Accepted In the Beloved

Q: What does the Bible say about being accepted in Christ?

The Bible emphasizes that our acceptance in Christ is God's work from eternity, not dependent on us. In Ephesians 1:6, Paul declares that God has made us accepted in the Beloved, highlighting that our acceptance is an eternal act of divine grace. This acceptance is fully accomplished by God and is not dependent on human effort or merit. It is a comforting truth that reassures believers of their secure position before God, reminding us that we are chosen and favored not because of our worth, but solely through God's grace in Christ. Thus, our acceptance rests completely on our union with Christ and the finished work of salvation that He accomplished on our behalf.

Q: How do we know God's election is true?

God's election is affirmed in scripture, showing that it was decided before the foundation of the world. The doctrine of God's sovereign election is grounded in Scripture, particularly Ephesians 1:4, which states that He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world. This passage reveals that our election is not based on anything we have done or decided, but purely on God’s eternal purpose and grace. This concept assures us that our salvation is secure, as it is rooted in God's eternal will rather than our fluctuating feelings or actions. In addition, Romans 8 tells us that those whom God foreknew, He predestined, thus solidifying the biblical foundation for understanding election as a vital part of God’s redemptive plan.

Q: Why is the union with Christ important for Christians?

Our union with Christ is vital as it secures our salvation and makes us one with Him eternally. The believer's union with Christ is foundational to our faith and salvation. This union ensures that all spiritual blessings come to us through Him. As Ephesians 1 repeatedly emphasizes, our acceptance, righteousness, and inheritance are found exclusively in Christ. Our safety and security in salvation stem from this eternal bond; we are not only saved by His work, but we are also one with Him in His life, death, and resurrection. This profound connection brings believers into an intimate relationship with the Savior, whereby we share in His righteousness and are assured of our place in heaven, forever united with the Beloved.

Q: What does it mean to be accepted in the Beloved?

To be accepted in the Beloved means to be esteemed and favored by God entirely through Christ. Being accepted in the Beloved signifies being highly favored and beloved by God due to our union with Christ. Ephesians 1:6 emphasizes that this acceptance is not based on our actions but is a result of God's grace bestowed upon us in Christ. This acceptance grants believers a status of being lauded and praiseworthy in God's sight, evidencing His unconditional love. As believers, we can find comfort in knowing that our acceptance is secure, despite our failures or shortcomings, because it is rooted in Christ’s righteousness and not our own efforts. This truth enlivens our faith and fosters a deep love and gratitude toward the Savior.

Q: How does our acceptance affect our relationship with God?

Our acceptance in Christ allows us to approach God confidently, as we are clothed in His righteousness. Our acceptance in Christ fundamentally transforms our relationship with God. As stated in Ephesians 1:6, being accepted means we are no longer viewed as unrighteous; instead, we are seen as righteous and favored through Christ. This truth eliminates any barriers that sin might pose, enabling us to approach God boldly, with confidence in His love and grace. Our standing before Him does not depend on our performance but on the perfect work of Christ. This assurance fosters a deeper sense of intimacy with God and encourages us to grow in faith, knowing that we are eternally accepted and embraced in His grace.

