The believers at Rome(1:7) are called the "beloved of God." It has the sense of those who are loved by God. Paul uses it often in speaking of all believers.
He also uses the word beloved to refer to specific individuals. Some of those are Philemon, Luke , Timothy and Persis. See Romans 16 for several beloveds.
Love for us comes from both the Father and the Son.
II Thess 2:16� Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, who loved us, and gave us everlasting encouragement and good hope through grace,
Gal 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ: and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live in the faithfulness of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Eph 2:4 � But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his much love with which he loved us,
Eph 5:2� And walk in love, even as Christ also loved us, and gave himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a fragrant odor
Eph 5:25� Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it
What joy and encouragement this gives me. And I haven't even touched on Romans 8:30-39! May this bless you as you consider all the spiritual blessings we already have in Christ(Eph 1:3).
In order for a man to love his wife as Messiah loves His BODY, a man needs to study the life of Messiah.
I was at work a few weeks ago when Ephesians 5 was brought to my mind about how Messiahs loves us, by carrying our sins to be judged in His body upon the cross.
In Isaiah 53 Messiah verse 5, by His stripes we are healed. Hmmm, the man is to be like Messiah and Heal his wife. What type(s)of healing were accomplished by the death of Messiah
Since man is aTripart being,spirit, soul and body, then healing applies to man in all of his being, spirit, soul and body.
Since mans sins have been judged in its entirety in Messiah's body that being past, present and future sins,then is not a man to heal a woman from her sins past, present and into the future when she sins (especially those she holds onto with her emotions).
When Messiah forgives a person, He does not say, aw poor baby, i forgive you,NO He does something about the sin, and the person. The sin has been judged, forgiven,cast behind the back of GOD Almighty, AND never brought up again.
Now, the man is to be as Messiah is,he is to forgive, place the sin away from the relationship and never bring the sin up again.
But alas, we as men fail so often, yet that is the reason Messiah is not only our Sin bearer, He is our ADVOCATE, and our RIGHTEOUSNESS with the Father.
**THE ONLY THING THAT COUNTS IS FAITH EXPRESSING ITSELF THROUGH **LOVE**!!{Galatians 5:6}
**THE FATHER LOVES HIS FAITHUL SAINTS JUST AS MUCH AS HE LOVES JESUS**
John 17:23: Jesus says to His Father, "You sent Me and have **LOVED THEM** even as you **LOVED** Me!!"
**JESUS LOVES HIS FAITHFUL SAINTS **JUST AS MUCH** AS THE FATHER LOVES HIM**!!
John 15:9,10" Jesus says, "As the Father **LOVED** Me, so I have **LOVED** you!! Now remain in My **LOVE . **IF** you obey My commands, you will remain in My **LOVE** , just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in His **LOVE** !"
John 14:21,23: Jesus says, "Whoever has My commands and obeys them, he is the one who **LOVES** Me! He who loves Me will be **LOVED** by My Father, and I will **LOVE** him....If anyone **LOVES** Me, he will obey My teaching. My Father will **LOVE** him, and we will come to him and make Our home with him!!"
I John 3:18: Dear children, let us not **LOVE** with words or tongue but with actions and in truth!
WHAT'S **LOVE**GOT TO DO WITH IT??
I Peter 1:22: "Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere **LOVE** for your brothers, **LOVE** one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again... through the living and enduring Word of God!
I Peter 4:8: **ABOVE ALL**, **LOVE** each other **DEEPLY**, because **LOVE**covers over a multitude of sins!
I Corinthians 13:2,4-8: If I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not **LOVE** I am nothing...**LOVE** is patient, **LOVE** is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. **LOVE** does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. **LOVE** never fails!!"
John 13:34: Jesus says, "A NEW command I give you: **LOVE* one another As I have **LOVED** you, so you must **LOVE** one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples." John 15:12,13: Jesus says, "My command is this: **LOVE** each other as I have **LOVED** you. Greater **LOVE** has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
I John 3:16: This how we know what **LOVE** is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers!
Ephesians 5:1,2: Be **IMITATORS OF GOD**, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of **LOVE**, just as Christ **LOVED** us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God!
Luke 6:27,28,35,36: Jesus says, "**LOVE** your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. **LOVE** your enemies, do good to them. and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your **REWARD** will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful!"
Matthew 28:19.20� Jesus commands, �Go and make disciples of all nations... teaching them to *OBEY EVERYTHING* I have commanded you!� {See I John 2:3-5}
EVERYTHING would also include all the other commands in God's inspired Word from Acts to Revelation as per 2 Timothy 3:16: 4:2: "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work...Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction."
If we really **LOVE** our brothers and sister in Christ we will lovingly teach them to obey all the approximately 400 commands of the NT with **LOVE** in the hope of countless eternal rewards when Jesus comes with great power with all His angels.
Revelation 22:112: Jesus says,"Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with Me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done!?
Matthew 16:27: Jesus says, For the Son of Man is going to come in His Father's glory with His angels, and **THEN** He will **REWARD** each person according to what he has done."
Ephesians 4:15: "Speaking the Truth in **LOVE** , we will in all things grow up into Him who is the Head, that is, Christ! From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in **LOVE** , as each part does its work."
Ephesians 3:17-19: "I pray that you, being rooted and established in **LOVE** may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the **LOVE** of Christ, and to know this **LOVE** that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God!!"
I John 4:7-12: Dear friends, let us **LOVE** one another, for **LOVE** comes from God. Everyone who **LOVES** has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not **LOVE** does not know God, because God is **LOVE**. This is how God showed His **LOVE**among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is **LOVE**, not that we **LOVED** God, but that He **LOVED** us and sent His Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends,since God so **LOVED** us, we ought to **LOVE** one another. No one has ever seen God, but if we **LOVE** one another, God lives in us and His **LOVE** is made complete in us!
Romans 8:35,37-39: Who shall separate us from the **LOVE** of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?...We are more than conquerors through Him who **LOVED** us! For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the **LOVE** of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!!
