Then there are false teachers (wolves) strutting around in sheep's clothing.
Once again, Paul in his letter to many Churches called them 'saints' irrespective of their growth or attainment in spirituality. He did not set up a class of saints and aint's. We, as true believers, are saint's.
Hi Prism,
One such example was in my reading the other day, Paul's letter to the Romans:
Romans 1 (YLT)
1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, a called apostle, having been separated to the good news of God --
2 which He announced before through His prophets in holy writings --
3 concerning His Son, (who is come of the seed of David according to the flesh,
4 who is marked out Son of God in power, according to the Spirit of sanctification, by the rising again from the dead,) Jesus Christ our Lord;
5 through whom we did receive grace and apostleship, for obedience of faith among all the nations, in behalf of his name;
6 among whom are also ye, the called of Jesus Christ;
7
to all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called saints; Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father, and [from] the Lord Jesus Christ!
This letter was addressed to the saints, period.
To whom he wrote:
Ch 6
12 Let not then the sin reign in your mortal body, to obey it in its desires;
13 neither present ye your members instruments of unrighteousness to the sin, but present yourselves to God as living out of the dead, and your members instruments of righteousness to God;
14 for sin over you shall not have lordship, for ye are not under law, but under grace.
15 What then? shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? let it not be!
16 have ye not known that to whom ye present yourselves servants for obedience, servants ye are to him to whom ye obey, whether of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness?
17 and thanks to God, that ye were servants of the sin, and -- were obedient from the heart to the form of teaching to which ye were delivered up;
18 and having been freed from the sin, ye became servants to the righteousness.
19 In the manner of men I speak, because of the weakness of your flesh, for even as ye did present your members servants to the uncleanness and to the lawlessness -- to the lawlessness, so now present your members servants to the righteousness -- to sanctification,
If the saint is the one who has mastered this, then how is it Paul urges them to do it?
No such thing as "super-Christian". We cannot add to our acceptibility to God, or to our righteousness, or to our holiness, being as God has already made us righteous and holy in Christ. To say we can add to that?
What we can do is to embrace that reality, and live our lives like that, righteous and holy.
And not try to promote ourselves as something better than others.
I remember even seeing on a thread here not so long ago someone objecting to another, something like, "that's how you respond to your betters?" Unbelievable!
Much love!