and verse 6. Ephesians chapter 1 and verse
6. The Apostle Paul, by divine inspiration,
tells us that God Almighty has from eternity chosen, predestinated,
adopted, and blessed us in Christ to the praise of the glory of
his grace. wherein he hath made us accepted
into beloved." What a subject. The title of my message this
evening is found in the last part of our text, Accepted into
Beloved. In this passage of Scripture,
the Holy Spirit reveals and declares to us one of the most comforting,
delightful truths of Holy And that is the fact that there is
an everlasting, immutable, indissolvable union of grace between God's
elect and Jesus Christ the Savior. We're one with him. One with
him. Now let that, let that roll over
in your soul a little bit. We're one with him. You who believe
on the Son of God, you who are born of his washed in his blood,
loathed in his righteousness. We're one with Christ, accepted
in the beloved. Now, please notice at the very
outset that our acceptance in Christ is spoken of as something
that has been accomplished by God himself, and accomplished
by God himself from eternity. Consequently, It is not in any
way something that is done by us or dependent upon us. Our
acceptance is totally the work of God. It is not something that
is done in time, accomplished in time, or dependent upon the
things of time, but something that was done in eternity, accomplished
in eternity, and finished in eternity. He hath made us accepted
in the below. Let men hoot and holler all they
want to about man's part in salvation. You haven't got a part. Let men
hoot and holler all they want to about man's will, man's worth,
and man's contribution. Our text declares He, God the
Father, have made from all eternity before the world began." Notice
what the Apostle says. All this is done before the world
began, before the foundation of the world. What Paul says,
beginning at verse 3, going down through verse 6, is all one subject,
so much so that it's just one sentence. So that everything
spoken of in these verses is spoken of as something accomplished
in eternity. He, God the Father, hath made
from eternity us, you and me, vile, base, hell-bent, hell-deserving
men and women, accepted, highly favored, honored, pleasing, and
delightful to God Almighty in the beloved. The Lord Jesus Christ
is their Son, our Savior. One of the hymn writers put it
this way, to which Jesus and the chosen race subsist a bond
of sovereign grace, that hell with its infernal frame shall
ne'er dissolve nor end in vain. Hail sacred union, firm and strong,
how great the grace, how sweet the song, that worms of earth
should ever be one with incarnate deity. One in the tree when he
rose, one when he triumphed over his foes, one when in heaven
he took his seat, while Sarah sang all hell's defeats. The sacred tithe forbids our
fears, for all he is and has is theirs. With him their head
they stand before, their life their surety, and their all."
Now give me your careful attention. Listen closely. May God the Holy
Spirit teach these bits to preach as He taught David's hands to
war, and enable me to minister to your very hearts as I open
to you the words of this text, and I'll give you four parts
to the message. First, our text speaks of and
reveals a beloved person. Then, an everlasting union. Thirdly,
we will look for a moment or two at a glorious position, and
finally, a divine First thing, a text speaks of a beloved person. That's the first thing I want
you to see, and it's the most important. It speaks of the Lord
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and calls him the Beloved. What a name. What a name for
him who is the lover of our souls. I can think of no name, I cannot
even imagine a name, that is more appropriate and more proper
for our Redeemer in all his relationships to God the Father, God the Holy
Spirit, his people upon the earth, and the angels of heaven. In
all his delightful relationships, Jesus Christ is well named the
Beloved. He is the Beloved of the Father. You remember that in baptism,
the Lord God spoke from heaven and said, this is my beloved
son, in whom I am well pleased. When our Lord Jesus was transfigured
on the mount in Matthew 17, God again spoke from heaven and said,
this is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased. Here be him. None of us can imagine how dear
and beloved the Son of God is to the Father. Who should enter
into the relationships of the Holy Trinity? We talk about the
Trinity, we recognize the reality of the Divine Trinity, God the
Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, three divine persons
in one eternal God here, one God and yet three persons in
the God here. But none of us understands it.
And we certainly do not understand the relationship of love that
subsists between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
We cannot imagine the kind of love the Father has for the Son,
but we have numerous illustrations of it in the Scriptures. God
the Son was one with the Father and beloved by him in the councils
of eternity when God Almighty was forming the scheme of grace
and the plan of redemption. I use that language to accommodate
our puny brains, because the Bible uses that language to accommodate
our puny brains. God did not take a process of
time and form a scheme of redemption, but we can understand the reality
that God Almighty simply willed it, and it was done. And so it's
spoken of as the councils of grace and the councils of peace,
and the Lord Jesus is spoken of as one brought up by him and
beloved by him in that council. Let me show you. Turn to Proverbs
chapter 8. Proverbs the 8th chapter. The
wise man Solomon is speaking of wisdom, and the wisdom he
speaks of is not smarts, it's not grey matter, it's not a good
education, it's not knowing how to handle your money right. The
wisdom he speaks of is Christ. The wisdom he's talking about
is Jesus Christ the Lord, and the Lord Jesus here speaks under
the personification of wisdom. He says in verse 12, I, wisdom,
dwell with prudence. In verse 14 it says, counsel
is mine and sound wisdom I am understanding. Now look in verse
22, the Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before
his works of old. Now this is not talking about
the Lord Jesus Christ in his eternal deity. He was never possessed
of God in that regard. He was never brought forth in
that regard. But it's talking about him as
our covenant surrogate. It says in verse 23, I was set
