 5: Present the New Covenant replacement

   • Jesus mediates a better covenant.
   • New covenant established on better promises.
   • Jesus’ sacrifice is portrayed as fully dealing with sin (past/present/future).

6. Step 6: Correct misunderstandings

   • Clarify that forgiveness does not equal permission to live in sin.
   • For genuine believers: God changes desires toward purification.
   • God does not judge sin like the Old Covenant, but Satan can use sin’s consequences.

7. Step 7: Apply personally

   • Warn against “earning God’s favor” through religious practices.
   • Encourage trusting Jesus and receiving grace as a gift.

8. Step 8: Close with program/community calls

   • Promote further teachings in the month and offer a booklet/resource.

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Resource and Outreach Mentioned

• A 50-page summary booklet
  • Connected to a larger ~200-page book titled Grace—The Power of the Gospel (described as verse-by-verse on Romans up to chapter 8).
• Prayer line
  • Described as 24/7, with operators available.
• Charis Bible College teachers
  • Multiple teachers are said to teach similar topics throughout the month.
• Donations
  • Requests for support to distribute materials/programs.

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Speakers / Sources Featured

Speaker

• Andrew Wommack (host/teacher)

Sources (Bible / Texts Mentioned)

• Bible (Old and New Testaments)
• Books/letters referenced: Romans, Hebrews, Isaiah, 1 John, Galatians, Deuteronomy, Titus, Philippians

Key covenant/law passages referenced

• Hebrews 8:6, Romans 6:23, Romans 6:16, Isaiah 59:1–2, Psalm 89:34, Romans 8:2–3, Romans 3:23, 1 John 3:3, Deuteronomy 28:1–14 & 15–68

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Program / Organization Referenced

• Charis Daily
• Charis Bible College
• GTN (mentioned by name in the subtitles)