On being a Saint

[CoreIssue]

Now Catholics believe that a saint comes along once in a generation...and Protestants think everybody who accepts free salvation is a saint.

I believe neither are true.

I am posting this thread for those who are interested in advancing their walks towards saintliness. God has ordained that there will always be a remnant who do so.

I will not engage in futile discussions from people with carnal and religious agendas who seek to defend their presumed status. If I could delete these annoyances that are sure to arise...I would.

So what is a saint?

A saint is one who walks like Jesus...in resurrection power. There are few saints in a society such as we find ourselves...but there could be many more if only people would...

1. acknowledge that they are not yet saints (humble themselves)
2. take their calling seriously and seek the Lord.


To be a saint means walking where few have walked...yet are able to do so because of the deeper gift of grace....which is the keeping power of God...after the surrender of all one is and has.

The purpose of this thread is to inform and encourage potential saints to that higher calling in Jesus Christ that Paul sought after so much. What Paul sought for in his day...people mock today as pointless. Is it any wonder then that so few saints are being molded in our time?

More Gnosticism.

Being the same meat simply means one who was set apart for God. Sanctified, Saint, holy, etc. draw all come from the same root word word.

From the loneliest born-again to the prophets of the Old Testament they are all Saints.

 

[CoreIssue]

The Bible calls the children of God -- the redeemed ones of God -- saints. That is their standing before God.

We know that there was much carnality in the church at Corinth. But that did not change the fact that the believers there were called saints. Not called "to be" saints at some future date ("to be" was inserted by the translators), but simply "called saints".

Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called [to be] saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours

Once again you are manufacturing your own theology while contradicting Scripture.

I agree wholeheartedly.

 

[marks]

It's a matter of truth, right? John 14:6.

I heard something recently, maybe you said it . . . I don't remember, only that it was good.

Jesus didn't come to Show the Way, He came to Be the Way.

Much love!

 

[CoreIssue]

10 Virgins- Rapture and Salvation

 

[marks]

The loneliness of the Christian results from his walk with God in an ungodly world, a walk that must often take him away from the fellowship of good Christians as well as from the unregenerate world.

God wants us in community with each other. Christianity is to be koinonia with each other.

Much love!

 

[CoreIssue]

Saints Definition and Meaning - Bible Dictionary

 

[farouk]

I heard something recently, maybe you said it . . . I don't remember, only that it was good.

Jesus didn't come to Show the Way, He came to Be the Way.

Much love!

It's a matter of knowing Him personally by faith, rather than knowing it theoretically...

 

[1stCenturyLady]

Amen. We are all BEING saved. The Christian life is a walk...not a one-step. We all need to continue in the faith of Christ is to saved in a permanent sense.

Sanctification is by friendship with a holy God. Those that seek the Lord and interact with Him by the Spirit are BEING sanctified.

How many people don't think it is possible to actually encounter the Lord? Yet these same people will claim to have a personal relationship with God...because they have been indoctrinated to say that and even think that.

But we have this opportunity...because so few even see the race...to get the chance to qualify seeing there are so few that are interested in eternal life and the Lord in particular.

So we press on in the race of faith.

I differ a little. I believe you can obtain salvation now and be assured, but not the false OSAS the carnal liberals believe.

19 And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. 20 For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. 22 And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. 23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.

The Corinthians in the first letter were still carnal, but I believe they were made sorrowful and truly repented. Paul shocked them and made them suffer, and the suffering did its work.

Hebrews 5:8 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.

James 1:2-4 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

Even though I was filled with the Spirit in 1977, and had many gifts (like the Corinthians), there were still lessons I needed to learn, and one was if you have a check in your spirit, obey it without question. I didn't and married a Pentecostal man on impulse, and spent 12 years being abused in every way. The revelation I received that the 'check' was God put me in total awe and fear of the Lord, and I never wanted any trace of sin or disobedience on me, so I committed myself to stay in that marriage even if he killed me. When I was almost to the breaking point, and cried out to God for strength and a solution, suddenly my husband announced he was leaving me. He had been having an affair with the wife of his best friend. They caused two divorces, and then got married to each other. That was 2001 and though lonely, my husband was the last man I kissed, and will be until I die. But I still have joy and such a personal relationship with God that is better than any earthly husband could ever be.

