Saints - Part Two
“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints who are at Ephesus who are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 1:1-2)
Yesterday I was thinking about who the saints are and want to continue my thoughts. Religious dogma has altered the meaning of “saint” to restrict it to a few people whom their particular sect considers to be more righteous than other folks…even praying to them on occasion. It appears to me, however, that to God all mankind are holy to Him and set apart…therefore Saints….despite the fact that He also clearly says, “there is none righteous, no not one”, and “all have sinned”. God created mankind to be made into His image. At least that is how I read the Scripture. But only a few of these saints have been “faithful” since their creation.
Paul was chosen to reveal the glorious future of all mankind to those who God has predetermined to hear and believe in this present evil age…and it has been my experience that those who hear and believe the good news of the eventual reconciliation and salvation of all rejoice. They are at peace with God, giving Him praise and thanksgiving for this promise. Some of them are driven to tell others about it...like Paul who said…
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He PREDESTINED us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of HIS WILL, to the praise of the glory of His GRACE, which He FREELY bestowed on us in the Beloved.” (Ephesians 1:2-7)
But whether the faithful saints are destined to tell anyone or not, one future day, after the final resurrection of both the just and unjust, and after death has been abolished, ALL people will be completed by God into His righteous spiritual image…and ALL will believe and rejoice in their Salvation…God’s plan will be complete and He will be "ALL in ALL".
“For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive….The last enemy that will be abolished is death….so that God may be ALL in ALL.” (1 Corinthians 15:20-28)
I get the impression sometimes that we Christians do not think it fair that God would save everyone. But we should have the same kind of attitude about it as Christ Jesus had…
“Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus… He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:5-7)
And why did he have this attitude? Paul again tells us it was to demonstrate the LOVE of God for mankind (Saints) and that He would deliver mankind from His wrath (death)….
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him…for the wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 5:8-9; 6:23)
Sorry Christians, but we do not have the franchise of God’s love as a result of any wise decision we make in this life…God loves everyone the same and Jesus died for ALL and as a result of his faithfulness God has highly exalted HIM and every knee will eventually bow and confess him as the Lord of their Salvation…
For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that EVERY TONGUE WILL CONFESS that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:5-11)
This makes a “faithful” saint happy.
Yesterday I was thinking about who the saints are and want to continue my thoughts. Religious dogma has altered the meaning of “saint” to restrict it to a few people whom their particular sect considers to be more righteous than other folks…even praying to them on occasion. It appears to me, however, that to God all mankind are holy to Him and set apart…therefore Saints….despite the fact that He also clearly says, “there is none righteous, no not one”, and “all have sinned”. God created mankind to be made into His image. At least that is how I read the Scripture. But only a few of these saints have been “faithful” since their creation.
Paul was chosen to reveal the glorious future of all mankind to those who God has predetermined to hear and believe in this present evil age…and it has been my experience that those who hear and believe the good news of the eventual reconciliation and salvation of all rejoice. They are at peace with God, giving Him praise and thanksgiving for this promise. Some of them are driven to tell others about it...like Paul who said…
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He PREDESTINED us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of HIS WILL, to the praise of the glory of His GRACE, which He FREELY bestowed on us in the Beloved.” (Ephesians 1:2-7)
But whether the faithful saints are destined to tell anyone or not, one future day, after the final resurrection of both the just and unjust, and after death has been abolished, ALL people will be completed by God into His righteous spiritual image…and ALL will believe and rejoice in their Salvation…God’s plan will be complete and He will be "ALL in ALL".
“For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive….The last enemy that will be abolished is death….so that God may be ALL in ALL.” (1 Corinthians 15:20-28)
I get the impression sometimes that we Christians do not think it fair that God would save everyone. But we should have the same kind of attitude about it as Christ Jesus had…
“Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus… He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:5-7)
And why did he have this attitude? Paul again tells us it was to demonstrate the LOVE of God for mankind (Saints) and that He would deliver mankind from His wrath (death)….
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him…for the wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 5:8-9; 6:23)
Sorry Christians, but we do not have the franchise of God’s love as a result of any wise decision we make in this life…God loves everyone the same and Jesus died for ALL and as a result of his faithfulness God has highly exalted HIM and every knee will eventually bow and confess him as the Lord of their Salvation…
For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that EVERY TONGUE WILL CONFESS that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:5-11)
This makes a “faithful” saint happy.