Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:5-6

Within the first few verses of Jude’s short New Testament letter, he uses an important word twice: “beloved.” In verse 1, he writes, “To those who are called, sanctified by God the Father and preserved in Jesus Christ….” The word “sanctified” could better be translated “beloved.” Jude begins verse 3 with the same word. Here we have a foundational truth, which Jude brings front and center: We are beloved of God.

How often we hear about what we are supposed to do for God. Yet the emphasis of the Bible is not so much on what we are supposed to do for God, but rather on what God has done for us. If we can get hold of that in our minds and hearts, it will change our outlook and actions. The more we understand of what God has done for us, the more we will want to do for Him.

This is no small truth. In fact, it’s fundamental to our spiritual lives. The devil would love to keep you from praying at all by reminding us how “unworthy” we are—telling us in effect that we have a lot of nerve to even think we could approach a holy God. He whispers, Do you think that God would hear your prayers after what you’ve done? But the real question to ask is this: “Is Jesus Christ worthy to come into the presence of the Father whenever He wants?” Of course He is.

The fact is that we are “accepted in the Beloved.” Because Christ has open access to the presence of the Father at any time, we have the same access as we come to God the Father through our relationship with Jesus. It’s not on the basis of what we have done for God, it is solely on the basis of what Christ has done for us.

And that’s the best news I’ve ever heard.