Accepted in the Beloved

An excerpt from The Grapes of Eschol by Charles H. Welch

Shared by Deborah Earnest

"Accepted in the Beloved (Eph. 1:6)

When we think of the wonder of redeeming love, and can turn to such passages as 1 Corinthians 1:30 or 3:22,23 where Christ is made unto the believer ‘wisdom and righteousness, and sanctification and redemption’ and where we read ‘ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s’ we may well demur at the suggestion that to be ‘accepted in the Beloved’ 16 is one of the unique blessings of the dispensation of the Mystery. Let us see for ourselves. The words ‘made accepted’ translate the Greek charitoo which occurs in but one other place in the New Testament. It is the salutation of the angel to Mary. ‘Hail, thou that art HIGHLY FAVOURED’ (Luke 1:28).

So unique is this term that the Greek word is unknown to classical Greek, and surely no one will deny that Mary the mother of our Lord held a unique place in the history of womankind. To have focussed upon her the prophecy of Genesis 3:15 and of Isaiah 7:14 and 9:6, and to be associated as she was so intimately with the mystery of Godliness (1 Tim. 3:16) gives this lowly woman a place that is indeed one of high favour. It is this word that the apostle singled out from all the words that were available, because NO OTHER CALLING is so related to Christ in His super-heavenly position as this church of the Mystery. The title of Christ ‘The Beloved’ too is as rare as it is lovely. The title is found in Matthew 3:17, 12:18 and 17:5 in which we read the added words ‘well pleased’. In Colossians, which belongs to the same dispensation as Ephesians, Christ is called ‘The Son of His love’ (Col. 1:13), but Ephesians 1:6 is the only occurrence of the title ‘Beloved’ outside the Gospels. Both the ‘acceptance’ therefore, and the One in Whom this acceptance is found, are unique."