Truth Or Tradition - Our Statement of Beliefs. We believe the Bible is God's heart revealed to...

Truth Or Tradition - Our Statement of Beliefs. We believe the Bible is God's heart revealed to...

The Life of a Saint

-->

The Life of a Saint

According to “Understanding Catholicism,” a saint is defined as the following: “People who have lived exemplary Catholic lives and who the church declares worthy of special honor. They have a saint and a prayer for every day and all occasions. Their goodness and holiness have been witnessed by others and ruled on by the church through a special process. The saints have been chosen and assigned to represent particular values. Saints are friends of God who have proven their sincerity and reaped the rewards of their good lives. They are in heaven and have the power to help us. They can speak to God on your behalf. Saints offer INTERCESSION.”

That belief has its roots in paganism. When you become born again, saved by God’s grace, you are a saint. Saints are referenced to in the Bible as being alive on Earth, not dead and then alive again in heaven making intercession. A saint simply means a holy one. This holiness is given by God and is spiritual, based on grace, not on works or some special achievement.

Romans1:1-9

1.Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, 2. (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; 4. And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: 5. By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name: 6. Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ: 7. To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. 8. First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.

Paul opens Romans with the richness of Jesus Christ being declared the Son of God through (via) the resurrection from the dead (among the dead in the text) and those all that believe are the called of Jesus Christ, called to be saints. He is speaking to those who are alive and that he prays for them. Nowhere in the Bible does Paul exhort to pray to dead saints. We are to pray for the saints who are still alive.

9. For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers.

Paul opens to the Corinthians with a salutation.

I Corinthians1:

Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, 2. 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.

An apostle is called by God ( Eph 4:11). The church of God is the spiritual body of believers who are saved by calling upon the name of the Lord ( Rom 10:13) and are sanctified, set apart, by God. The called to be saints.

2 Corinthians 1:

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints …Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Saints are the believers that make up the church of God. Notice that grace is always present.

Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Thessalonians:

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints that are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus: 2. Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: 2. Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother, 2. To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you,

We pray for each other, for the saints, while we are still alive.

We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers; we give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you.

This prayer language that God has given the saints that are alive is what makes intercession.

Romans 8: 26

Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

Praying in the spirit (speaking in tongues) is making perfect intercession, for we don’t know always what or who to pray for ( infirmity: singular in text) but God does. We can pray in our understanding and we can pray in the spirit. (I Corin 14:14,15) This is referring to praying in the spirit.

Verse 27

And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

According to God’s will. Isn’t that perfect. Many people so often wonder “Am I doing the will of God?” or “What is the will of God?” Speaking in tongues is doing God’s will perfectly.

Saints is "holy ones" in the Greek; sanctified or set apart by God's gift of holy spirit, not by a council of men or a religious denomination. Rom 15:16; 1 Corinthians 6:11.

Here is another working translation according to Greek text:

Likewise, the spirit also jointly helps us with our weakness. Moreover, we do not know what we should pray for as necessary, but the spirit itself makes intercession with inexpressible groaning. He Who (God) searches the hearts knows what the thinking if the spirit (God’s gift) is, because it makes intercession for the holy (sanctified) ones in accordance with God. We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, that is, to those who are called ones in accordance with His purpose.*

How wonderfully clear. We as saints are making intercession for things we don’t even know about because God communicates spiritually to the called ones which is his divine purpose working in us. Not because we are especially good but because we chose to love God and grace is upon us because of what his Son accomplished.

1 Timothy 2:5

For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

All believers, saints, have the spirit of Christ within them, making available direct spiritual contact mediation. There are no special outside dead people we are to pray to, we have the power within us now.

Lets handle a couple of verses that may have led to this false ritual of praying to the dead.

Jude 1:14; 1 Thess 3:13; 2 Thess 1:10; and Revelation 5:8

And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied (future) of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints, when he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe. And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.

This is all future. The context here is judgment. According to Thessalonians there are those saints who are asleep, dead, and those who are alive. The dead shall rise first and those who are alive shall follow to meet the Lord in heaven. This is the gathering together of those who are “in Christ”, the saints, not those who will be resurrected later at the judgment. The gathering together and resurrection are two separate events in the future that have clouded minds for centuries as being one in the same. Never the less, if you believe that there are those alive in heaven or hell now,**then you are under the false belief that the judgment has passed already.

