“Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering.”
The third and last title to which God appeals to live the Christian life is “beloved.”
“beloved”
The grammar of the word “beloved” indicates the permanence of God’s love when He chose us (perfect participle). This irreversible love never alters; we are always the objects of God’s love (Rom. 5:8; 1 John 4:9-11,19). God is immutable in His love, which means His love never changes toward us. God’s love can never modify under any circumstance toward us. Our love may wane toward God. As members of the human race, we all are unstable in love to some extent.
The Father loves the Son with an infinite amount of love. When we enter into union with Christ, God accepts us in the “beloved one” (Eph. 1:6). Therefore, the Father loves us with the same amount of love He has for the Son — an infinite amount.
“Beloved” denotes the object of love. No believer has the right to say that “No one loves me.”
Jeremiah 31:3, “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love.”
Romans 1:7, “To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints.”
Romans 5:5, “Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates [proves] His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Principle:
God motivates us to live the Christian life based on His love for us.
Application:
God gives endearing titles to His people to live their Christian lives based on their prerogatives in Christ. It is becoming to those who hold such titles to be loving towards all men. Christians should live out what they are. They should live out what is becoming them. If God thinks of Christians with these titles (the elect of God, holy, beloved), every Christian ought to think of each other this way.
