ACCEPTED IN THE BELOVED "To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved" (Ephesians 1:6). Are you a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, one who has come to the Savior for salvation, forgiveness, righteousness and life? Have you repented of your dead works and idolatry and now worship the true God through Christ and His blood sacrifice? Do you see that sinners are justified (forgiven and declared righteous) solely by His death and resurrection? Is the Son of God all of your hope of heaven? Do you love this glorious God-Man? Do you trust Him as being the only One who can save you from the curse of the law, from sin and from Satan? Do you bow to and submit to His Lordship? If by the witness of the Spirit you answer these questions in the affirmative, then I know you bless the name of our God for your salvation. I also know that since God has saved you, He has taught you that your belief and repentance are not the reasons for your acceptance. There had to be an infinitely higher cause and explanation as to why a holy God would accept sinners. "He hath made us accepted in the Beloved." There is no denying that faith and repentance are very important, but they are not conditions to be met by the sinner for acceptance, rather they are evidences of acceptance which are wrought by the power of the Spirit of grace. Paul, in the context, sets forth the origin and accomplishment of salvation. Our acceptance "in the Beloved," was not conditioned upon something we must do, but upon the eternal purpose of God and the faithfulness of our Savior to fulfill every stipulation He agreed to in the everlasting covenant of grace. The Father chose a people unto salvation (verse 4), Christ received them as a gift and redeemed them by His blood (verse 7). The chosen ones were "accepted in the Beloved" (graced in Him), therefore the Father has always looked to Him for their eternal well-being. Since Christ was "the Surety" (Hebrews 7:22) and "the Mediator" (Hebrews 12:24) of the everlasting covenant, the safety of those entrusted to Him was guaranteed. God looks to His Son and to His obedience as the sole reason for accepting us. Every believer is "accepted in the Beloved." What a blessed anchor for our faith; what a soul-comforting truth. –Pastor Jim Byrd
IN THE LORD’S HAND "No man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand" (John 10:29). Think, my soul, how eternally safe and secure must the church of Jesus be, thus kept by the mighty power of God, through faith, unto salvation! What shall unclasp the hands of Jehovah? Who shall wrest the weakest, the humblest, the poorest of Christ’s little ones from the holding of His omnipotency? Why then art thou, my soul, so frequently exercised with fears, and doubts, and misgivings? It is the Lord’s love that is the foundation of thy assurance, and not the strength of thy graces! His own free mercy, and not thy merit were the first causes of thy calling; and what is it now, in thy present preservation, but the same which holds thee up and carries thee through every difficulty? "Yea, He loved the people; all His saints are in Thy hands" (Deut. 33:3). Precious Lord Jesus! It is enough. How shall a child of Thine perish when secured by such almighty support? Oh to hear Thy voice, in the soft whispers of Thy love, comforting my soul as Thou didst the church of old. "Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget; yet, will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of My hands; thy walls are continually before Me" (Isaiah 49:15-16). –Robert Hawker
"Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of Thy people, Thou hast covered all their sin. Selah." (Psalm 85:2)
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