“To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He has made us ACCEPTED in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:6).
“Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be ACCEPTED of Him” (2 Corinthians 5:9).
The reader will observe that the word accepted occurs in both of these passages. Apparently they contradict each other. God accepts the believer in the first. The believer labours, to be accepted of God in the second. If God has accepted me, how then have I to labour to be accepted? one may well ask.
A reference to the Englishman’s Greek Concordance solves the difficulty at once. We discover that two entirely different Greek words have been translated by the one English word “accepted.” “Karito ō” is the word used in Ephesians 1:6. Ū arestos is the word used in 2 Corinthians 5:9.
Karito ō is only twice found in the New Testament. Once in Luke 1:28, where the angel addresses the Virgin Mary, “Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and again in Ephesians 1:6, “accepted in the Beloved.”
In the New Translation of J.N.Darby it is rendered, “taken its into favour in the Beloved.” And this is assuredly right, for “accepted ” is too cold a word. It means that and more. It embraces the idea of warmth and favour and delight. “In the Beloved”—“the Beloved ” meaning the Lord Jesus Christ—adds a thought making it richer and fuller to a very wonderful degree. For if God accepts the believer “in the Beloved,” the acceptance can only be measured by the delight and favour in which Christ stands before the Father. We are lost in the contemplation of such a wondrous fact.
Ū arestos occurs nine times in the New Testament. In four instances it is translated “acceptable,” in other four “well-pleasing,” and only once “accepted”; that is in the passage under consideration (2 Cor. 5:9). Why the translators in this one case should have so translated it, I do not know. We may well take our pen and strike out the word “accepted,” and substitute the word “well-pleasing.” This has been done in the Revised Version, where the passage runs thus: “Wherefore also we make it our aim, whether at home or absent, to be well-pleasing to Him.”
Why do we then labour to be well-pleasing? For 2 Corinthians 5 begins right dogmatically with “WE KNOW.” Not a trace of doubt lingers in the Apostle’s mind as he thus writes in undoubted assurance of the end being reached in safety; of the believer having a body of glory in glory. What more can we want?
Ah! there rises up before the Apostle’s mind a vision of the judgment-seat of Christ. “Yes,” you say, “there comes in the doubt. He began with a dogmatic ‘WE KNOW,’ and goes on to tremble as he thinks of the judgment-seat, before which he and all believers must appear.”
Not so, gentle reader. Inspiration is never contradictory. Paul in his inspired letters never contradicts himself. Your hasty conclusion arises from a misunderstanding as to the judgment-seat of Christ for believers. There are two kinds of judgment-seats with which we are familiar, two kinds of objects which come under judgment, and two kinds of results issuing therefrom. For instance:
(1) There is the Judge of the assize courts.
(2) There is the Judge of the picture competition.
In the former case the persons of the accused are brought up before him for judgment. Incidentally the Judge may have to acquit those who are accused falsely, but the real object of his court is to judge the guilty.
In the latter the Judge examines the works of the competitors. In no case does he judge their persons. The anxious inquiry of the prisoner before the Judge of assize is, Shall I have to go to prison? The earnest inquiry of the competitor in the art school is, Will my work earn a reward? No thought of punishment arises.
Thus we see in No. 1, persons are judged, and persons punished.
In No. 2, works are reviewed and their doers rewarded.
In short, the judgment-seat of Christ is for manifestation and rewards. The solemnity of this would tend to check all lightness and laziness, and make us anxious to respond to the grace that desires to reward all that may have been done according to the mind of the Holy Spirit. To this end we need earnestness in the study of the Word, and diligence in prayer, so that we may know and be led into right activities. No wonder, with all this in the Apostle’s mind, he could write, “Wherefore we labour, that whether present or absent, we may be well-pleasing to Him.”
A very striking passage, confirming what we have just indicated, is 1 Corinthians 4:5. “Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shalt every man have praise of God.” Mark, nothing is said of condemnation. The only result of this manifestation the Apostle sees is “praise of God.” No doubt much will be condemned and set aside when the hidden things of darkness are brought to light, many a counsel of the heart will be judged in that day; but the Lord has one object in it all, and that is to award praise to each and all. How this should stimulate our desire to be well-pleasing to Him!
To sum up. The whole energy of the word “Karito ō” = “taken us into favour,” is first downward in grace from God to us, lifting us up and accepting us in all the cloudless favour that rests on the Beloved. Bengel puts it beautifully: “To embrace us in the arms of grace in the Beloved.” It is all God’s activity on His side; it is all receiving on ours. Blessed truth!
On the contrary, the whole activity of “Ū arestos” = “well-pleasing,” is upward, from the believer to the Lord, from our hearts and lives, to Him who loves to reward all that is of the Holy Spirit.
May these thoughts encourage and stimulate us to deeper devotedness to the Lord!