up from everlasting, from the beginning or ever the earth was.
When there were no depths, I was brought forth. When there were
no fountains abounding with water, before the mountains were settled,
before the hills was I brought forth. While as yet he had not
made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust
of the world, when he prepared the heavens, I was there. When
he set a compass upon the face of the depth, when he established
the clouds above, when he strengthened the fountains of the deep, when
he gave to the sea his decree that the water should not pass
his commandment, when he appointed the foundations of the earth,
then was I by him as one brought up with him, and I was daily
his delight, rejoicing always before him, rejoicing in the
habitable parts of the earth, of his earth, and my delights. were with the sons of man. So
the father so loves the son that he makes the son to be privy
to all the counsels of his peace and grace in the covenant. In
covenant grace, all the blessings of grace were freely bestowed
upon the chosen, and given to the chosen in Christ the beloved. Look in our text again in Ephesians
1, verse 3, I never tire of repeating it. I haven't begun to expound
it as it ought to be expounded. But Lord, I hope you get hold
of this. God the Father has blessed us, us who believe, us who are
the chosen, us who are redeemed by his Son and called by his
grace. He's blessed us, his people. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us. Do you see that? He did it back
yonder, before the war began, one time. Folks talk about a
second work of grace, a second blessing, all that nonsense.
This is back in eternity. God the Father blessed us with
all spiritual blessings. All of them. All of them. Did you get it? All of them.
But what about all of them? All spiritual blessings. All spiritual blessings for time
and eternity. in Christ Jesus. Do you see that? He had blessed
us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. And when the Lord God stooped
to create all things out of nothing, the Father called the Son and
said, let us make man in our image. and after our likeness.
For without him was not anything made that was made. So that the
Lord Jesus Christ is so beloved of the Father that everything
God has done is doing or shall do. Everything God has decreed
that has been or shall be, everything is done through the Son, by the
Son, and for the Son. The wonderful said, he's the
beloved. Not only is Jesus Christ the
beloved of the Father, he's the beloved of the blessed Holy Spirit. In John chapter 16 and verses
13 and 14, our Lord Jesus tells us of the office work of the
Holy Spirit. He tells us that it is the office
work and good pleasure of God the Holy Spirit in all his gracious
operations and all his gracious influences to glorify the Lord
Jesus Christ. Look at verse 13. Howbeit when
he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth. That's how you learn truth. He
teaches And if God teaches it, you don't forget it. If God,
the Holy Spirit, states it in your heart, it's in your heart
forever. He will guide you into all truth. For he shall not speak of himself. But what's he going to say? What's
he going to teach? But whatsoever he shall hear,
that shall he speak. And he will show you things to
come. And when he talks about things to come, he's not talking
about prophecy, he's talking about things to come in grace.
He shall glorify me. That's what he's talking about.
For he shall receive of mine, and you shall receive. Back last summer, because Todd
Niblett was preaching down in Crossville at the conference
in Crossville, Tennessee, he and I were preaching together,
and in the message that he preached, Todd made this statement. He
said where the Holy Spirit is emphasized, the Holy Spirit is
absent. You've got to remember it. We
live in this age which men call the age of the Holy Spirit. We
live in this age when men and women are all the time talking
about the graces and the powers and the influences of the Holy
Spirit. We're living in this age when
men investigate the Holy Spirit, and they talk about the gifts
of the Spirit, and they talk about baptism by the Spirit.
Will you hear me? Where the Holy Spirit is emphasized,
the Holy Spirit is absent. Those who constantly preach up
the Holy Spirit do not preach by the Holy Spirit, but by a
Spirit from hell itself. The Holy Spirit always glorifies
Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit always points
sinners to Christ. The Holy Spirit always directs
our hearts to Christ. God, the Holy Spirit, when he
works, causes Christ to be preached. Christ crucified, glorified,
reigning, exalted, glorious forever. And when the Holy Spirit works,
sinners believe on Christ, trust Christ, love Christ, follow Christ,
adore Christ, and extol Christ. So the Lord Jesus is here described
as the Beloved, and he certainly is the Beloved of the Holy Spirit.
More than that, our Lord Jesus Christ is the Beloved of all
the heavenly angels. Back in Isaiah chapter 6, if
you want to look at it again, you'll see that I'm not at all
stretching the Scriptures. When I declare that Christ is
the Beloved of those Holy Spirits, they'll wait constantly before
his throne. It is before His throne that
they bow. It is His praises that they sing,
and it is His will they wait to perform. Back here in Isaiah
chapter 6, the prophet Isaiah speaks of a marvelous thing that
happened to him. He said, In the year that King
Uzziah died, I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne. Now, we
know that what he's talking about is Jesus Christ the Lord, because
our Lord said so in John chapter 12. And so Isaiah says, I saw
the Lord Jesus, the sacrifice, the substitute, the sin-atoning
lamb. I saw him, the Lord, sitting
on his throne, high and lifted up. And his train filled the
temple. Above it stood the seraphims.
Each one had six wings, With twain he covered his face, with
twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And the
one cried to the other and said, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord
of hosts. So the angels of God bow before
his throne, sing his praise, and wait swiftly to fly and do
his will. He is the beloved of the angels. And without question, the apostle
was teaching us that the Lord Jesus Christ is the beloved of
all his people. Save sinners everywhere. Delight
to call Christ the beloved. My beloved man. Turn to the Song
