A Word to the saints of God

To the saints being in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 1:1b LITV

The Greek word for saint here is hagios, and refers to be set apart for a specific purpose. Paul is not referring to a specific Christian in Ephesus, but to all Christians who were in Ephesus. The Bible teaches that all true believers are saints of God.

For example, The Bible says in Romans 8:27 LITV, But the One searching the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because He intercedes for the saints according to God. Paul says here about the Holy Spirit's work in the prayers of the saints. Who has the Holy Spirit? Well lets back up earlier in the chapter. Romans 8:9 LITV, But you are not in flesh, but in Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone has not the Spirit of Christ, this one is not His. Who has the Spirit? Every believer, because if we did not have the Spirit of Christ, we would not be His.

Romans 8:14 LITV, For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. Who are the sons of God. Every believer. The Bible says in John 1:12 LITV, But as many as received Him, to them He gave authority to become children of God, to the ones believing into His Name. Ephesians 1:5 LITV, predestinating us to adoption through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.

Romans 8:15 LITV, speaking of the same people, For you did not receive a spirit of slavery again to fear, but you received a Spirit of adoption by which we cry, Abba! Father!, v. 16, The Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit that we are children of God. And when you read on in its context, and come to v. 27, and the Bible says about the Holy Spirit, He intercedes for the saints according to God. The saints refer to every believer in the Lord. All believers are the saints of God. All true Christians have been sanctified by the Holy Spirit in the Lord Jesus Christ. Spurgeon said, We are not chosen because we are holy, but that we may be holy. Every believer in Jesus is a saint, set apart for God. God the Father chose us not because we are holy, but God chose us in Christ before creation, to be His holy saints, to be set apart unto Himself in Christ, and the Holy Spirit has come to lead the very same chosen ones to Christ, the One whom accomplished salvation for them.

God has declared us His saints, not because of what we have done, but because what Christ has done for us. You and I are saints. We have been sanctified by the Holy Spirit in Jesus Christ our Lord. We are God’s holy people. We have been set part in Christ for God, to serve Him, and serve not the world. The Bible says in 1Corinthians 10:31 LITV, Then whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all things to the glory of God. We serve God in all things.

Then Paul wrote, and faithful in Christ Jesus. When Paul wrote the words, saints and faithful, Paul is not writing about two different groups. They are the one and same group. The same people are referred to by both designations, which means, by both descriptions, or by both names, and this is seen clearly in the Greek. 

The Greek word for faithful is pistos, and is used the NT frequently, and here it means having faith in Christ. A believer in Christ. Simply, as one commentator said, No man, therefore, is a believer who is not also a saint; and, on the other hand, no man is a saint who is not a believer. The saints of God are believers in Christ. You cannot be a saint, if you are not a believer, and you cannot be believer and not be a saint.

Notice the final words in the verse, in Christ Jesus. Again, it is because we are in Christ Jesus. Every true Christian is a saint and faithful in Christ Jesus, not because of you and me, but because of the grace of God. It is because of our union with Christ, which God elected for us to have before the foundation of the world. The Bible says in Ephesians 2:8 LITV, For by grace you are saved, through faith, and this not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; not of works, that anyone should boast. We are not saints and faithful in Christ Jesus because of what we have done, but because of what God has done in His Son, the Lord Jesus.

The Spirit of God called us, and sanctified us in Christ. A saint is a believer in the Lord Jesus, not something man has done, not what the church makes someone into. A saint is not a religious person who has been exalted by a church. A true believer is a true believer by the grace of God in Christ Jesus, and sets us apart in Christ, for His use, and not for the use of the world. We are saints because we have been set apart by God for Him in the Lord Jesus Christ, all by the grace of God.

