What Is In A Name – Beloved (One Whom I Love)

Beloved (One Whom I Love)

And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”  (Mark 1:11, NIV)


And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (Mark 1:11, KJV)


and a voice came out of heaven saying: “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased and delighted!” (Mark 1:11, AMP)

How do you learn? Are you a visual person, needing to read the material to learn it? Perhaps you learn best when someone speaks the material to you. Maybe you are an active learner, or need a combination of learning methods! We all learn differently, and sometimes it’s the literal words used than affect our learning.


Many people question the reliability of the Bible. How can one very old book, which has been translated hundreds of times be accurate? Some believe that the dozens of English translations alone prove that the Bible is inaccurate. A full examination into exactly how Bible translations are done is fascinating, and cannot be covered here. But evidence shows that the Bible is one of the most accurately translated ancient texts, even when comparing modern Bibles to source material such as the Dead Sea Scrolls.


One of the biggest struggles in translating any written text between languages is ensuring that the intent comes through. One of the most common examples is the word love. In English, we have one word for love – love. The Greeks, however, had at least five words for love. All the words mean love, but they separated out different types of love, just as the love one has for their spouse is different from the love they have for their parents, which is different from the love they have for friends.

This week’s Name of Jesus is Beloved or, One Whom I Love. Looking back throughout the Old Testament, those who are called beloved are often called to serve a special purpose for the Lord. The nation of Israel is called beloved. It is through the nation of Israel that God sent His Son Jesus Christ to save mankind. Jesus is the beloved of God, called to serve a special purpose, a purpose no one else could serve.


The word beloved also occurs repeatedly in the book of the Song of Solomon. A love poem, the Song of Solomon describes the love between a man and a woman. It is imagery often used to describe the love Christ has for His bride. It is a deep and profound love. It lets us know that we are beloved!

I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine…  (Song of Solomon 6:3a, NIV)

So what does this mean for us? We are also beloved! Through Jesus Christ, we are beloved by God. Jesus’ blood washes away our sin, cleansing us so that we may stand in the presence of the Lord God and be beloved by Him. The imagery used in Song of Solomon, where the word beloved makes a frequent appearance, is often used to describe the love Christ has for His bride, the church. We are the church! All who believe in Jesus Christ, are the church! We are beloved through Jesus Christ!

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