of Solomon. Let me show you several places.
The Song of Solomon chapter the saints of God in heaven, and
the saints of God scattered across the earth. No matter where you
find them, no matter what their circumstances are, they delight
to speak of Christ as their beloved. Look in the Song of Solomon,
chapter 1, verse 14. My beloved is unto me as a cluster
of camphor in the vineyards of Verse 16, Behold thou art fair
my beloved. Yea, pleasant also our bed is
green. Look in chapter 2 and verse 3,
As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved
among the suns. Look at verse 8. The voice of
my beloved. Behold, he cometh leaping upon
the mountains, tripping upon the hills. My beloved is like
a roll, our young heart. Behold, he standeth behind our
wall. He looketh forth at the windows,
showing himself through the lattice. The Lord Jesus meets with his
people, and he stands behind the wall. Sometimes he doesn't
show himself manifest, but he peeks through the windows, through
the ordinances of the Word, the preaching of the Word, the songs
we sing, the prayers we utter, the baptism, the observance of
the Lord's table. He shows himself through the
lattices. He looks upon us. Read on. My beloved, speak. Eyes up. My love, my fair one. and come
away. Look at verse 16. My beloved
is mine, and I am his. Can you say that? My beloved is mine, and I am
his. No question about it. No question
about this relationship. No question about his love for
me. And faint, sinful, fickle as it is, no question about my
love for him. You know what I am. You know
what's in me. You know what's done by me. These
people, they don't know anything, but you know all things. You
know that I love you. My beloved is mine, and I am
his. Verse 17. Until the daybreak
and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be thou like
a rose or a young heart upon the mountains of Bethlehem. Look
in chapter 5, verse 2. I sleep, but my heart waketh. It is the voice of him who is
still my beloved. He knocks, says, open to me,
open to me, my sister, my dove, my spouse, my love, my undefiled. I say, no, thank you. But he's
still my beloved. Look at verse four. My beloved
put his hand in by the hole of the door. Verse 9, folks say, what is thy
beloved more than another beloved? What's so special about him?
And Jesus says, hang on, I'll tell you. Jesus is describing
him in all his beauty, in all his glory, in all his grace,
and he backs it up in verse 16, the last verse says, this is
my beloved, and this is my friend. In chapter 7, in verse 10, I
am my beloved. Now look at this. and his desire
is toward me." Oh, imagine that, Bobby, his desire is toward you.
His desire is toward you! His desire is toward me! Oh,
wondrous, wondrous grace. I am not divine, and his desire
is toward me. In Isaiah chapter 5, verse 1,
the prophet Isaiah has been speaking of judgment and judgment and
judgment, and even after he speaks of judgment and describes the
terrible judgment that must come upon men, the prophet says in
chapter 5, verse 1, Now will I sing to my well-beloved a song
of my beloved touching his vineyard. What does that mean? That means
I'll praise him because his desire is still toward his vineyard.
His desire is still toward his people, and even in judgment,
he's exercising his love toward his people. He is doing that
which is best and proper for his people. Oh, never was the
term beloved so full of meaning, and so well-deserved, and yet
so incapable of expressing all that's meant by it, as when it
is applied to our Lord Jesus Christ. He is our beloved. We love him because he first
loved us. But we do love him. We do love him. If we're his,
we do. If we're born of God, we do. We truly love him. How our hearts rejoice to look
up to heaven and call the Son of God, my beloved. His love is yet abroad in our
hearts by the Holy Spirit. And His love being shed abroad
in our hearts by the Holy Spirit has kindled in our hearts a flame
of love that burns and burns and burns and can never be quenched,
not by life and not by death. He is the Beloved. If any man love not the Lord
Jesus Christ, let him be damned. Let him be anathema maranatha,
the Lord is coming. But unto you which believe He's
precious. He's belonged. Belonged. Blessed is that person who can,
with a heart of gratitude, faith, and love, lift his eyes to heaven
and say, Christ is my beloved. I am my beloved, and my beloved
is mine. Secondly, our text speaks of
an everlasting Now, in recent weeks I have been spending a
good bit of time studying and meditating upon the believer's
everlasting union with Christ. I cannot think of a thing more
delightful to my soul, or more comforting, or blessing. Our everlasting union with Christ
is the source of all our blessings. the spring of all the benefits
of grace which we enjoy in this world and hope to enjoy in the
world to come. Now, if you'll notice in this
first chapter of Ephesians, the Holy Spirit is telling us that
everything is in Christ. Did you notice as we read through
this chapter that in the first fourteen verses, fourteen times
Paul says, in Christ. 14 times, he says either in Christ
or the equivalent of that, in the beloved or by Christ, but
14 times, God the Holy Spirit tells us that everything God
has for sinners, everything God does for sinners is in Christ,
the beloved. Apart from Christ, there's no
approaching God or being approached by God. Apart from Christ, there's
no acceptance with God and there is no possibility of acceptance
with God. Our everlasting union with the
Son of God is the basis of our safety and security. God's elect
are as safe and secure as Christ himself, because we're accepted
in the beloved. That means, Rex, that your acceptance
is not in any way affected by what you feel, think, or do,
be it good or bad. Now, Pastor, you didn't mean
to say that. I meant to say it just exactly that way. That means
that our acceptance is not in any way dependent upon anything
we think, feel, or do, be it good or bad. Our acceptance is
in Christ. You can get on with that, he'll
sail you a little boat through some troubled waters. Let me
show you what the scriptures clearly teach about this everlasting
union. The subject is too big for me
to comprehend with my peanut brain, I know that. And therefore
I cannot expound it, but I can show you that which is obviously
revealed in Scripture. And I want you to understand
that no doctrine is sound that does not recognize this everlasting
