covered in the fleece of the Lamb

My heart was drawn back to Ephesians Chapter One for a word study of the phrase accepted in the Beloved from Ephesians 1:5-6…

Amplified: For He foreordained us (destined us, planned in love for us) to be adopted (revealed) as His own children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the purpose of His will [because it pleased Him and was His kind intent]— [So that we might be] to the praise and the commendation of His glorious grace (favor and mercy), which He so freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

NLT: God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.

Phillips: He planned, in his purpose of love, that we should be adopted as his own children through Jesus Christ—that we might learn to praise that glorious generosity of his which has made us welcome in the everlasting love he bears towards the Son.

Wuest: having previously marked us out to be placed as adult sons through the intermediate agency of Jesus Christ for Himself according to that which seemed good in His heart’s desire resulting in praise of the glory of His grace which He freely bestowed upon us in the Beloved.

Young’s Literal: having foreordained us to the adoption of sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, in which He did make us accepted in the beloved.

Jubilee Bible: having marked out beforehand the way for us to be adopted as sons by Jesus Christ in himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, in which he has made us accepted in the beloved.

NKJV:  having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

A word study of beloved (agapao) speaks especially of love as based on evaluation and choice, a matter of will and action. The Beloved is Christ, the one the Father loves. God the Father has always loved God the Son with this love which is permanent.

In this scripture, beloved is in the perfect tense, which is very expressive. It speaks of an action that took place in the past, which was completed in past time, and the existence of its finished results. For instance, you might say, “I have closed the door," which speaks of a past completed action. But the implication is that, as a result, the door is still closed. The entire meaning is, “I have closed the door and it is closed at present."

In this context beloved is in the perfect tense, which conveys the idea of permanence and speaks of the Father having always loved Son. Christ is the One Who is ever in the state of being loved by the Father, and where are saved sinners? Accepted in the Beloved.

I heard a story several years ago which is a beautiful illustration of this Truth. A man was the guest of sheep-raisers. It was lambing time and every morning they went out to see the lambs. One morning, the man was startled to see an old ewe walking across the road, followed by a strange looking lamb. It apparently had six legs, and the skin seemed to be partially torn from its body. One of the herders caught the lamb and explained the mystery—that lamb did not really belong originally to that ewe. She had a lamb which was bitten by a rattlesnake and died. This lamb was an orphan and needed a mother’s care. But at first, the grieving ewe refused to have anything to do with it. She sniffed at it when it was brought to her, then pushed it away, as if to say, “That is not our family odor!” So the herders skinned the lamb that had died and very carefully drew the fleece over the living lamb. This left the hind-leg coverings dragging loose. After it was covered, the lamb was brought again to the ewe. She smelled it once more and this time seemed thoroughly satisfied and adopted it as her own.

What a beautiful picture of the grace of God to sinners. We are all outcasts and have no claim upon His love. But God’s own Son, the "Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the World," has died for us, and now we who believe are covered in the fleece of the Lamb who died. God has accepted us in the Beloved. Praise His Holy Name!

Lord Jesus, Thank You that I am accepted in the Beloved Son of God, and because of that, I can rest in Your finished work on the Cross. Thank You that I can rest as You carry my burdens for me. I give them all to You and I gladly receive Your rest! Teach me Your wisdom that is humble and pure, and help me to walk in the ways You set before me. Thank You for Your mercy and love that invite me to continually experience Your Peace and enjoy Your Presence, living my life resting and trusting in You! In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

Look Up—meditate on Ephesians 1:5-6 … pray to see what it reveals about the character of God.

Look In—as you meditate on Ephesians 1:5-6 … pray to see how you might apply it to your life. Be propelled to ask galvanizing questions about your discoveries: "Because God is_________, I will_____________."

Look Out—as you meditate on Ephesians 1:5-6 …pray to see how you might apply it to your relationships with others. Let the nature of God impact on every relationship, for your good, and for His glory.


* If you liked this post, you’ll love this book – Name Above All Names Devotional: Focusing on 26 Alphabetical Names of Christ


Weekly LinkUps…

our inheritance in Christ...

photograph by Rita Moenck

Rita Moenck’s photograph of these rocks inspired me as I was listening to Bethel Music’s new hymn, One Thing Remains… higher than the mountains that I face, stronger than the power of the grave, constant in the trial and the change, this one thing remains…in death, in life, I'm confident and covered by, the power of Your great love, my debt is paid, there's nothing that can separate my heart from Your great love… Your love never fails, it never gives up, it never runs out on me…

How grateful we are for the Cross, the finished work of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and our daily relationship with Him, the guarantee of our inheritance...my heart is drawn back to Ephesians Chapter One for a word study of the word, “inheritance,” from Ephesians 1:11-12. Jesus Christ is the ground or source of our divine inheritance. These truths are life changing…

Ephesians 1:11-12...