2 Timothy 2:2

Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.

The only beings alive in heaven besides God and His Son are angels.

But though we, or an angel from heaven, Gal 1:10

After the gathering together (rapture) of the church (the saints) , a future time comes when Christ returns in judgment for the Old Testament believers and the unbelievers past, present, and future. We, the saints, will be already made alive and be with him. Saints are a new creation of God, not voted on by men. What a glorious privilege of grace to be counted among the saints of God

*A Journey through he Acts and Epistles by Walter Cummins Published by Scripture Consulting

** The introduction of life after death now in a heaven or hell into the Bible is from Hellenistic myth and Egyptian underworld of the dead. The Jews never taught such and became common tradition within 2nd Century Catholicism and prominent to this day.

The Lineage Of Mary

The beginning of Matthew gives the lineage of Mary, not Joseph, her husband. A lot of varying theology and conjecture is put forward regarding this but God’s checks and balances shows otherwise.

Mathew 1:1-18

1. The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 2. Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren; 3. And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram; 4. And Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon; 5. And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; 6. And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias; 7. And Solomon begat Roboam; and Roboam begat Abia; and Abia begat Asa; 8. And Asa begat Josaphat; and Josaphat begat Joram; and Joram begat Ozias; 9. And Ozias begat Joatham; and Joatham begat Achaz; and Achaz begat Ezekias; 10. And Ezekias begat Manasses; and Manasses begat Amon; and Amon begat Josias; 11. And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon: 12. And after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel; and Salathiel begat Zorobabel; 13. And Zorobabel begat Abiud; and Abiud begat Eliakim; and Eliakim begat Azor; 14. And Azor begat Sadoc; and Sadoc begat Achim; and Achim begat Eliud; 15. And Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan begat Jacob; 16. And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. 17. So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations. 18. Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

The text divides the generations into fourteen. The total from Abraham to David is fourteen. From David to (the carrying away) Jechonias is fourteen. But from Jechonias to Jesus by this record is only thirteen. The apparent contradiction is in the translation. Rather than research deeper the theologins like to guess and the unbelievers like to point out the error or discrepancy. It’s very simple. Even though most versions translate Joseph, the husband of Mary, it’s really her father Joseph, which now fits and adds up to fourteen. A woman can marry a man with the same name as her father. The word translated husband can be also translated father.

To use God’s checks and balances lets look at a verse that proves this is an error in translation. Joseph’s father was not named Jacob.

Luke 3:23

And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,

Joseph, the husband of Mary, had a father named Heli. Matthew 1 is not speaking of the husband of Mary but her father, which now adds up the lineage of Jesus to the fourteenth on his mother’s side. Now you can believe the word and not have to squeeze or guess.

The 12 Apostles Were All Filled

The book of Acts opens with the following introduction: The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He had via holy spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen.

To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God. Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, "Which," He said, "you heard of from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with(in) the (no article the in text) holy spirit not many days from now."

Who is the object of the verb 'wait' for and 'will be' here? The 12 Apostles.* They were with Jesus Christ until the day which he ascended. He spoke to them of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God and gave them, the 12 Apostles, certain commandments regarding specifically receiving the gift of holy spirit. Not certain disciples but to the Apostles. We learned earlier time and place where they received. ** Now we’ll learn who.

After the ascension one of the Apostles, Judas, departed, so they had to replace him.

Acts 1:15-16

15. At this time Peter stood up in the midst of the brethren (a gathering of about one hundred and twenty persons was there together), and said, 16. "Brethren, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus.

Here, Peter is addressing about 120 disciples regarding filling the position Judas left vacant after the ascension. Peter and the others narrow it down to two.

Acts 1: 21-26

21. "Therefore it is necessary that of the men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us-- 22. Beginning with the baptism of John until the day that He was taken up from us--one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection." 23. So they put forward two men, Joseph called Barsabbas (who was also called Justus), and Matthias. 24. And they prayed and said, "You, Lord, who know the hearts of all men, show which one of these two You have chosen 25. to occupy this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place." 26. And they drew lots for them, and the lot fell to Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles.

