Who am I? A Sinner or a Saint?
In the post THE LIE back on March 22, 2006; part of the lie dealt with us believing that we are Sinners...saved by grace. But I would like to expand on that topic to prepare for the next series of posts on Heaven and what Heaven will be like.
Who does Jesus say that I am?
Matthew 5:13-16
"You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."
Jesus is saying that we stand out...we are not the normal part of the societal structure...we are different!
Here is what most people believe to be the meaning of the word Saint:
1. Abbr. St. or S. Christianity. A person officially recognized, especially by canonization, as being entitled to public veneration and capable of interceding for people on earth.
2. A person who has died and gone to heaven.
3. Saint A member of any of various religious groups, especially a Latter-Day Saint.
4. An extremely virtuous person.
5. To name, recognize, or venerate as a saint; canonize.
6. a) a person who has died and has been declared a saint by canonization
b) a person of exceptional holiness
c) a model of excellence or perfection of a kind; one having no equal
d) v. to hold sacred
e) in the Catholic church; declare (a dead person) to be a saint; "After he was shown to have performed a miracle, the priest was canonized"
This deffinition gets closer:
7. one separated from the world and consecrated to God; one holy by profession andby covenant; a believer in Christ (Ps. 16:3; Rom. 1:7; 8:27; Phil. 1:1; Heb.6:10). The "saints" spoken of in Jude 1:14 are probably not the disciples ofChrist, but the "innumerable company of angels" (Heb. 12:22; Ps. 68:17), withreference to Deut. 33:2. This word is also used of the holy dead (Matt. 27:52;Rev. 18:24). It was not used as a distinctive title of the apostles andevangelists and of a "spiritual nobility" till the fourth century. In thatsense it is not a scriptural title.
Saint is from the Greek word Hagios which litteraly means sacred or holy. Holy and sacred mean set apart. Set apart from what? Set apart from the world, set apart to/for God!
Have you ever heard the phrase, I am in this world but not of it? This is the New Testament meaning of the word Saint!
A Saint is not some person who lead a wonderful and good life and has been remembered for it. No, A Saint is someone that God has chosen out of the world, set them aside and redeemed them to serve Him!
You may be thinking:
1. Why have I never heard of this before?
2. I like this, except for the whole serving part?
Well, please stay with me through the series on Heaven...trust me you don't wont to miss it!
Let's look a little closer at who can be considered a Saint!
Romans 1:7
"To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."
1 Corinthians 1:2
"To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:"
Ephesians 1:1
"Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus:"
Philippians 1:1
"Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons:"
Colossians 1:2
"To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae:Grace to you and peace from God our Father."
Hebrews 13:24
"Greet all your leaders and all the saints. Those who come from Italy send you greetings."
Jude 1:3
"Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints."
Here we see several different charateristics of Saints.
1. Romans 1:7 -- Saints are loved and called by God
2. 1 Corinthians 1:2 -- Saints are Sanctified in Christ Jesus and called by God
3. Ephesians 1:1 -- Saints are Faithful in Christ Jesus
4. Philippians 1:1 and Colossians 1:2 -- Saints are IN Christ Jesus
5. Hebrews 13:24 and Jude 1:3 -- Saints are Living human beings, not just people who lived good lives and now we recoginize it. The writer of Hebrews told his audience to Greet the saints, and Jude told his audience to contend for the faith...the faith that was delivered to the saints. Also in Pauls writings, Romans, 1 Corinthians, Ephesians, and Philippians, He adresses his audience as Saints!
But what about?
1 Thessalonians 3:13
"so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints."
And all the times Saints are mentioned in Heaven?
Let me ask a different question...one that will become clearer as we enter into the study of Heaven...
Do we change from this life to the next? And if so, how much do we change?
If we are IN Christ in this life, will we not stay IN Christ in the next?
Ephesians 1:5
"he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,"
Ephesians 1:12
"so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory."
Ephesians 2:5-7
"even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved-- and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus."
Ephesians 4:32
"Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."
Colossians 1:27
"To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."