Let that be an encouragement, knowing we are declared saints before God because of our new relationship with Jesus, set apart in the righteousness of Christ, as true believers, All by the grace of God, we are set apart for Him, so let that be a desire to live as the Bible says in 1Corinthians 10:31LITV, Then whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all things to the glory of God. May we look to God to help us by His grace and strength in the Lord Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit, as we serve Him day by day, according to the Word of God. 

The Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ

Jesus is God

Salvation is of the Lord

The King James Version a Perfect Translation?

There are Christians who use the King James Version, and will not use any other version of the Bible in the English Language. Not all, but some of the King James Version users will believe the KJV is a perfect translation, without any translation errors, and even say no one has ever pointed out any errors in the KJV. There are some who will even go afar as to say that the KJV is the standard which all other translations must be tested, and we do not need the Greek and Hebrew Manuscripts because the KJV has overtaken them.

First of all, the KJV is a good translation, but to say that no one has ever found any translation errors in the KJV is incorrect. Translation errors in the KJV translation have been found.

Secondly, when you make the KJV the standard, then you disregard the Greek and Hebrew manuscripts which God has preserved, containing His Word. Yes, there are some textual variants in the manuscripts, but that does not change that within them (the manuscripts), the preserved Word of God is there, and they can be compared to understand what was in the originals.

Thirdly, When they say the KJV is the standard which all other Bibles need to be tested, what they are saying is does not matter what the Greek and Hebrew manuscripts say when speaking about a translation issue, they are wrong, and the KJV is right.

The KJV translators used Greek and Hebrew manuscripts to translate, and they even compared previous English translations, so would it not be good to see whether something have been translated correctly by them, when an issue concerning the translation is made known. Would it not also be good, with the discovery of many more manuscripts (especially in the Koine Greek) over the years, which they did not have, would it not be good to see whether these manuscripts are more reliable when it comes to the  textual variants. Of course.

But the question they need to answer is this: How to do they know the KJV is a perfect translation, if they refuse to compare the KJV translation with the Greek and Hebrew manuscripts we have, even some Greek manuscripts which can be dated close to the first century AD, to see whether the KJV has been translated correctly or not when an issue about the KJV translation is made known.  All they can say is "It just is". Not very convincing.

I would like to repeat, the KJV is a good translation, but if someone holds to the position the KJV is the standard, and all other translations need to be tested againt the KJV, and even the KJV has overtaken the Greek and Hebrew manuscripts, they will be defending the indefensible.

We have been blessed to have over 5000 Greek manuscripts and Hebrew manuscripts, which God have preserved His Word, and able to compare them for the reliable reading when concerning the textual variants. 

I am not saying do not use the KJV, absolutely not. If you want to use the KJV Bible that is up to you, and I am not saying the KJV is not the Word of God, it is, but do not think that God's Word and man's errors in translation are one and the same. When you do find a translation error in the KJV, do not think that the Bible you have in your hand is not God's Word, it is, but man in translation has made an error (not on purpose) when translating the Bible, and be blessed to understand how it should be translated.

You are not My Sheep!

In John 10, the Lord Jesus Christ tells us that He lays His life down for the sheep. John 10:11, I am the Good Shepherd! The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.

Again in John 10:15 LITV, Jesus says, Even as the Father knows Me, I also know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.

The Lord Jesus clearly tells us who He laid His life down for on the Cross- the sheep.

Jesus also says in John 10:14 LITV, I am the Good Shepherd, and I know those that are Mine, and I am known by the ones that are Mine. The Lord Jesus did not lay His Life down for any sheep, but for His sheep, and His sheep alone. He knows His sheep personally, by name, and because they are His sheep, they will know their Shepherd.

Then later on in the Chapter, Jesus said in John 10:24 LITV, Then the Jews encircled Him, and said to Him, How long do you lift up our soul? If you are the Christ, tell us publicly. V. 25 LITV, Jesus answered them, I told you, and you did not believe. The works which I do in the name of My Father, these bear witness about Me.

