To the praise of the glory of His grace,
by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
Ephesians 1:6
As believers, one of the most incredible truths we can embrace is that God has made us, even with all our failures and shortcomings, “accepted in the Beloved” or “accepted in His Son” (Eph. 1:6). This short phrase reveals the depths of God’s love and the privileged position we now enjoy in Christ. And when we grasp the full implications of these few words, they will revolutionize the way we view ourselves and how we live out our faith on a daily basis. That’s not hyperbole, just the facts.
Let’s look at what it means to be truly “accepted in the Beloved.”
As we begin to unpack the richness of this verse, we must start with the declaration that God “chose us in Him before the foundation of the world” (Eph. 1:4). Let that sink in— before God spoke creation into existence, and before He formed the galaxies or breathed life into Adam, He had already selected you to be “holy and without blame” in His sight. And He chose you for no other reason than the “good pleasure of His will” or, more precisely, because He wanted to (Eph. 1:5).
Just think, you didn’t earn His sovereign choice of you, and you certainly don’t deserve it— none of us do. But that’s what makes His grace so amazing. God set His affection on you, not because of your merits, but simply because it delighted Him to do so. He predestined you to be adopted as His very own son or daughter (Eph. 1:5). The King of Kings wanted you in His family.
But, and I know it may be hard to believe, it gets even better.
Now, because of His loving choice and predetermined plan, you are “accepted in the Beloved” (Eph. 1:6). The word “accepted” means much more than we assume when we use it today. We speak of inclusion, such as, “I just got accepted into college” or “I feel accepted by my co-workers.” But in Greek, “accepted” (charitóō) means being “highly honored” and “greatly favored.” In fact, it is the same word used of Mary when the angel Gabriel appeared to her saying, “Rejoice, highly favored one (charitóō), the Lord is with you” (Luke 1:28). And this is the only other place in Scripture this particular word is used.
Just as Mary found grace and favor in God’s sight to be chosen as the mother of the Messiah, you also have found grace and favor to be chosen and accepted by Him as His beloved child. Jesus took on the punishment your sins deserved, paying their penalty of death on the cross and, by doing so, made you righteous and reconciled to the Father. So when God looks at you, He doesn’t see your sins, failures, and shame, but the perfect righteousness of His Son imputed to you (2 Cor. 5:21)— His now adopted son (Eph. 1:5).
In Christ, you are now (and I know this may be hard to believe) highly honored and esteemed, deeply loved, and greatly blessed in Him. And God doesn’t begrudgingly accept you because He spoke too soon, maybe before He knew what you were really like, and has to fulfill a promise He’d rather not. No, He now joyfully allows His grace to “abound” toward you in all His wisdom and prudence because of the “riches of His grace” He was pleased to lavish upon you (Eph. 1:7-8). How does that make you feel? And where is the place in your life for insecurity when God has already highly honored you to the degree He has? Read the verse again, if need be.
Think about what this means for your identity and sense of self-worth. You no longer have to be crippled by feelings of insecurity or inadequacy, constantly...
