…he made us accepted in the Beloved.”

Rejection…if everyone hasn’t felt its sting sometime in life, they will.  And too often to many people, it happens repeatedly.  Think of abandoned wives, and especially children.  Think of the poor father who simply wants to work hard to feed and clothe his family, only to be rejected for a job because of lack of experience or inadequate training or whatever reason.  Simply put, rejection for any reason hurts, and hurts bad.  Even Christ was no stranger to rejection (John 1:11).  But we’ll talk about that shortly.

So why talk about rejection at all?  Because it is the opposite of being accepted, what Ephesians 1:6 (NKJV) says is true of believers.  We have been “accepted in the Beloved”.  The NIV has it, “he has freely given us in the One he loves.”  So which is it?  Actually both.  Let’s look at it.

The NKJV says that it is God’s grace that he has made us accepted in Christ, “the Beloved.”  The Greek word is charitoo, literally God has “graced us” in his Son, whom he loves.  The only other time this word is used in the New Testament is in Luke 1:28 describing Mary as “highly favored” in both NKJV and NIV.  God “graced” her too.  Now don’t let the parallel slip by you.  What God did for Mary was something she in no way could do for herself: as a virgin give birth to the long awaited Messiah.  She absolutely had to have God’s miraculous work done inside her.  Moreover, it had to be done at the right time to fulfill prophecies, and in the right way to fulfill God’s righteousness.  Ditto with us.  We can no more save ourselves, or do anything for God that will meet his approval unless he works deeply inside of us first.  God graced Mary; he graced us too.  Because of this grace, God chose her to be the mother of Jesus.  Because of this grace he chose us to be his children.  He likewise accepted her as she was to raise his Son, as he accepted us to praise his Son’s name in word and deed.  Remember, the words of ultimate rejection we will never ever have to hear: “I never knew you.  Away from me, you evildoers!” (Matthew 7:23).  So we are accepted, chosen, “graced,” however you want to say it.  And this action comes from the Beloved, or as the NIV says, “the One [God] loves”.

The fact that God made us male and female is instructive.  There are some things one gender will and can never experience of the other.  The maternal bond between mother and child is one.  The special relationship between a father and son is another.  Words can’t describe the unique peculiarities in both.  But the special features of this intensely loving relationship were there between Father and Son, obviously way beyond any father-son relationship on earth.  John’s gospel gives us numerous insights into this divine love.  In 17:24 we find that God “loved [Christ] before the creation of the world.”  In 5:20, we see God’s love demonstrated: “the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does.”  In 3:35 “The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands.”  In other words, love includes trust, disclosure and intimacy.

For his part, Christ shows his love for the Father by his obedience: “but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me” (14:31).  Jesus reiterated this in the next chapter: “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you.  Now remain in my love.  If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love” (15:9-10).  The most important command the Father gave the Son, and the most important reason for the Father’s love is clear: “The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again” (10:17).  Thus, love includes cooperation, respect, teamwork, obedience and sacrifice.

Now back to rejection.  How can a father, even a perfect Father, tell his perfect Son to die for evil rebellious creatures who rejected God in a perfect environment?  How can a perfect Father send his loving Son to a fallen world to become the object of his wrath for everyone’s sins?  How can a loving Father reject his own Son for sinners such as us?  What drives such a Father to do that?  What drives such a Son to obey?  Love they both had for us: “that the love you have for me may be in them” (John 17:26).  This must have been challenging, even for God!  We can read the facts and the details in Scripture, but too often the depth, the magnitude, the impact slides right on by.  This is what the grace of God is all about.  This is how the Father “graced” us in the Beloved, and made us beloved as well (Colossians 3:12).  The Son embraced rejection so you wouldn’t.  Has the assurance of God’s acceptance in the Beloved hit home lately?