union of God's elect with Christ. And yet, whenever I mention this
glorious subject, as I often do, I feel that it's more needful
for you to meditate upon it than for me to preach upon it. I'm
certain that it needs an angel's tongue to describe it properly,
but it's my responsibility and my privilege to preach it, so
you listen and I'll do the best I can. I want you to understand
this union to the best of our ability. I'm not talking to you
about our manifest union with Christ. Please understand that
to begin with. I'm not talking about our manifest
union with Christ. That is a blemish. When a sinner
believes on Christ, If you, this day, right now, if right this
minute, right where you are, you look to Christ and trust
him, you begin to enjoy a manifest union with Christ. But your union
with Christ does not begin when you believe. Our faith in Christ is not the
cause of our union with him. Our faith in Christ is the fruit
and the result of our everlasting union with him. Our faith in
Christ makes manifest our union with him, but it has nothing
to do with the accomplishment of the union. Our union with
Christ is from everlasting. Our union with Christ produces
faith in him. Our union with Christ is made
manifest in time by God the Holy Spirit. But we were one with
Christ long before we believed on him. Let me show you. Turn
to 2 Timothy chapter 1. 2 Timothy chapter 1, verse 9. Now sometimes I'll be preaching
in some places, and the fellows say, well, that's hard-shelled
doctrine, or that's primitive doctrine, or that's this doctrine that...
I don't care who claims it, this is what the book says. This is
what the book says. And I don't care what tag you
put on it, this is what the book says. 2 Timothy 1, verse 9, Who
hath saved us, God Almighty, and called us within holy not
according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace,
which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. Get it now. But is now made manifest. Now made manifest. Somebody said,
well, what that means is that we were saved back in eternity,
and now we're just finding out about it. That's pretty well
what it means. That's pretty well what it means.
God saved us in eternity by virtue of this everlasting union, but
it is made manifest in time. It is experienced in time by
the appearing of our Savior, who has abolished death and has
brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. so that as I preach to you, and
God the Holy Spirit gives you faith in Christ as you look to
Him, suddenly you begin to experience a manifest union with Christ
that was accomplished back in eternity. Now salvation is this
union with Christ consummated in the glorious manifestation
of the sons of God in everlasting glory. This union with Christ,
this everlasting union with him, is a fivefold union. Let me show
it to you from the scriptures. First, our everlasting union
with Christ is an election union. You have it right here in the
text, Ephesians 1 and verse 4. According as he hath chosen us
in him before the foundation of the world, so that when he
gets done with us for this purpose, that we should be holy and without
blame. We were chosen in Christ before
the world began. Now, this election union is the
basis of all gracious operations from God toward his people, for
his people, and in his people. fuss about election. I know you
don't, but some folks fuss about election and you'll be talking
with them and you wonder how do you answer them. Well, salvation's
got to begin with somebody's choice. It's got to begin with
somebody's choice. Somebody's got to decide on salvation. Religion says it begins with
your choice. Won't you please choose Jesus?
The Bible doesn't talk about that at all. The Word of God
says murder began with God's choice. And God's choice is what's
described in this book, in Romans 11, verse 5, as the election
of this. And God's election of us in eternity
is in Christ. God did not choose us individually
and personally as individuals apart from Him. Our election
is distinguishing. Though election is personal,
our election is in Christ the Beloved. In Him God chose us. Do you see that? according as
he hath chosen us in him." What? I am well pleased. God the Father
chose the Son to be our Redeemer, then he chose us to be redeemed,
he chose us to be saved. Christ, be my first elect, he
said, then chose our souls in Christ our head. Now here's the
blessedness of the doctrine. Our names are inscribed in the
Lamb's Book of Life, slain in the foundation of the world,
Revelation 13, verse 8. That guarantees our everlasting
security and salvation. You see, the basis of our security,
the basis of our security, has nothing to do with the decision
we make. The basis of our security has
nothing to do with us deciding one day, let Jesus come into
our hearts. Not at all. The basis of our security is
God's sovereign election. Our names were inscribed in the
Lamb's Book of Life beneath this name, Jesus Christ, the Lamb
of God. And until hell's pen can scratch
out his name, it cannot scratch out the names of God's elect. Secondly, our everlasting union
with Christ is a legal suretyship union. Turn in the Scriptures
to Hebrews chapter 7 and verse 22. Hebrews 7 and verse 22. Now let's
spend a little bit of time here and give me your attention. By so much, that is by the oath
of God Almighty and the decree of God Almighty, by so much,
was Jesus made a surety of a better testament. Now that word testament
is the word covenant. His translated testament sometimes,
translated covenant sometimes, means the same thing. Our Lord
Jesus Christ as the surety and debtor are one. So the Lord Jesus
and his people are one before God, in a legal sense. He became our surety in the covenant
of grace before the worlds were made, or ever the earth was. Now, as the surety of the covenant,
Our Lord Jesus drew near to the Father in the name of his elect. He made himself our substitute. He said, Father, I'll take their
place. He voluntarily laid himself under
obligation to God's holy law to pay our debts, to satisfy
God's justice, to bring in everlasting righteousness, and at last to
bring us to glory. He said, I'll do it. I'll do
it. Now with an honest man, with an honest man, his word is as
good as any law you can get, with an honest man. An honest
man says I'll do something, unless he is prevented providentially,
he'll do it, if he's honest. The reason we have to have contracts
