{"id":61229,"date":"2009-06-09T18:46:00","date_gmt":"2009-06-09T23:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=61229"},"modified":"2023-06-09T18:48:29","modified_gmt":"2023-06-09T23:48:29","slug":"you-are-beloved","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/you-are-beloved\/","title":{"rendered":"You Are Beloved"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\tby Kent Heaton\n

To be a child of God is to enjoy the immeasurable blessings of a heavenly Father who grants gifts of mercy and grace to His children daily. Because of the sacrifice of the “only begotten Son<\/em>,” (John 3:16) Christians embrace the warm relationship of salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul declares the wondrous majesty of God’s people when he calls them the “elect of God, holy and beloved<\/em>” (Colossians 3:12). The Lord looks upon His people as said of Israel in Zechariah 2:8 – “For thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘He sent Me after glory, to the nations which plunder you; for he who touches you touches the apple of His eye.’<\/em>“<\/p>\n

The elect of God are His own special people. “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy<\/em>” (I Peter 2:9-10). Christians are the chosen people of God and the priesthood is established under Christ. As a nation of holy people, we are to be that special gathering of mankind that enjoys the eternal blessings of the heavenly Father. Transformed from the power of darkness we are translated to the kingdom of light to show forth the praises of Him who called us out of darkness (Colossians 1:12-13).<\/p>\n

The feelings of the Father toward His children are described as “beloved.” The Greek word “beloved” is the word ‘agapao<\/em>‘ or “love.” This word is used as a nobler form of love beyond the simple affectionate love ‘phileo<\/em>.’ To be the “beloved” shows a deeper and constant love of the Father to His children. Ezekiel expressed in the description of God toward His people the loving care of God – “When I passed by you again and looked upon you, indeed your time was the time of love; so I spread My wing over you and covered your nakedness. Yes, I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you, and you became Mine, says the Lord GOD<\/em>” (Ezekiel 16:8).<\/p>\n

How can man compare the blessing of being the “beloved” of God with anything in this world? Not even the binding relationship of loving parents can instill the depth of love and the measure of peace given to the “beloved” by the Father. There is no measure. There is no confidence in the flesh. There is no thought that can transcend the essence of being under the wing of God and knowing that a covenant exists where God says, “You are Mine.” With this kind of love, we can dismiss the cares of the world and live with the peace of God every day. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus<\/em>” (Philippians 4:6-7).<\/p>\n

The elect of God enjoy the blessing of being the beloved of God. Our lives should reflect daily the respect for His name, the honor of His covenant, and the privilege of being called the children of God. “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!<\/em>” (I John 3:1).<\/p>\n

“How precious is Your loving-kindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings. They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures. For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light<\/em>” (Psalms 36:7-9).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Kent Heaton To be a child of God is to enjoy the immeasurable blessings of a heavenly Father who grants gifts of mercy and grace to His children daily. Because of the sacrifice of the “only begotten Son,” (John 3:16) Christians embrace the warm relationship of salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ. The…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[642,65],"class_list":["post-61229","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-christianity","tag-love"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":23859,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/who-are-the-elect-in-the-bible\/","url_meta":{"origin":61229,"position":0},"title":"Who are the elect in the Bible?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 20, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Who are the \"elect\" the Bible talks about? Answer: \"Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8308,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/since-jesus-returns-with-the-saints-doesnt-this-mean-there-will-be-a-rapture-first\/","url_meta":{"origin":61229,"position":1},"title":"Since Jesus returns with the saints, doesn’t this mean there will be a rapture first?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 28, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I studied on The Rapture for quite a long while (one or two-plus years!) seeking the truth about The Rapture.\u00a0 I sought my answers from God's inerrant and infallible Word. The Scripture says that Jesus will return to earth with His saints when He returns to lay down rule\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":91290,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/election\/","url_meta":{"origin":61229,"position":2},"title":"Election","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 16, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Kenneth Frazier via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 18 No. 1, 31 March 1992 John Calvin is well known for his views on election and predestination. Qualben's \"A History of the Christian Church\" gives this evaluation of Calvin's belief. \"As a logical tonsequence, Calvin asserted that God had from eternity foreordained\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":28138,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/are-some-passages-impossible-to-understand\/","url_meta":{"origin":61229,"position":3},"title":"Are some passages impossible to understand?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 18, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have some questions about Calvinism if you can please help me with them. I was talking to a friend who believes in Calvinism (or some form of it) and we were talking about God wanting all men saved in regards to whether God chooses to save some above\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":15146,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-there-a-group-of-jews-today-who-still-believe-they-are-gods-chosen-people\/","url_meta":{"origin":61229,"position":4},"title":"Is there a group of Jews today who still believe they are God’s chosen people?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 20, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Is there a group of Jews today who still believe they are God's chosen people? Answer: As best that I can tell, most, if not all, in the Jewish faith believe that they are God's chosen people. There are variations on exactly what is meant by being the chosen\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":34164,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-do-primitive-baptists-believe\/","url_meta":{"origin":61229,"position":5},"title":"What do Primitive Baptists believe?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 20, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: To start with, I want to thank you for your website, particularly the questions and answers section. It is well organized and presents a strong knowledge base, which I am now wanting to draw from. I am a member of the church of Christ and have been using your\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61229","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61229"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61229\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61229"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61229"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61229"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}