 

[marks]

(Just look at all the carnality on this board...and watch for they who protest on this thread)

Disagreement with your elitism equals carnality. Or . . . are you actually saying that? Or not? Passively saying that?

Much love!

 

[APAK]

Can I join your boat with E? I feel the same.

Of course...not up to me...

 

[marks]

So then the first step of salvation leading to sanctification is like being given a printer.. which is given as a free gift. The next step is to get ink for the printer without which there is no good use for the printer. But most people don't bother doing this. They think just having the printer is enough...that this justifies them. Now, the ink is very expensive... costing you everything you have and are. Few are interested because of the high cost. So then at judgment people will be asked for all the papers that were printed. The ones who didn't bother to get any ink will have nothing...and be rejected.

Is this to say that you aquire for yourself what is needed to be saved? Again, that makes it not a gift.

It's like you are saying, God gives the key to the bank, but you have to be good enough to get the combination to the vault.

That's not right.

Much love!

 

[marks]

I like the story I heard about some monk who died, and was eulogized greatly as a man of faith, a man of God, a man who sought holiness his whole believing life.

What? They cried out! The man was a drunk!

And so other monk explained . . . when he was a baby, they made him drink their cultural brew, very intoxicating, very addicting, but they had to keep him quiet to avoid discovery by the Nazis. And spending his early childhood drinking this day and night to keep him quiet turned him into a lifelong addict.