is because folks aren't honest. The reason you've got to have
lawyers draw up agreements is because folks aren't honest.
But an honest man, an honest man strikes in with you. He says,
I'll do it. That means, buddy, it's done.
You count on it. You count on it. Will you listen to me? The
Lord Jesus Christ, before the world began, stepped before God
in our room instead. And he said, Father, I'll take
their place. I'll be their surety. I will
pay all that's demanded to put away their sins. I will bring
in perfect righteousness suitable for their everlasting salvation.
I will bring them at last into heaven's glory." Will you trust
Him to do that? And the father stuck hands with
the son, and the work was done. That's unity-ship engagements.
Our Lord Jesus Christ set himself under obligation to God as our
surety, for the glory of his grace and for the glory of his
name. John Jewell described it this
way, this being accepted by God, that is our Lord's suretyship
engagements, Christ and the elect were looked upon in the eye of
the law as one person, even as the bondsman and the debtor among
men are in a legal sense one person. so that if one pays the
debt, it is the same as if the other did it. This legal union
arising from Christ's stewardship engagements is the foundation
of the imputation of our sins to Christ, and of his satisfaction
for them, and also of the imputation of his righteousness to us, and
of our justification in it. Christ and his people being one
in a law sense, their sins become his, and his righteousness becomes
theirs. Is that, or is it not, the teaching
of the scriptures? Indeed it is. When Christ became
our surety, our sponsor before God, he became totally responsible
to God for us. He became totally responsible
to pay our debts, to fulfill all our obligations, and to bring
us at last to glory. Let's see if the book says so.
John chapter 10. John chapter 10 and verse 15.
The Lord Jesus is speaking. He says, knoweth me, even so know I the
Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep
I have which are not of this fold, them also I must bring."
Underscore that word, must. Must. It's absolutely necessary. It must be done. I have laid
myself under voluntary obligation to God Almighty, and it must
be done. My honor is at stake, my word
is at stake, the glory of God is at stake. Them also I must
brave, and they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one
foe and one shepherd. Therefore doth my Father love
me, because I lay down my life that I might take it again. No
man takes it from me, but I lay it down in myself, and I have
power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This
commandment have I received in my Father." I must bring them,
and the way I must bring them is by my obedience unto death,
and it must be done, because I have become surety for them,
and the Father commands it of me as their surety." When the
Lord Jesus Christ became our surety, God Almighty ceased,
at that moment, to look to us for satisfaction. Let me see
if I can illustrate it for you. I have told you before, this
is a true story. I used to rent from George Greider.
He's now dead. But he told me years ago of a
man who came into the store one day who had done business with
him for 20 years. He said, the fellow came in and
he said, my son and his wife are building a new house and
they'd like to furnish their house. And I was wondering if
maybe you'd let them have the furniture they want on credit
and I'll stay in good fortune. George said, yeah, I'll do that.
I'll put it in their name. Take your word for it. Remember what
I said about honest men. And so George let the boy have
furniture they wanted for their house. About three or four months
later, a man came in and said, how's my boy doing on his bills?
George opened up the ledger and said, fine. Making payments every
month, first of the month. Here it is. The man said, I'll
tell you what I'd like to do. I'll tell you what I'd like to
do. My wife and I would like to We'd like to take care of
that for them. Their anniversary's coming up,
and we'd just like to take over that debt, that obligation, so
they won't be burdened with it. If you don't mind, if it's all
right with you, just transfer everything off of his account
and put it on my account, and we'll take care of it." George
said, well, I'd be glad to do that. That's mighty generous
of you. And so George transferred the account, put them over on
the other account. Would you like to know where that fellow
went? He left the furniture store. drove to the courthouse here
in Danville and filed bankruptcy. That meant that from the moment
that that debt was transferred to that man's account, Mr. Grider could not look to his
son for satisfaction. The law won't allow it. Now,
this fellow stuck it to George, but I'm going to tell you something,
nobody's going to stick it to the Son of God. in the covenant of grace ceased
to look to you for satisfaction. He looks to his Son for satisfaction. Why on earth didn't God kill
Adam in the garden? Why didn't he kill him in the garden? He
said in the third Aelitus down, thou shalt surely die. But he
didn't die. He died spiritually, but he didn't
die. He lived for hundreds of years after that. Adam continued
to walk. He walked on the earth. Why didn't
God kill him? Because before Adam stood as
our representative, the Lord Jesus stood as our surety. And
the Father could not destroy the human race until those for
whom the Son had promised everlasting salvation were at last brought
to glory. And I'll tell you when God will
destroy the human race. As far as this world is concerned,
when the last of those for whom He became surety are brought
into everlasting union with Him by faith. When our Lord Jesus became our
surety, our salvation, insofar as the Lord God is concerned,
was finished before the world began. We read it in Romans 3,
2 Timothy chapter 1, verse 9. God saved us and called us with
a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to
His own purpose and grace, giving us in Christ Jesus before the
world began. Romans chapter 8 tells us that the Lord God has justified
us, called us, and glorified us in Christ from eternity. Those
things are not written just to fill up space, they're written
to tell us that salvation in the surety was accomplished before
the world began. And when Christ became our surety
in the everlasting covenant, our everlasting salvation and
