“…He gave us favor in the Beloved.” Ephesians 1:3-6 (WEB)
There are parts of the Bible that we hear so often that we tend to simply miss something that is very plain. Several years ago, I had that experience with one verse in particular.
Because of that experience there is a passage in Ephesians that I will never forget. It is the passage that our key verse references, above.
All of my life, I have thought this passage refers to people being accepted into the fellowship of beloved believers.
But the Beloved in this passage is Jesus -the Beloved Son of God.
How I kept missing the capital “B,” I will never know. The passage is so clear.
I had become so familiar with it that I didn’t perceive it in my heart as intended.
Let’s look at the context of the passage:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and without defect before him in love, having predestined us for adoption as children through Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his desire, to the praise of the glory of his grace, by which he freely gave us favor in the Beloved.
But now, the Holy Spirit has actually removed the blinders. My eyes of faith have finally seen the capital “B” in the word Beloved. Jesus. The Beloved Son of God.
This is why it is so important for believers to pray before reading the Bible. We are instructed to pray for help from the Holy Spirit. He is our Teacher. He opens spiritually blind eyes and fills empty hearts.
“…But as his anointing teaches you concerning all things,
and is true, and is no lie, and even as it taught you, you will remain in him.
1 John 2:27
Because our sin nature is what separates us from God, we could never approach Him for anything-
-but for the beloved Christ.
Because of Christs’ sacrifice for us, we are no longer separated from God by our sin.
Of course, as a believer it is very important to confess known daily sin. You cannot lose your salvation, but if that is your primary concern, then your focus is not on the right thing. Your sin should grieve you, because as a believer who loves God, you should never want to dishonor Him.
But to continue with the thought that has gripped my heart, is this knowledge that believers are fully accepted.
And that is not because of anything that we have done. We are made clean and holy before God through our personal relationship with the Beloved.
When Jesus’ prayed for us before He died, He prayed that we would experience the unity of the Father and the Son.
“I in them, and you in me, that they may be perfected into one; that the world may know that you sent me and loved them, even as you loved me.” John 17:23
I don’t know about you, but this makes me want to live to honor God more.
Even though we are frail and will fall down, we should be inspired. This greatest of all Loves motivates us to lead better lives.
God’s Word is plain. Redemption is a gift of God by grace through faith. (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Look at the benefits for believers that are listed in the passage:
- Grace and peace
- Spiritual blessings
- United with Jesus
- Loved by God
- Made to be holy
- Adopted into God’s family
- God takes delight in you
- Our freedom was purchased
- Our sins are forgiven
- We are given wisdom
- We have received an inheritance
- We have been given the Holy Spirit
- Christ has filled us with Himself.
- Christ has covered us with His very own Blood.
- And now, we are accepted in the Beloved.
“No shadow of darkness hides me
from the Love of God my Savior.”
Joy Lee
There is no shadow of darkness that can dim these beautiful thoughts of God toward you.
Has a flame of love for Jesus been renewed in your heart to fully live for Him?
Share the Good News in your world!
Isaiah 52:7
World English Bible (WEB)
by Public Domain. The name “World English Bible” is trademarked.