But over past several years we've seen him reduce his consumption from 40 drinks a day to 30 to 20 to the present 10, at the cost of withdrawals at every step. No miracles were brought to bear in the man's life, only the miracle of regeneration, as the man spent the rest of his life learning to master his flesh.

~~~~~~~~~

Who are we to judge another man's life?

1 Corinthians 4:1-4
Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.

Much love!

 

[Episkopos]

There is a big difference between the popularly obsessive theme of salvation ...and of sanctification. This thread is about sanctification in both purity (as a gift) and maturity...apprehending that for which we have been apprehended.

Salvation is to remain faithful till the end. So nobody is finally saved until the finish line. That is the essence of what a race is. We now have a living HOPE (so often confused with faith) ....for a good end to our race of faith..which is moment by moment, hour by hour, day by day.

During the time we are here, however, we can either advance in the Lord or waste our time. The servant who buried his talent is obviously of the latter sort. Those who advance do so by grace through faith...working out their salvation with fear and trembling...knowing the terror of facing the Lord in judgment.

 

[Enoch111]

Actually...once again you are espousing what you have been indoctrinated into by the traditions of men rather than what is biblical...

I quoted the actually words FROM THE BIBLE (1 Cor 1:2 KJV). So now you are not only manufacturing your own theology, but making false accusations, as well as denying the truth of God.

Received Text
τη εκκλησια του θεου τη ουση εν κορινθω ηγιασμενοις εν χριστω ιησου κλητοις αγιοις συν πασιν τοις επικαλουμενοις το ονομα του κυριου ημων ιησου χριστου εν παντι τοπω αυτων τε και ημων

Literal Interlinear Translation
To the church of God being in Corinth, having being sanctified in Christ Jesus, called holy, together with all those calling on the name of the Lord of us Jesus Christ, in every place -- both theirs and ours.

Young's Literal Translation
to the assembly of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called saints, with all those calling upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place -- both theirs and ours:

What the Holy Spirit is telling us here is that those who have called upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and been saved, have therefore been also immediately sanctified in Christ Jesus, and therefore they are called saints. Not for any merit in themselves, or any performance by themselves, but strictly by the grace of God.

What Episkopos is doing in this thread is OPPOSING THE HOLY SPIRIT, the one who sanctifies us as soon as we believe, since He also comes to indwell the believer at that very moment. And people are warned in Scripture to not fight God. So what we have here is heresy.

 

[Episkopos]

The warfare of a saint is not in his own strength. It is by the keeping power of God. Those who walk in their own strength are still under the law. They walk as mere men. But the walk of a saint is by the grace of God...the power that causes men to do the impossible.

Are the dead raised through human effort...by works?...or by faith?

So then faith brings the miraculous life that saints walk in.

His burden is easy.

A saint doesn't work hard to walk with God. He IS there already. A saint walks in the power of God whereby doing what others can't do...making the impossible easy.

For a carnal man to avoid sin, is both impossible and difficult...a constant struggle.

Not so a saint. Unless directly attacked by the enemy, the saint walks in the peace, rest and joy of the Lord by the keeping power of God...far above normal carnal temptations.

As I posted in post #2 the difficulty of a saint is that he walks alone. Unfortunately it usually takes a saint to spot one.

We should rather all seek holiness...without which none shall see the Lord. As we seek the Lord and He responds we will find holiness is the byproduct of this connection with God. He translates us to live (abide) IN Christ in the heavenly place.

So then while the walk of a saint overcomes all sin because that walk is in the light as He is in the light...yet the loneliness can drive him to temptation...the temptation of departing holiness FOR fellowship with they who would lead him away from that consecrated life.

 

[marks]

1 Corinthians 1:1-3 YLT
Paul, a called apostle of Jesus Christ, through the will of God, and Sosthenes the brother, to the assembly of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called saints, with all those calling upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place -- both theirs and ours: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

To these saints God says:

Vs. 10-11
And I call upon you, brethren, through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that the same thing ye may all say, and there may not be divisions among you, and ye may be perfected in the same mind, and in the same judgment, for it was signified to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe, that contentions are among you;

Contentions between saints?

3:1 "And I, brethren, was not able to speak to you as to spiritual, but as to fleshly -- as to babes in Christ;"

Having to speak to saints like babies in Christ? Continue in the chapter . . . the saint's works may be burned up . . .

4:18 ". . . some were puffed up . . ."

Puffed up saints . . . this letter was addressed to the saints.

It continues . . .

Much love!

 

[marks]

During the time we are here, however, we can either advance in the Lord or waste our time. The servant who buried his talent is obviously of the latter sort. Those who advance do so by grace through faith...working out their salvation with fear and trembling...knowing the terror of facing the Lord in judgment.

And wasting our time includes sending people in the wrong direction.

And let's do the right quote . . . work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God Who works within you both to will and to do what pleases Him.

katergadzomai compared to ergon.

Perform the work He's doing in you.

Much love!

 

[marks]

@Episkopos,

Do you sin?

Serious question, with a serious discussion to follow. Much to be revealed.

Much love!

 

[marks]

He translates us to live (abide) IN Christ in the heavenly place.

This is being born again.

Ephesians 2
1 Also you -- being dead in the trespasses and the sins,
2 in which once ye did walk according to the age of this world, according to the ruler of the authority of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience,
3 among whom also we all did walk once in the desires of our flesh, doing the wishes of the flesh and of the thoughts, and were by nature children of wrath -- as also the others,
4 and God, being rich in kindness, because of His great love with which He loved us,
5 even being dead in the trespasses, did make us to live together with the Christ, (by grace ye are having been saved,)
6 and did raise [us] up together, and did seat [us] together in the heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus,
7 that He might show, in the ages that are coming, the exceeding riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus,
8 for by grace ye are having been saved, through faith, and this not of you -- of God the gift,
9 not of works, that no one may boast;
10 for of Him we are workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to good works, which God did before prepare, that in them we may walk.

This directly refutes your assertion.

Much love!

 

[marks]

Colossians 3:1-4 YLT
If, then, ye were raised with the Christ, the things above seek ye, where the Christ is, on the right hand of God seated, the things above mind ye, not the things upon the earth, for ye did die, and your life hath been hid with the Christ in God; when the Christ -- our life -- may be manifested, then also we with him shall be manifested in glory.