What if you die before water baptism?
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. https://www.christianity.com/jesus/...faith-and-salvation/what-does-saint-mean.html
The Meaning of Saints 🤗
Often when one hears the word saint, the first thing that comes to mind is a person who is especially holy or religious. For others, it might be a person who has been officially recognized (the technical term is “canonized”) by the Roman Catholic church for their “heroic virtue” and evidence of at least one miracle performed in their lifetime.1 But as it is used in the Bible, the term saint has a different meaning.
In its most basic sense, a saint is a “holy one,” someone who is set apart for God’s special purposes. As a result, every follower of Jesus Christ is a saint. In most of his letters, the apostle Paul refers to the recipients as saints, including the church at Corinth, where there were significant moral and theological problems! The New Testament writers draw their use of the word saints (“holy ones”) from the Old Testament (e.g., Exod 31:13; Lev 11:45, 19:2; Dan 7:18, 27). Particularly important is Exodus 19:5-6, where God refers to Israel as “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” First Peter 2:9 applies this same language to believers: “you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”
To understand what it means that every follower of Christ is a saint, we can look at it from two different—but complementary—angles. The first is our position before God. In 1 Corinthians 1:30, Paul writes that Christ Jesus “became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption.” The word translated as “sanctification” (or “holiness” in some translations) is part of the same word family as the word for “saint.” All who are identified with Jesus Christ by faith are given the status of “holy” before God because of what Jesus has done for us.
The second angle is our experience. In other words, because of our status as “holy ones,” our lives should reflect that reality. Peter challenges believers to “not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct” (1 Pet 1:14-15). This command is grounded with a quote from Leviticus 11:44—“since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy” (1 Pet 1:16). As Christians, we demonstrate that we are set apart for God's special purposes by living lives that reflect (albeit imperfectly) the moral purity of God himself. In that sense, Hebrews 12:14 can exhort believers to “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.”
If you have turned away from your sins and trusted in Jesus and what he has done on the cross, you are a saint, a “holy one.” God has set you apart for his special purposes in this world and has sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in you. The Holy Spirit is at work in you to transform your life so that you reflect the ultimate holy one, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Why does the Bible call Christians "Saints"?
I think it's important for us when we talk about the gospel to realize that the gospel as good news, isn't just information and Paul said it is the power of God to transform us. And so the gospel isn't just information or words. It's actually the power of God that transforms us, to bring us from a state of spiritual deadness to a place of spiritual life. And that gospel has implications. It transforms the way that we understand who we are and how we relate to ourselves, how we relate to other people. How do we relate to God?
And so when we begin to look at the different ways that the scriptures describe the life of a believer, that they describe the identity of a believer that comes through the gospel. It begins to paint a picture of how we're to understand ourselves. And it's important to see how scripture does that. And so sometimes we talk a lot about the fact that the gospel makes us saints, that we can all recognize as men and women being created in the image of God, but living life in a fallen world, that we all suffer the effects of sin, we're all suffers.
And we all sin and we're all sinners. And our sin affects others. And we cause suffering in other people's lives and sin causes suffering in our lives. And we understand those identities, but the gospel transforms those identities. And as we begin to understand it, we understand rightly that we're saints, that we've been set apart by God. We've been made holy. The holy spirit is working in us to conform our lives into the character and a reflection of Christ himself. And we're a Royal priesthood set apart by God and his grace. We're saints. Paul even acknowledges and in his letters to the church, he even greets them as saints. So it's important to remember that, yes, we sin. Yes, we're sinned against, and yes, we suffer. But because of the gospel, we're saints, because of the gospel, God calls us sons, sons, and daughters, or family. That transforms the way we understand how we relate to him, how we relate to other members of the body of Christ.
What does it mean to be a family? How does the family relate to each other? How do we relate to our father? That's important to recognize. They call us ambassadors, that our role here on this earth as followers of Christ, is to be ambassadors. We have a ministry that he's given us to bring this gospel, to proclaim this gospel. And so in every circumstance, we find ourselves in we're to be ambassadors of the gospel. For every conversation we're in, we're an ambassador. An ambassador is a full-time job. It's a 24/7 job. And I think sometimes we forget about ambassadors because we don't interact with ambassadors often, and they're not in our daily language, our daily life, but an ambassador is a very, very particular role. Someone is sent to another place to represent a leader, or a king, or a nation in that place.
