This is My Beloved Son

From a November 2006 teaching [brackets mine]

-What does it mean to be called beloved?

-What Did Jesus Christ do to become God’s beloved son in whom he was well pleased?

-What can we do to become God’s beloved children?

In the bible, a person would call someone their beloved only if they truly cared about them. It was a word of the highest honor and endearment.  For a person to say this about you would be a great blessing and would mean a lot.

Beloved is defined as “greatly loved; dear to the heart.”

The phrase; “This is My Beloved Son” is found in numerous verses in the bible:

Jesus Christ was greatly beloved by God as seen in Matthew 3:17

And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

And in Matthew 17:5

While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.

And in Mark 1:11
And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

And in Mark 9:7

And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.

And in Luke 3:22
And the Holy Ghost [Holy Spirit] descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.

And in Luke 9:35:

And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.

And was also referenced in II Peter 1:17
For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 18 And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.

Why was God saying this about Jesus Christ?

If you read the previous few chapters of Luke for instance, you will find that Jesus healed a woman with the issue of blood (thought to be uncontrolled menstrual bleeding) of 12 years, raised a child from the dead, cast out unclean spirits, rebuked the wind to save his disciples’ ship from sinking, taught and shared the Word of God with boldness, healed people of leprosy, miraculously fed a multitude of 5000 people with just 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish, and performed many other signs, miracles, and wonders.

I would be well pleased with him too!

He was able to do this because of what John 4:34 says:

John 4:34

Jesus saith unto them, My meat [substance, purpose, calling] is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.

Jesus Christ’s “meat” or purpose was to serve God and obey His Word.

We can follow that example and do the works of Christ and greater as stated in John 14:12:

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

We have great power in Christ!  We can do the things he did and greater!  We have the gift of Holy Spirit which was not available until the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-47) after Christ was resurrected and ascended into heaven.

On the subject of “Beloved” let’s go to I John 4 which refers to you and I as believers.

I John 4:4, 7-12

Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

Verse 7: Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.  He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.  In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.  Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son [to be] the propitiation for our sins.  Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

“People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.”

-Dr. VP Weirwille

We have the ability to work signs, miracles, and wonders just as Jesus Christ did in order to bring God’s grace to others.  Let’s apply the word, and shine as lights out in the world.  Jesus Christ sets a great example of how to live the Word.  By his accomplishments, it was made it available for us to be born again of incorruptible seed.  Just as Jesus Christ was God's beloved son, we are God’s beloved children.

God Bless You!