Identity as Beloved
The Father loves you with the same love that has always embraced the Son.
“One of His disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at the table close to Jesus.” — John 13:23
The Disciple Whom Jesus Loved
Six times.
Six times, the Apostle John referred to himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.”
This wasn’t pride—it was revelation.
John wasn’t declaring superiority; he was confessing identity.
He had discovered who he was through Who loved him.
In that upper room, John heard Jesus pray to the Father: “that the love You have for Me may be in them.” (John 17:26)
That truth landed in his heart and never left.
The same love the Father has for the Son—perfect, eternal, unchanging—has now been placed within us.
John didn’t just write about it; he rested in it.
Knowing Love—Experientially
John didn’t simply witness how the Father loved the Son—he experienced that love personally through Jesus.
He reclined near the very heartbeat of divine affection.
The Greek word for knowing—ginōskō—means to know by experience, to perceive through participation, to encounter firsthand.
John ginōskō-ed love. He didn’t learn it; he lived it.
He saw it in Jesus’ eyes, heard it in His voice, and felt it in His presence.
This was more than theology—it was transformation.
The same love that existed between the Father and the Son now flowed through the Spirit into John’s own soul.
And that’s the same love meant to fill ours.
The Mark of His Life
Read John’s letters and you’ll find one theme woven through them all: love is the mark of his message and the essence of his being.
Once you experience love like that, you can’t go back to living as though you have to earn it.
When you know you are loved with the same love the Father has for His Son, striving loses its power.
You stop living for approval and start living from acceptance.
You begin to see every circumstance—joy or pain—through the lens of belonging.
John’s identity wasn’t built on what he did for Jesus; it was built on what Jesus had done for him.
Believing the Love That Already Is
We don’t become the Beloved—we already are.
The only question is whether we believe it.
Belief isn’t mere agreement—it’s trust.
It’s leaning your whole weight upon the truth that the Father’s love for Jesus is the same love that surrounds you now.
When that truth moves from theory to reality, fear loses its grip.
Dreams find alignment.
Relationships heal.
You begin to live as one held, not hurried—anchored, not anxious.
That is the abundant life Jesus prayed for: His life and His love overflowing in us.
Reflection