So anything they do or say is representative of what the king would do or say if he were there and that's our role. So in every time and every circumstance, every conversation, the way that we respond is to represent the way the king will respond if he was here. And so when we remember this is our role. In our discussions with our kids and those disagreements that happened with our spouse in that moment, we're ambassadors. So the gospel fundamentally changes the way that we understand who we are and how we live. And sometimes if we limit it just to information that we have to know, we miss the fact that the power of the gospel transforms us and completely recreates our identity.🤗
The Meaning of Saints 🤗
Often when one hears the word saint, the first thing that comes to mind is a person who is especially holy or religious. For others, it might be a person who has been officially recognized (the technical term is “canonized”) by the Roman Catholic church for their “heroic virtue” and evidence of at least one miracle performed in their lifetime.1 But as it is used in the Bible, the term saint has a different meaning.
In its most basic sense, a saint is a “holy one,” someone who is set apart for God’s special purposes. As a result, every follower of Jesus Christ is a saint. In most of his letters, the apostle Paul refers to the recipients as saints, including the church at Corinth, where there were significant moral and theological problems! The New Testament writers draw their use of the word saints (“holy ones”) from the Old Testament (e.g., Exod 31:13; Lev 11:45, 19:2; Dan 7:18, 27). Particularly important is Exodus 19:5-6, where God refers to Israel as “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” First Peter 2:9 applies this same language to believers: “you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”
To understand what it means that every follower of Christ is a saint, we can look at it from two different—but complementary—angles. The first is our position before God. In 1 Corinthians 1:30, Paul writes that Christ Jesus “became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption.” The word translated as “sanctification” (or “holiness” in some translations) is part of the same word family as the word for “saint.” All who are identified with Jesus Christ by faith are given the status of “holy” before God because of what Jesus has done for us.
The second angle is our experience. In other words, because of our status as “holy ones,” our lives should reflect that reality. Peter challenges believers to “not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct” (1 Pet 1:14-15). This command is grounded with a quote from Leviticus 11:44—“since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy” (1 Pet 1:16). As Christians, we demonstrate that we are set apart for God's special purposes by living lives that reflect (albeit imperfectly) the moral purity of God himself. In that sense, Hebrews 12:14 can exhort believers to “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.”
If you have turned away from your sins and trusted in Jesus and what he has done on the cross, you are a saint, a “holy one.” God has set you apart for his special purposes in this world and has sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in you. The Holy Spirit is at work in you to transform your life so that you reflect the ultimate holy one, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Why does the Bible call Christians "Saints"?
I think it's important for us when we talk about the gospel to realize that the gospel as good news, isn't just information and Paul said it is the power of God to transform us. And so the gospel isn't just information or words. It's actually the power of God that transforms us, to bring us from a state of spiritual deadness to a place of spiritual life. And that gospel has implications. It transforms the way that we understand who we are and how we relate to ourselves, how we relate to other people. How do we relate to God?
And so when we begin to look at the different ways that the scriptures describe the life of a believer, that they describe the identity of a believer that comes through the gospel. It begins to paint a picture of how we're to understand ourselves. And it's important to see how scripture does that. And so sometimes we talk a lot about the fact that the gospel makes us saints, that we can all recognize as men and women being created in the image of God, but living life in a fallen world, that we all suffer the effects of sin, we're all suffers.
And we all sin and we're all sinners. And our sin affects others. And we cause suffering in other people's lives and sin causes suffering in our lives. And we understand those identities, but the gospel transforms those identities. And as we begin to understand it, we understand rightly that we're saints, that we've been set apart by God. We've been made holy. The holy spirit is working in us to conform our lives into the character and a reflection of Christ himself. And we're a Royal priesthood set apart by God and his grace. We're saints. Paul even acknowledges and in his letters to the church, he even greets them as saints. So it's important to remember that, yes, we sin. Yes, we're sinned against, and yes, we suffer. But because of the gospel, we're saints, because of the gospel, God calls us sons, sons, and daughters, or family. That transforms the way we understand how we relate to him, how we relate to other members of the body of Christ.
