Jun 13
1
—ACCEPTED IN THE BELOVED “…He hath made us accepted in the Beloved.” Ephesians 1:6
For a sinful creature such as I am to be accepted by God is one of the most amazing declarations of the gospel of Christ. Often to be accepted by others we must meet certain criteria that is conformable to their standards and rules, which sometimes may be justified as far as their understanding and convictions are concerned. However our Lord declares that sinners are accepted by Him in Christ according to the riches of His grace. Every sinner that God saves He saves in Christ and we are all partakers of His grace and are one in Him. All are freely justified, forgiven, and members of His body. The “us” in the passage speaks of the “oneness” which every believer enjoys in Christ. We are accepted because God the Father forever loves His people as we are chosen in Christ, Redeemed by Christ, clothed with the righteousness of Christ, and therefore accepted in Christ. Being in agreement with God every believer accepts each other much the same way…as accepted in the Beloved. Sinners forgiven, sinners justified, sinners accepting each other because of the sovereign grace of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. There is nothing that can separate us from the love of God which is Christ Jesus our Lord. And it is as equally true that nothing can sever the body of Christ and destroy the love we have for each other because it is born of God. It is true that while we are in this flesh we will have disagreements and misunderstandings. But these things should never cause us to separate ourselves and distance ourselves from the fellowship of other sinners whom God has accepted in Christ. True, there can be no fellowship in the gospel with those that do not believe and preach the true gospel of Christ. But those who love Christ, His gospel and one another should seek to be ready to forgive, restore and even give the brother the benefit of doubt. Dogmatism is a good thing if it is not used as a weapon in the hand of pride. Compromise should be unheard of if we are certain and understand all the facts. This I understand, all that are accepted in the Beloved are sinners saved by the grace of God. We are all just alike in the flesh -sinners, and we are all alike in Christ –accepted
Tommy Robbins