Now we have 12 Apostles again before the Day of Pentecost. After the experience of the outpouring of holy spirit in the temple in Jerusalem, it states the following:

Acts 2:14

But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:

Peter plus eleven make twelve Apostles who originally received the outpouring on the Day of Pentecost.

And they drew lots for them, and the lot fell to Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles and when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they (Matthias plus eleven is twelve Apostles) were all with one accord in one place (the temple) …and they (twelve Apostles) were all filled with holy spirit and began to speak in tongues as the Spirit gave them (twelve Apostles) the utterance.

When you follow the word grammatically and accurately ”they” refers to twelve Apostles not “about 120 disciples.” This is also confirmed by the crowd that heard them:

Acts 2:7

And they were all amazed and marveled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?

Again, God’s checks and balances confirms the truth of the word for the Apostles were all Galilaeans. It was the twelve Apostles who received and were filled with holy spirit and spoke in tongues in the temple that day that changed the world. Not 120 disciples in an upper room.

*See Judas Witnessed The Resurrection

**see In The Temple At Pentecost

In The Temple At Pentecost

The Day of Pentecost is one of the most pivotal records in the Bible. It is also the most misunderstood event in all the word resulting in confusion and error regarding the entire field of the holy spirit.

Some who are reading this are already confused as to why I’m not using capital letters for holy spirit. The who, when, what, where and why of the gift of holy spirit is truly enlightening and experientially powerful when accurately taught and practiced. When wrongly taught and practiced it has become very divisive, even to the point of dividing denominations and families.

This teaching is to dispel one very simple myth, that the outpouring of holy spirit and resulting in speaking in tongues on The Day Of Pentecost took place in an upper room. This is simply not true. It was in the temple at the hour of prayer.

Jesus told them in Luke and Acts to tarry in Jerusalem until they be endued with power from on high in not many days. We now know it was ten days and totaled 50 from the day of the resurrection which also happens to be the time (pente means 50) between the two feasts of Passover and Pentecost.

Acts1:13

When they had entered the city, they went up to the upper room where they were staying; that is, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James.

This upper room is where they were staying, where they abode. Notice, it mentions only the names of men. Women were not allowed to “stay” or “abode” with men. Secondly, they were Galileans and were not permitted to stay within the city limits of Jerusalem. Therefore, the upper room was outside the city and away from the crowd that had gathered for the Feast of Pentecost.* There was ten days between the events in chapter one and chapter two that begins with …”And when the day of Pentecost was fully come”, which separates the upper room by time. Now let’s look at time and place.

Luke 24:53

And they, after worshiping Him, returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising God.

They were continually in the temple. The place. When were they in the temple? At the hour of prayer. When were they in the upper room? When they abode, slept, brushed their teeth.

Acts 2:15

"For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only the third hour of the day.

There were several periods of the day devoted to prayer called the hour of prayer. This was one of them. It was 9 AM. Peter stood up in front of a crowd, which would’ve been gathered at the temple, not by the upper room at the hour of prayer.

Acts 2:2

And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.

The house was also referred to as the temple. The temple was the house of prayer.

Mark 11:17

And He began to teach and say to them, "Is it not written, `MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER FOR ALL THE NATIONS'? But you have made it a ROBBERS' DEN."

The Greek word for house here is the same as house in Acts. It is a different word for upper room.

God glorified his promise in front of thousands to see, not in a hidden corner in an upper room. For after they heard this miraculous experience the people pleaded with Peter “ What shall we do?” Those who believed followed his command and thousands were saved which became the birth of the church, the first fruits, the body of believers, which is now the temple of God. Not the upper room of God. How magnificently symbolic that this occurred in God’s temple and was during the feast celebrating the first fruits of harvest.

* The Feast of Weeks or Pentecost was one of the three feasts that occurred in Jerusalem each year. It was a celebration of thebfirstfruits of God’s harvest. It was also required that all males of age attend.