To all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Prior to being divinely called (klētos) man is hostile to God - an enemy - and God is at war with him: Psalm 7:12-13 - “If a man does not repent, He will sharpen His sword; He has bent His bow and prepared it. He has also prepared for Himself deadly weapons; He makes His arrows fiery shafts.” The unrepentant man is not beloved of God. But once called, once transformed by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, reconciled and brought into fellowship with Christ, then he is beloved of God, i.e. loved by God. See Ephesians 2.
Just as the word klētos (κλητος) is used to describe only a divine calling, the word beloved (ἀγαπητοῖς, agapētois) is used in the New Testament to describe only divine love, or the love Christians have for one another. It is a word that describes the love that God the Father has for the Son. When Jesus came up out of the water after John’s baptism a voice came out of the heavens: “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased” (Mark 1:11), and when Jesus was transfigured on the mountain a cloud formed, overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is My beloved Son, listen to Him!” (Mark 9:7).
It’s an amazing doctrine that God, who once whetted His sword and bent His bow against the impenitent sinner, should then regard the penitent sinner as beloved - divinely loved. How can this be? How can repentance effect such a dramatic response in God? The answer to this question is the heart of the gospel and of utmost importance in grasping what it means to be a Christian. When a sinner is divinely called (klētos) he is made spiritually alive (born again) by the Holy Spirit (see previous post). But further to being born again, he is brought into union with Christ, indeed he is in Christ and Christ is in him. Thus the penitent sinner is identified with Christ who is beloved by God. It is in this sense that estranged man is adopted as sons of God and brothers of Christ, and as adopted sons of God and brothers of Christ he too is beloved.
Paul continues, “called as saints.” There’s that word klētos (κλήτος) again, describing a divine calling, called as saints, literally meaning most holy thing. A saint (ἁγίοις, hagiois) is someone who has been sanctified (same root word), meaning set apart as holy. He is called as holy, to be holy, taken out of the manner of the world into holy fellowship with God through Christ. Now, it is God who calls and it is God who sanctifies, and it is the called and sanctified who are beloved. There is nothing a man can do to bring about his own salvation, for he cannot call himself, nor sanctify himself. Thus, man cannot save himself by his own will or effort.
How, then, is anyone saved at all, if not by his own will or effort? Paul continues, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” There it is: by grace (χάρις, charis). Only grace. Grace is the merciful kindness that God exerts upon the soul of man to turn them to Christ and sustain him in Christ. Without grace man could never turn to Christ or remain in Christ, could never repent, could never believe. And grace results in peace (εἰρήνη, eirēnē) with God. His whetted sword is sheathed, his bow unbent and his arrows returned to the quiver. Peace from God is the tranquil state of a soul assured of salvation through Christ, fearing nothing from God.
Peace with Christ is peace with God. It is to be beloved of God by His own sovereign will.
Key words:
Beloved: ἀγαπητοῖς agapētois - divine love.
Saints: ἁγίοις hagiois - set apart as holy, sanctified.
Grace: χάρις charis - undeserved favour.
Peace: εἰρήνη eirēnē - tranquil state of fellowship with God through Christ.
Faith Hope and Agape! Amen! Great post