Then in v. 26  LITV, Jesus said this to them, But you do not believe for you are not of My sheep. Jesus previously said, "I lay my Life down for the Sheep" (His sheep), and now Jesus is saying to the the people encircling Him, "You are not of My sheep".

Now think about that- You hear Jesus say, "I lay my Life down for the Sheep" (His sheep), and then after says to the people there surrounding Him, "You are not of My sheep"- Put those two statements side by side, and you end up with Limited Atonement. Jesus gave His Life for His sheep alone, His elect people, and not for those who are not of His sheep.

Notice something else in v. 26 LITV, Jesus did not say, "You are not of my sheep because you believe not", but Jesus said, "But you do not believe for you are not of My sheep, as I said to you." The reason they did not believe in the Good Shepherd is because they were not of Christ's sheep, not the other way around.

Jesus after saying this to the people there, in v. 27 LITV, said, My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. All of Christ's sheep, who He knows personally by name, will come to their Good Shepherd, and will receive salvation in Him. Those who do not come to the Lord Jesus, who do not follow Him, and die rejecting Jesus, we can go back to v. 26 with the Words of Jesus, "But you do not believe for you are not of My sheep, as I said to you."

The Bible says in John 6:37 LITV, All that the Father give to Me shall come to Me, and the one coming to Me, I will in no way cast out. Then Jesus says in v. 38-39 LITV, For I have come down out Heaven, not that I should do My will, but the will of Him who sent Me. And this is the will of the Father sending Me, that of all He has given Me, I shall not lose any of it, but shall raise it up in the last day."

The Bible says in Ephesians 1:4 LITV, according as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, for us to be holy and without blemish before Him in love, - God chose His elect people before the foundation of the world in Christ, the sheep of Christ, and Christ came and died for their sins, and to secure their salvation, was buried, and rose from the dead on the third day, and now the Holy Spirit is leading and gathering in the very same sheep that Christ died for on the Cross, and everyone of His sheep will believe. This is the grace of God.

Now, if you are not a believer in Jesus, the question is not, "Am I the elect or not the elect?" or, "Did Christ die for me or not?"  The question is, Will you do as God commands you in His Word, Repent and believe in the gospel. Mark 1:15b LITV. The Bible says in John 14:6 LITV, Jesus said to Him, I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. The Bible says in **John 3:16 LITV, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that everyone believing in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. The only way for salvation is the Lord Jesus Christ.

If you do come to repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, you will find Him to be a perfect Saviour, and you can know you have salvation in Him by His grace, and you can read John 10:11,14,15, and know He did that for you.

The Bible says in Ephesians 1:7 LITV, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.

** The word 'world' in John 3:16 does not mean every individual who has ever lived. I have written about this on my blog (click here), explaining what it means in its context.

God's Wisdom and Man's Foolishness

I like to listen to radio programs where they discuss about various topics (not all topics), and listen to what people have to say on them, but one of the problems is the increasing number of radio presenters who blaspheme the Name of the Lord. I have switched off programs on different stations because of the blaspheming. 

Not only that, but there are times when a radio presenter will talk about Christianity, and they have no idea what they are talking about. It is amazing that when it comes to Christianity many people (including radio presenters) think they are experts, but they sound foolish to the ears of people who know Christ and His Word.

The Bible says in 1Corinthinas 2:14LITV, "But a natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he is not able to know them, because they are spiritually discerned."

The Bible tells us that the natural man, one without the Spirit of God, an unbeliever, can not know the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he is not able to know them, and because the truth (God's Word), which is not foolishness, but precious, is foolishness to the natural man, an unbeliever, he will speak foolish things to oppose the truth and defend the lie.

Paul the apostle wrote in 1Corinthians 1:18LITV, "For the word of the cross is foolishness to those being lost, but to us being saved, it is the power of God."

The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is not foolishness, but the wisdom of God, and how blessed we are who know the Lord, the One who opened our spiritual eyes to see the beauty of His Gospel.  Amen.