To the Saints, To the Faithful

For the sake of those reading this who may not know what Facebook is, it is a place on the internet called a “social media” site where people can go to connect with other people, usually with friends, family, and neighbors.. and for Christians, with other believers in Jesus Christ, usually people they know. My children got me to go on there maybe in 2007, but my husband and I got off of there in May of 2015, and we were off of there for six years until the Lord led me to return two years ago, and my husband Rick returned also.

Well, a few days ago I sensed the Lord leading me to begin a small group for Christian women who wanted to study the Scriptures together to grow in their relationships with Jesus Christ. And I sensed him leading me to begin with the book of Ephesians and to share small sections of Scripture at a time, and to ask questions for the women to answer, if they want to, and now I sense he wants me to share these lessons with you, as well. So feel free to respond, for I do enjoy respectful discussions which stick to the Scriptures, in context, and related specifically to the topic being discussed.

Ephesians 1:1 ESV: "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus."

Questions:

1. Who is this written to specifically, and then more broadly?

2. Who are the saints? What does it mean to be a saint?

3. Who are the faithful in Christ Jesus? What does it mean to be faithful in Christ Jesus?

4. Do you have any questions about this verse?

Now I use a website called biblehub.com to help me to understand the meanings of words in the Bible. If you put in the verse you want to look up, and click on "Int" (Interlinear), and click on the number at the top of the word you want to look up, it gives you a definition and the usage of the word. But we also can know the meanings of words often by the context of the passage, and context is always critical to correct biblical interpretation.

For example, the word "saint" renders this definition: “sacred, holy.” Usage: “set apart by (or for) God, holy, sacred.” Then in HELPS Word-studies: “40 hágios – properly, different (unlike), other ("otherness"), holy; for the believer, 40 (hágios) means ‘likeness of nature with the Lord’ because ‘different from the world.’"

Also, if you look up the word faithful it renders this: “faithful, reliable.” Usage: “trustworthy, faithful, believing.” And in HELPS Word-studies: “Cognate: 4103 pistós (an adjective, derived from 3982 /peíthō, "persuaded") – properly, faithful (loyalty to faith; literally, fullness of faith); typically, of believing the faith God imparts.”

And then as we consider the faith which God imparts, we read in the Scriptures that Jesus is the author and the perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:1-2), and that our faith is gifted to us by God, and it is not of our own doing, not of our own fleshly works nor of the will nor the flesh of humankind (Ephesians 2:8-10; John 1:12-13), and it is persuaded by God (John 6:44). So God and the Scriptures define what faith is for us, not us, and thus this faith will conform to the character and to the will of God.

I invite all of you to answer any of these questions you feel comfortable answering with what you understand, but to also consider what I will share with you regarding what I am learning from it. And I hope as we move along that we will all feel comfortable sharing what we are learning in the process. So I will tell you here that I used to skip over these introductory remarks in these books of the Bible until I learned how important they are to us in understanding the whole of what follows. For whom these words are written to plays a huge role in us knowing how we can apply them to our lives.

So, who is this written to? It is written to the saints, to the faithful in Christ Jesus, more specifically to those in Ephesus, but more broadly to all who are saints and the faithful in Christ Jesus. So what does that mean? It is written to all those who have chosen the way of holiness, of separation from the world, and of becoming more like Jesus. And it is written to those who have been divinely persuaded of God as to his holiness and righteousness, and of their sinfulness, and of their need to repent of their sins, to forsake them, and to now follow Jesus in obedience to his ways, and who are walking in his ways (Romans 1:18-32; Acts 26:18; Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).

This is not saying that these people have arrived, though, or that they are perfect in every way, but that first of all they have made that choice to leave their lives of sin behind them, to live no longer like the world, but like Jesus. And so Paul is giving them instructions in how to live holy lives unto God and in how to no longer live like the world and in sin. And this is critical that we understand this as we continue to read and to understand the lessons to be learned in this book, and then to apply these lessons to our lives. For that is why we are here, because we are people of God desiring Jesus Christ.

Any questions? Please ask them. Sincerely, Sue Love, age 73, teacher of the Scriptures, by the grace of God, for fifty years, and still always learning. 

When I Go Home

By G. M. Eldridge

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes…” Revelation 21:4

In the moment He appears

And the light from heaven shines,

I’ll forget ev’ry fear,

Ev’ry pain I’ll leave behind.

Then I’ll see Him as He is

And I’ll know Him as I’m known.

Ev’ry tear wiped away when I go home.

Ever present is the tho’t 

That a moment waits for me

When unworthy as I am,

His glory I will see.

I will empty all my praise

Before my Father’s throne.

Ev’ry tear wiped away when I go home.

If the trial I endure,

And your presence I can’t find,

Be near me, Lord, I pray,

Bring back unto my mind

That your promises are firm

And I’m never on my own.

Ev’ry tear wiped away when I go home.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z98Zvr1CyXg 

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