“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 Saviour 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 Saviour 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.

Think for a moment of the glory and majesty of Almighty God. If a believer ponders in his heart the wonder of God’s grace, he soon realizes his own unworthiness and utter vileness. How could it ever be that He, before whom the moon and stars are not pure in His sight, accepts such sinners? Yet the infallible Word of God declares that He indeed has accepted some men in the Beloved. Who are they? How are they made accepted? According to Ephesians 1:3-14, they are those who have been blessed with all spiritual blessings in Christ.

They are those who have been chosen in Christ from the foundation of the world.

They are those who have been predestinated to the adoption of children by Christ.

They are those who have been accepted in Christ.

They are those who have been redeemed by Christ, forgiven their sins by Christ, illuminated in Christ, gathered in Christ, and given an inheritance in Christ.

They are those who have been given faith after they heard the Gospel.

They are those who have been sealed by the Holy Spirit in Christ. This was all done for them to the praise and the glory of God’s grace. This was accomplished for them by Him Who doeth all things after the counsel of His own will. To the hopeless, and only the hopeless, this is good news!