Colossians 2:13-15
"And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him."
2 Corinthians 1:22
"and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee."
We are Adopted as Sons and Daughters through Christ! Will this all of a sudden change? If we are the children of God in this life, how much more will we be the Children of God in the next without the hindrence of Sin to mare our relationship!
Christ died to appease the penalty due because of our disobediance, our sin. He took all of our sins upon himself and nailed them to the cross! And given us His Spirit as a guarantee! This is the guarantee of our inheritance as children of God! And this inheritance is being raised with Christ and seated with Him in the Heavenly places!
You too can be a Saint!
100% of your faith must be placed in Christ Jesus as the sole/soul hope of eternal life!
He died to take upon himself your sins, to forgive you of all the wrongs you have done against Him. He offers a pardon to you free of charge, He loves you and wants you to spent eternity with Him.
Do you accept this free pardon and place you trust in Christ Jesus?
For more on this, send me an email, check out www.wayofthemaster.com, or leave a comment with your questions.
Galations 2:20
"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
Galations 3:13-14
"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us--for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree'--so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith."
Galations 3:16
"Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, 'And to offsprings,' referring to many, but referring to one, 'And to your offspring,' who is Christ."
Galations 3:22
"But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe."
Galations 3:24
"So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith."
Galations 3:26
"for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith."
Galations 5:24
"And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires."
The next few post will be on the topic of Heaven and 5 suprises that you will find there. I must warn you, this very well could challange most if not all of the ways in which you think of and picture Heaven. But be assured, it will be 100% biblically based! And if not, I will deffinately say that what I would be saying is just speculation based off of biblical evendence.
I want everyone to understand that I have not been to Heaven! So I do not have a personal and intimate knowledge of what Heaven will be like...but, God has revealed to us many things about our permanent home that we should all know!
Also, this is not a Major issue. We are all free to dissagree on what Heaven will be like, as I am sure none of us have been there (at least yet!). However, I would ask that disagreements be supported biblically!
Thanks,
In Christ,
David
Who does Jesus say that I am?
Matthew 5:13-16
"You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."
Jesus is saying that we stand out...we are not the normal part of the societal structure...we are different!
Here is what most people believe to be the meaning of the word Saint:
1. Abbr. St. or S. Christianity. A person officially recognized, especially by canonization, as being entitled to public veneration and capable of interceding for people on earth.
2. A person who has died and gone to heaven.
3. Saint A member of any of various religious groups, especially a Latter-Day Saint.
4. An extremely virtuous person.
5. To name, recognize, or venerate as a saint; canonize.
6. a) a person who has died and has been declared a saint by canonization
b) a person of exceptional holiness
c) a model of excellence or perfection of a kind; one having no equal
d) v. to hold sacred
e) in the Catholic church; declare (a dead person) to be a saint; "After he was shown to have performed a miracle, the priest was canonized"
This deffinition gets closer:
7. one separated from the world and consecrated to God; one holy by profession andby covenant; a believer in Christ (Ps. 16:3; Rom. 1:7; 8:27; Phil. 1:1; Heb.6:10). The "saints" spoken of in Jude 1:14 are probably not the disciples ofChrist, but the "innumerable company of angels" (Heb. 12:22; Ps. 68:17), withreference to Deut. 33:2. This word is also used of the holy dead (Matt. 27:52;Rev. 18:24). It was not used as a distinctive title of the apostles andevangelists and of a "spiritual nobility" till the fourth century. In thatsense it is not a scriptural title.
Saint is from the Greek word Hagios which litteraly means sacred or holy. Holy and sacred mean set apart. Set apart from what? Set apart from the world, set apart to/for God!
Have you ever heard the phrase, I am in this world but not of it? This is the New Testament meaning of the word Saint!
A Saint is not some person who lead a wonderful and good life and has been remembered for it. No, A Saint is someone that God has chosen out of the world, set them aside and redeemed them to serve Him!
You may be thinking:
1. Why have I never heard of this before?
2. I like this, except for the whole serving part?
Well, please stay with me through the series on Heaven...trust me you don't wont to miss it!
