“—-he hath made us accepted in the beloved.”–Eph. 1:6
One of the worst feelings in life is that of being rejected, unaccepted, unwanted. Perhaps you can think of some painful experience, such as being rejected for a part in the school play, a place on the team, a raise at work, a marriage proposal, etc. That can hurt, but there is something much worse. The Bible tells us of those who will be rejected by God (Matt. 7:21-23). It doesn’t get any worse than that! The good news is that God’s Word also tells us how we can be accepted by God. It doesn’t get any better than that! There are three things that need to be considered.
I. THE BARRIER TO OUR ACCEPTANCE
Although God loves you, your sin has separated you from God (Eph. 2:1-3). He is holy and we are sinful, consequently the natural man cannot have fellowship with God. Until we are reconciled to God we cannot have a relationship with God. Until then we are rebels, outcast, strangers, etc. Our sinfulness is a barrier so big that we cannot possibly get to God through our own effort. But in Christ we have hope.
II. THE BASIS OF OUR ACCEPTANCE
There is much needless confusion and many misconceptions regarding what it takes for us to be accepted by God. Some claim it is by baptism, church membership, good deeds, etc., but none of those things can make us acceptable to God. It is only by grace through faith in Christ that God accepts us. We are “accepted in the beloved”, not in baptism, etc.
III. THE BLESSINGS OF OUR ACCEPTANCE
Although the blessing of salvation are numerous they are all due to the two things mentioned in Eph. 1:7:
1. “we have redemption”. That means we have been set free by the payment of a ransom. When Christ died He paid our sin debt. He delivered us from the condemnation we were under. The precious blood of Christ pays for the penalty of our sins. He was punished in our place.
2. “the forgiveness of sins”. This speaks of being released from sin’s guilt. Although we aren’t perfect, we escape the punishment of our sins because Christ died for them. We are forgiven because every sin, past, present or future is washed away by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Think about it dear friend. The God of the universe is willing to forgive you of all your sins, accept you as His child, make you part of His family, give you a home in heaven, and assist you every step of the way. All this because of Jesus! He was rejected that you might be accepted. He died that you might live. He was condemned that you might be forgiven. The Son of God became the Son of man that the sons of man might become the sons of God. Of this we are sure!
Since God cannot lie, you can have blessed assurance that you are accepted by God– because you have accepted the beloved Son of God as your Savior. Why would you reject His acceptance? It’s not like He asked you to climb the highest mountain, or swim across ocean, or count the stars, or sacrifice your children, or work your fingers to the bone. All He requires is that you accept His Son as your Lord and Savior. Through simple child-like faith you can be accepted by God.