security became a matter of absolute certainty. God can no more reject
us than he can reject our surety. He can no more turn away his
people than he can turn away his son. Thirdly, our everlasting
union with Christ is a federal representative union. Turn to
Romans chapter 5. Romans chapter 5, and look at
this one more time. Romans the fifth chapter. Adam was our federal head, the
federal head of all men by creation. And this is what that means.
Everything Adam did in the garden, he did not as a private individual,
but as a public representative person. Had he obeyed in the
garden, his obedience would have been counted to us as our obedience,
and all his descendants would have been born in this world
in his holiness established in obedience. But Adam did not obey
God. Our father Adam sinned against
God, and when he sinned, we sinned in him. When he died, we died
in him. And we all became the inheritors
of his sin and of his death. Listen to what the Scripture
says, Romans 5 verse 12, Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into
the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all
men, for that all have sinned. For as by one man's disobedience
many, the many who were represented by him, were made sinners, even
so by the obedience of one shall many, the many who are represented
by Christ, shall many be made righteous." Now in exactly the
same way as Adam represented us as our federal head before
God, so the Lord Jesus Christ represents God's elect as their
federal head. He was our federal head from
eternity. He is our federal head now, and
he shall be our federal head forever. The Lord Jesus Christ
was our federal head and representative before the world began the covenant
of grace. He was given for a covenant to
the people, as we've seen. He is the mediator, messenger,
and Trinity of that covenant. It was made with him, not as
a private person, but as a public person, as a representative And
all the blessings of the covenant were given to him on our behalf
as our representative. When the Lord Jesus came into
this world, he lived in this world as a man under this root. He said, Lo, I come. In the volume
of the book that is written of me, I delight to do thy will,
O my God. And so from the beginning of
his days to the end of his days, he always did those things that
pleased his father. But not for himself. He did it
for Ron Wood. And Ron Wood did it. Can you get hold of that? Can
you get hold of that? In Jesus Christ has he perfectly
obeyed God. All his elect perfectly obeyed
God. When Jesus Christ went to Calvary
and laid down his life, a ransom for many, he paid the debt owed
to divine justice for all the sins of his people that had been
imputed to him. He paid my debt. And Rex Bartley,
I paid my debt. The debt's gone. It's gone. It's gone. Now this is a poor, poor, poor
illustration. A poor illustration. But it's
the best I can do. Let's suppose I discover Rex
Barton is head over heels in debt. He's about to lose his
business, about to lose his house, about to lose his cars. The bank's
fixin' to take over everything. And he's just about to go under.
There's no possibility of him recovering things. He's had a
bad accident, he can't operate the business anymore, and his
family's in terrible need. And now use your imagination
real big, and I've got plenty of money. I've just got a schedule. So I go find his creditors, and
I pay them off. And I take the receipts. It doesn't
matter who paid the debt. It doesn't matter who paid the
debt, as long as the debt's paid. And I've got the receipts here. I take them, hand them to Rex,
and say, everything's all right, buddy. You just concentrate on getting well.
And he takes the receipts. And then some fella comes from
the bank and says, Mr. Bartley, we haven't seen you
this month. He says, what? We haven't seen
you this month, and your debt's due. And Rex pulls out a receipt
and he says, Don Fortner paid that debt. What are you doing
here? Oh, I see. Well, we won't be bothering you
anymore. Will you listen to me now? Jesus Christ, the Son of
God, has paid our debt for our sins. And God, in his justice,
cannot and will not ever bother you with it again. Ever. Oh, blessed is the man to whom
the Lord will not impute sin. Oh, if you can believe Him, if
you will believe Him, if you trust the Son of God, Jesus Christ
has paid your debt. When the Lord Jesus was buried
in the earth, we were buried in Him. When he arose from the
dead, we arose triumphant in him. When he sat down on the
right hand of the majesty of high, we sat down in him. We're risen together and seated
together with Christ in heavenly places. We see not yet all things
put under the feet of man, as David prophesied they would be,
but we see it as a matter of certainty that all things shall
be put under the feet of man. For we see Jesus who was made
a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor. And all things shall be put in
subjection under our feet, as they're put in subjection under
his feet." The Lord Jesus Christ has brought us into a union with
him that is a federal union, a representative union. And fourthly,
Our everlasting union with Christ is a mystical union. I use the
word mystical because I can't think of a better. I'm at straits
to try to express what I want to say now. But our union with Jesus Christ is such that we are one with
him, in the same sense that these members of this body are one
with this head. Only the union is more real,
and more permanent, and more beneficial. Ephesians 4 verse
30 says, we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his
bones. Members of him. Members of him. I'm sorry, that's
Ephesians 5.30. I'm in deep waters that rise far above my head.
I can't begin to explain this mystery. I don't understand all
I know about it, but I know this. God's elect are one with Christ
as the head is one with the body. God's elect are one with Christ. You better turn and look at this
one. You might think I've just gone too far, so turn and look
at it. John 17. John 17. God's elect are one with Christ the God-man. Now listen to me.
We're one with Christ the God-man in the same sense as God the
Son is one with God the Father in the Trinity. John chapter
17, verse 21. That they may be one. That they
may be one. I pray, Father, for these, that
they may be one. as thou, Father, art in me, and
I in thee, that they may be one in us." That means, Merle Hart, bless
your soul until God the Son can cease to be one with God the