Let's look a little closer at who can be considered a Saint!
Romans 1:7
"To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."
1 Corinthians 1:2
"To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:"
Ephesians 1:1
"Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus:"
Philippians 1:1
"Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons:"
Colossians 1:2
"To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae:Grace to you and peace from God our Father."
Hebrews 13:24
"Greet all your leaders and all the saints. Those who come from Italy send you greetings."
Jude 1:3
"Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints."
Here we see several different charateristics of Saints.
1. Romans 1:7 -- Saints are loved and called by God
2. 1 Corinthians 1:2 -- Saints are Sanctified in Christ Jesus and called by God
3. Ephesians 1:1 -- Saints are Faithful in Christ Jesus
4. Philippians 1:1 and Colossians 1:2 -- Saints are IN Christ Jesus
5. Hebrews 13:24 and Jude 1:3 -- Saints are Living human beings, not just people who lived good lives and now we recoginize it. The writer of Hebrews told his audience to Greet the saints, and Jude told his audience to contend for the faith...the faith that was delivered to the saints. Also in Pauls writings, Romans, 1 Corinthians, Ephesians, and Philippians, He adresses his audience as Saints!
But what about?
1 Thessalonians 3:13
"so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints."
And all the times Saints are mentioned in Heaven?
Let me ask a different question...one that will become clearer as we enter into the study of Heaven...
Do we change from this life to the next? And if so, how much do we change?
If we are IN Christ in this life, will we not stay IN Christ in the next?
Ephesians 1:5
"he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,"
Ephesians 1:12
"so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory."
Ephesians 2:5-7
"even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved-- and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus."
Ephesians 4:32
"Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."
Colossians 1:27
"To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."
Colossians 2:13-15
"And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him."
2 Corinthians 1:22
"and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee."
We are Adopted as Sons and Daughters through Christ! Will this all of a sudden change? If we are the children of God in this life, how much more will we be the Children of God in the next without the hindrence of Sin to mare our relationship!
Christ died to appease the penalty due because of our disobediance, our sin. He took all of our sins upon himself and nailed them to the cross! And given us His Spirit as a guarantee! This is the guarantee of our inheritance as children of God! And this inheritance is being raised with Christ and seated with Him in the Heavenly places!
You too can be a Saint!
100% of your faith must be placed in Christ Jesus as the sole/soul hope of eternal life!
He died to take upon himself your sins, to forgive you of all the wrongs you have done against Him. He offers a pardon to you free of charge, He loves you and wants you to spent eternity with Him.
Do you accept this free pardon and place you trust in Christ Jesus?
For more on this, send me an email, check out www.wayofthemaster.com, or leave a comment with your questions.
Galations 2:20
"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
Galations 3:13-14
"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us--for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree'--so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith."
Galations 3:16
"Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, 'And to offsprings,' referring to many, but referring to one, 'And to your offspring,' who is Christ."
Galations 3:22
"But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe."
Galations 3:24
"So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith."
Galations 3:26
"for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith."
Galations 5:24
"And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires."
The next few post will be on the topic of Heaven and 5 suprises that you will find there. I must warn you, this very well could challange most if not all of the ways in which you think of and picture Heaven. But be assured, it will be 100% biblically based! And if not, I will deffinately say that what I would be saying is just speculation based off of biblical evendence.
I want everyone to understand that I have not been to Heaven! So I do not have a personal and intimate knowledge of what Heaven will be like...but, God has revealed to us many things about our permanent home that we should all know!
Also, this is not a Major issue. We are all free to dissagree on what Heaven will be like, as I am sure none of us have been there (at least yet!). However, I would ask that disagreements be supported biblically!
Thanks,
In Christ,
David
posted by Mark 1:17 at 11:14 AM
1 Comments:
I continue to enjoy reading your posts. Thanks for putting forth so much effort and remaining in the Word. It's the Word of Truth that really speaks to my heart - I appreciate that about your posts.
The topic of heaven will be a good one to examine. Cant wait!
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