Amplified: In Him we also were made [God’s] heritage (portion) and we obtained an inheritance; for we had been foreordained (chosen and appointed beforehand) in accordance with His purpose, Who works out everything in agreement with the counsel and design of His [own] will, so that we who first hoped in Christ [who first put our confidence in Him have been destined and appointed to] live for the praise of His glory!

NET: In Christ we too have been claimed as God’s own possession, since we were predestined according to the one purpose of Him who accomplishes all things according to the counsel of His will so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, would be to the praise of His glory.

Phillips: And here is the staggering thing—that in all which will one day belong to Him we have been promised a share (since we were long ago destined for this by the One Who achieves His purposes by His sovereign will), so that we, as the first to put our confidence in Christ, may bring praise to his glory! And you too trusted Him, when you heard the message of truth, the Gospel of your salvation. And after you gave your confidence to Him you were, so to speak, stamped with the promised Holy Spirit as a guarantee of purchase, until the day when God completes the redemption of what He has paid for as His own; and that will again be to the praise of His glory.

Wuest: In Whom also we were made an inheritance, having been previously marked out according to the purpose of the One Who operates all things according to the counsel of His will with a view to our being to the praise of His glory who had previously placed our hope in the Christ.

Young’s Literal: In Whom also we did obtain an inheritance, being foreordained according to the purpose of Him who the all things is working according to the counsel of His will, for our being to the praise of His glory, [even] those who did first hope in the Christ.

Inheritance (kleroo) means to choose or determine by lot. In the passive sense (as in this use—passive voice) it means to obtain an inheritance or be appointed an heir. Believers became heirs of God because He predestined us according to His purpose. The “lot” in a sense then fell to believers, not by chance, but solely because of His gracious, sovereign choice. The Apostle Paul uses the aorist tense to refer to a definite action in the past. When something in the future was so certain that it could not possibly fail to happen, the Greek language often spoke as if it had already occurred. To be sure, to an extent all believers have already received an inheritance, but there is a certain future inheritance awaiting every believer.

Pastor Ray Stedman clarifies the meaning of kleroo, “The question is, are you enjoying your inheritance? Do you wake in the morning and remind yourself at the beginning of the day... I'm a child of the Father. I've been chosen by Him to be a member of His family. He imparts to me all the richness of His life. His peace, His joy, His love are my legacy, my inheritance, from which I can draw every moment of life, and have them no matter what my circumstances may be. Do you reckon on these unseen things which are real and true? -- because, if you do, when you trust in God's grace to be your present experience, you can know of yourself what the Father said three times about His Son Jesus. God the Father, looking down at you can say, This fellow here, this girl there, this man, this woman -- this is my beloved child in whom I am well pleased. That is our inheritance."

Commentator John MacArthur explains the passive form of the verb kleroo as “the believers who receive the inheritance. Throughout Scripture believers are spoken of as belonging to God, and He is spoken of as belonging to them. The New Testament speaks of our being in Christ and of His being in us, of our being in the Spirit and of His being in us. The practical side of that truth is that, because we are identified with Christ, our lives should be identified with His life. We are to love as He loved, help as He helped, care as He cared, share as He shared, and sacrifice our own interests and welfare for the sake of others just as He did. Like our Lord, we are in the world to lose our lives for others.”

Theologian Henry A. Ironside describes klero this way…”On the entrance into the narrow way that leads to life eternal is plainly depicted the text, "Whosoever will, let him come." Every man is invited, no one need hesitate. God's invitation is absolutely sincere; it is addressed to every man, "Whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely.” The door could be entered by all, but many refused to come and perished in their sins. Such men can never blame God for their eternal destruction. The door was open, the invitation was given, they refused, and He says to them sorrowfully, "Ye will not come unto Me, that ye might have life." [But some will say], "I am going inside: I will accept the invitation; I will enter that door," and he presses his way in and it shuts behind him. As he turns about he finds written on the inside of the door the words, "Chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world.”

Evangelist and teacher Oswald Chambers loved the poetry of Robert Browning and often quoted a phrase from the poem Rabbi Ben Ezra: The best is yet to be, the last of life for which the first was made. Our times are in His hand. As the principal of the Bible Training College in London from 1911 to 1915, Chambers often said that the school's initials, B.T.C., also stood for "Better To Come." He believed that the future was always bright with possibility because of Christ. In a letter to former students written during the dark days of World War I, Chambers said, "Whatever transpires, it is ever 'the best is yet to be.'" 

No matter what our circumstances are in this life, in Christ, we know and believe that we can wake in the morning and remind ourselves at the beginning of our day...I'm a child of the Father. I've been chosen by Him to be a member of His family. He imparts to me all the richness of His life. His peace, His joy, His love are my legacy, my inheritance, from which I can draw every moment of life, and have them no matter what my circumstances may be...and the best is yet to be. That is our inheritance.