Father. You can't cease to be one with
God the Son. Don't you just sell your vote? We are one with Christ in his
glory as the God-man. Look in verse 22 of John 17.
And the glory which thou gavest me. All the glory the Father
gave the Son on behalf, or because of his obedience as an ant. All
the glory of his the glory which thou givest me, I have given
them, that they may be one, even as we are one." Our union with
Christ is such that we are one with him as the objects of his
Father's love. Look in verse 23, "...I in them,
and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one, and that
the world may know Oh, one of these days the world's going
to find out. The world lasts now, jeers now, pokes fun now.
Let them have their way. That's all right. The world may
know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them as thou hast
loved me. Oh, bless God. Father, I will
that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am,
that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me." Now,
this loves the Son, and loves us. For thou lovest me before
the foundation of the world. Let me show you one fifth thing.
Last communion with Christ. It's a vital union. It's a vital
union. That means that our union with
Christ is so essential, so vital, that without it, now listen to
me, without this union, we could never be saved. And without this
union, Christ could never be complete as a mediator and savior. The first part is enough. Without
me, you can do nothing. I'm the vine, you're the branches.
If you're not joined to the vine, you're going to wither and die.
You can't live without him. He's the head. We're the members
without the head. We can't live. But look at the
next part. Turn to Ephesians 1 again. Ephesians
chapter 1 and verse 23. The apostle tells us that God
has made his son to be the head over all things to the church.
In verse 23 he says, which is his body, the fullness of him
that filleth all in all. Jesus Christ fills everything,
for he's God. He's God. And I'm nothing but a hair on his little toe.
But I want to tell you something, without me he's not complete. I'm in his body. I'm in his body. A part of him. As the mediator. And he, the head, cannot eat
so much as one member of his body is missing. Or even named. We're the full missing. Did you
get that, Bob Potts? You're the completion of him
who is the completion of everything. the fullness of him who is the
fullness of everything. I can't talk about this next
thing but just for a minute. You give me your attention for
just a couple more minutes. I'm going to wrap this up. I've
got to show you two things. Thirdly, our text describes a
glorious position. Accept it. Accept it. The Holy Spirit tells us that
we have been made accepted in the beloved. Now the word that's
translated accepted in our text is much, much stronger than our
English word accepted. This word means highly favored. But it means more than that,
it means laudable. It means more than that, it means
praiseworthy. has put us in Christ, and having
put us in Christ, he's made us favorable, laudable, and praiseworthy
in the sight of God himself. Now, this acceptance is only
in the beloved, nowhere else. Outside him, we could never be
accepted. Our acceptance with God is a
thorough, complete, total, and absolute acceptance in Christ.
To be accepted and to be loved is to be justified from all things,
freed from all sin, the objects of divine complacency and delight,
to such a degree that when the Father looks upon us in eternity,
he says, Well done! Well done! Well done! It's so thorough and complete
As the Apostle Paul says in Colossians 1 verse 12, we are right now
meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light. Right
now worthy of heaven's glory because we're accepted in the
beloved. Our acceptance with God in Christ
is an everlasting, therefore immutable, The basis of our acceptance does
not depend upon us. It didn't begin with us, it's
not maintained by us, and it can't be altered by us. Well, preacher, what about our
sins? Don't our sins affect our acceptance
with God? Will you listen now? Listen to
me now. We grieve over our sins, we lament
our sins, we hate our sins. One day, bless God, we shall
be free from our sins. But our sins have no bearing
upon our acceptance with God. His love is so thorough, so total,
so complete. Our acceptance is so thorough,
so total, so complete, that the scripture declares blessing his
name, to whom the Lord will walk in peace. Sometimes, today, my
soul is kind of walking above the earth. Sometimes I feel in
my soul the very depths of this glorious And my soul is wrapped
in praise and thanksgiving. And sometimes my heart is so
dead, so cold, so empty, so full of sin, so empty of God, that I can't in any way perceive
by any sense of mind acceptance within. But my acceptance with
God still the same, simply love. It can't be changed. We were
accepted before we went astray in our fatherly act, and accepted
afterwards. Accepted when we came forth from
our mother's womb, speaking lies. Accepted while we lived with
our fist in God's face. Accepted before he called us,
and accepted since he called us. And though we fall a thousand
times a day, as we ought to be, we're still accepted in darkness. Unchangeable his will, though
dark may be my frame, his loving heart is still eternally the
same. my soul through many changes
goes, his love, no variation goes." And then our text declares
that this is a divine opposition. He hath made us accepted in the
beloved. Believe it. All kinds of things
to believe. If right now believe on the Son
of God, your faith is the fruit and the evidence that God Almighty
from eternity hath made you accepted

Accepted In the Beloved

What does the Bible say about being accepted in Christ?

How do we know God's election is true?

Why is the union with Christ important for Christians?

What does it mean to be accepted in the Beloved?

How does our acceptance affect our relationship with God?

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Accepted In the Beloved

What does the Bible say about being accepted in Christ?

How do we know God's election is true?

Why is the union with Christ important for Christians?

What does it mean to be accepted in the Beloved?

How does our acceptance affect our relationship with God?

Sermon Transcript

About Don Fortner

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