BELOVED - 20 Amazing Bible Words To Know: (AGAPETOS)
BELOVED - 20 Amazing Bible Words To Know: (AGAPETOS)
In the first century, churches were not very structured and they were looking for leadership and encouragement. The Apostles wrote letters of encouragement to them. The writers of these epistles used two words to help the believers understand God better: called and beloved.
Romans 1:6-7
“...you also are the called of Jesus Christ; to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints.”
“The called" meant those who had responded to the call of God. God calls people to come out of the world to worship Him. Not everyone obeys that call. Those who do, are the church. The Greek word for church means, literally, "the called out ones."
They also refer to the church as the “agapetos”, meaning beloved. We know that God loves everyone, but there is a special kind of love that He has for the people who respond to His call. When we turn away from the world and give our hearts to Him, we find that God returns that love in a special way. This is His covenant with us. It means that He knows us, He recognizes how different and unique we each are and that He has a special love and plan for us all. The New Testament writers use "agapetos" almost 50 times.
It means that God has chosen to love you and build a relationship with you. Let that sink in because it is a very big deal. God is saying that He knows your flaws, your failures and your issues but it has not altered His love in the slightest.
Well, don’t just sit there! Isn’t that the best news you have ever heard? God still loves you in spite of how you neglected and ignored Him! That requires a response!
Thank Him ... praise Him ... jump up and down ... fall on your knees in prayer! There are a thousand ways to respond, but doing nothing and just going back to what you were doing before is not one of them.
The God of the Universe has just called you and said that He loves you. You are His beloved. The ball is in your court.
Jeremiah 31:3
“I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness.”