. . . to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. (Eph 1:6, emphasis added)
And whoever offers a sacrifice of a peace offering to the Lord, to fulfill his vow, or a freewill offering from the cattle or the sheep, it must be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no defect in it. (Lev 22:21, emphasis added)
Accepted means: received; recognized; admitted; acknowledged; welcomed; understood; or allowed.
In Christ, we are accepted by Almighty God as perfected. How wonderful and awesome a gift we have been given!
As the verse from Leviticus above demonstrates, an offering (in the OT) had to be perfect in order to be acceptable to the Lord. Jesus was the perfect sacrifice, slain in our place for our sins and iniquities.
Now, we are accepted into the household of faith, the kingdom of God, and the family of God! No matter what our past may look like, what our personality is, or what our appearance is—we are welcomed by the loving arms of Jesus! Hallelujah!
Jesus invites us to come to Him in every circumstance of life and in the face of every challenge, need, or failing. He is the very embodiment of perfect, unconditional, and unfailing LOVE. There is mercy (forgiveness, kindness, humanity, generosity) in Christ’s embrace.
Know, trust, and believe that you’re accepted in Jesus and rejoice!
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