Previous posts from Ephesians Chapter One…

Ephesians 1:1-2

Ephesians 1:3-4

Ephesians 1:5-6

Ephesians 1:7

Ephesians 1:8

Ephesians1:9-10

Ephesians 1:13-14

Ephesians1:15-17

Ephesians 1:18-19

Ephesians 1:20-21

Ephesians 1:22-23

Weekly LinkUps… 

You are Beloved...

In this Scripture, the word Beloved (agapao in Greek) speaks especially of love as based on evaluation and choice, a matter of will and action. Beloved is in the perfect tense, which in this context, conveys the idea of permanence and speaks of the Father having always loved the Son. Jesus Christ is the One Who is ever in the state of being loved by the Father, and where are saved sinners? In the Beloved...when you know and believe you are Beloved, you will see things others do not see.

Many years ago, I heard Elisabeth Elliot open her Gateway To Joy radio show with these comforting words of Scripture, ‘You are loved with an everlasting love.’ That's what the Bible says. ‘And underneath are the everlasting arms.’ I came to a place in my life where I wanted, more than anything else, to know and love God more. God is so inconceivably good. He’s not looking for perfection. He already saw it in Christ. He’s looking for affection. That’s why every lasting change will invariably be a change of heart. He’ll even supply the heart, if we’ll ask Him…Lord Jesus, give me a heart to know you and love you more, believing that I am accepted in the Beloved.

Henri Nouwen, the famous author, once gave a postcard print of Rembrandt’s painting pictured below, Return of the Prodigal, to individuals who came to hear him speak. He asked them to look at the hands of father—one hand looks more masculine and strong, and the other hand looks more feminine and gentle. Recently, we attended a Chris Tomlin concert and heard a short message during the concert by pastor Louie Giglio on the Scripture Luke 15. He started his message by stating that the word “prodigal” means “lavish,” although the son was lavish in his lifestyle, the father was also lavish in his love, grace, mercy, forgiveness, and acceptance. What a wonderful way to illustrate the unconditional love God has for all of us prodigals, full of grace and truth, His open arms saying, You are My Beloved...

Rembrandt's Return of the Prodigal

Take a few minutes to watch this powerful music video, When God Ran...

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.—Romans  8:38-39 

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.—John 3:16 

This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.—I John 4:10 

We love because He first loved us.—I John 4:19

Was this encouraging to you? Please feel free to leave a comment in the box below, I'd love to hear from you!

Linking up with Holley Gerth as an encourager.

accepted in the Beloved...

 

People who know they are Beloved see things others don’t. In this Scripture, the word “Beloved” (agapao in Greek) speaks especially of love as based on evaluation and choice, a matter of will and action. “Beloved” is in the perfect tense, which in this context, conveys the idea of permanence and speaks of the Father having always loved the Son. Jesus Christ is the One Who is ever in the state of being loved by the Father, and where are saved sinners? In the Beloved.

Many years ago, I heard Elisabeth Elliot open her Gateway To Joy radio show with these comforting words of Scripture, "‘You are loved with an everlasting love.’ That's what the Bible says. ‘And underneath are the everlasting arms.’ This is your friend Elisabeth Elliot…” I came to a place in my life where I wanted, more than anything else, to know and love God more. God is so inconceivably good. He’s not looking for perfection. He already saw it in Christ. He’s looking for affection. That’s why every lasting change will invariably be a change of heart. He’ll even supply the heart, if we’ll ask Him…Lord Jesus, give me a heart to know you and love you more, believing that I am accepted in the Beloved...

 Henri Nouwen, the famous author, once gave a postcard print of Rembrandt’s painting pictured here, Return of the Prodigal, to individuals who came to hear him speak. He asked them to look at the hands of father—one hand looks more masculine and strong, and the other hand looks more feminine and gentle. Recently, my husband and I attended a Chris Tomlin concert and heard a short message during the concert by pastor Louie Giglio on this Scripture from Luke 15. He started his message by stating that the word “prodigal” means “lavish,” although the son was lavish in his lifestyle, the father was also lavish in his love, grace, mercy, forgiveness, and acceptance. What a wonderful way to illustrate the unconditional love God has for all of us prodigals, full of grace and truth, His open arms saying, You are my Beloved...

Take a few minutes to watch this powerful music video, When God Ran...

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.—Romans  8:38-39 

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.—John 3:16 

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.—I John 4:10 

We love because he first loved us.—I John 4:19

Was this encouraging to you? Please feel free to leave a comment in the box below, I'd love to hear from you!

Linking up with HolleyGerth's Coffee for Your Heart as an encourager.