What does it mean to be a family? How does the family relate to each other? How do we relate to our father? That's important to recognize. They call us ambassadors, that our role here on this earth as followers of Christ, is to be ambassadors. We have a ministry that he's given us to bring this gospel, to proclaim this gospel. And so in every circumstance, we find ourselves in we're to be ambassadors of the gospel. For every conversation we're in, we're an ambassador. An ambassador is a full-time job. It's a 24/7 job. And I think sometimes we forget about ambassadors because we don't interact with ambassadors often, and they're not in our daily language, our daily life, but an ambassador is a very, very particular role. Someone is sent to another place to represent a leader, or a king, or a nation in that place.
So anything they do or say is representative of what the king would do or say if he were there and that's our role. So in every time and every circumstance, every conversation, the way that we respond is to represent the way the king will respond if he was here. And so when we remember this is our role. In our discussions with our kids and those disagreements that happened with our spouse in that moment, we're ambassadors. So the gospel fundamentally changes the way that we understand who we are and how we live. And sometimes if we limit it just to information that we have to know, we miss the fact that the power of the gospel transforms us and completely recreates our identity.🤗
We know that.
But Peter was not infallible..
The Scriptures records the errors that some read as commands of what we should do thinking they were infallible.
He made at times mistakes..
So will we all.
God wants us to become discerning through gaining knowledge and to mature in Christ
leaving behind what we used to assume was the right way because it was accepted by others readily.
Its why we have thousands of denominations today.
But when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face,
Peter became weak and gave into a well accepted religious trend of his day.
We can do the same, and have, as we matured along the way.
Christians have ended up doing stupid things thinking its to be expected because they believe
they can do no wrong as long as they feel its the right thing to do with others agreeing.
But... the Word does not agree.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord." Isaiah 55:8
We have really messed up when groups agree in doing things "their way."
Water baptism was on the way out when the Church age began.
And, it was recorded about what they did in learning the new way
and having it finally sink in.
I wanted to be water baptized right after I got into the word..
I wanted right away to even be baptized in a bathtub if need be...
It took me years to learn knowledge of God's Word with greater understanding to see His way was not my way.
grace and peace ......
But Peter was not infallible..
The Scriptures records the errors that some read as commands of what we should do thinking they were infallible.
He made at times mistakes..
So will we all.
God wants us to become discerning through gaining knowledge and to mature in Christ
leaving behind what we used to assume was the right way because it was accepted by others readily.
Its why we have thousands of denominations today.
But when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face,
for what he did was very wrong. When he first arrived, he ate with
the Gentile believers, who were not circumcised. But afterward, when
some friends of James came, Peter wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles
anymore. He was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted
on the necessity of circumcision. As a result, other Jewish believers
followed Peter’s hypocrisy, and even Barnabas was led astray by their
hypocrisy." Galatians 2:11-13
Peter became weak and gave into a well accepted religious trend of his day.
We can do the same, and have, as we matured along the way.
Christians have ended up doing stupid things thinking its to be expected because they believe
they can do no wrong as long as they feel its the right thing to do with others agreeing.
But... the Word does not agree.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord." Isaiah 55:8
We have really messed up when groups agree in doing things "their way."
Water baptism was on the way out when the Church age began.
And, it was recorded about what they did in learning the new way
and having it finally sink in.
I wanted to be water baptized right after I got into the word..
I wanted right away to even be baptized in a bathtub if need be...
It took me years to learn knowledge of God's Word with greater understanding to see His way was not my way.
grace and peace ......
The apostles were rapidly transitioning out from their deeply ingrained Jewish thinking
and needed to learn the revolutionary new ways of the Church age. In the beginning they
stayed with the old as the new way took over in spite of it.....
Water baptism (symbolic) was now being replaced by its reality (Spirit).
Please read carefully the following to see that they were told of the change coming that they neglected until it finally sunk in.
We all are ignorant for a season.
God understands it will happen.
Yet, God says we will cease to be called ignorant and will be called "stupid" if we fail to heed His corrections when they come.
We even will fight the corrections with rationalizations and having others backing us up in spite of what the Word says....
That is why only a few will be chosen to reign with Him. "Few are chosen, but many are saved (called).
grace and peace ............
and needed to learn the revolutionary new ways of the Church age. In the beginning they
stayed with the old as the new way took over in spite of it.....
Water baptism (symbolic) was now being replaced by its reality (Spirit).
Please read carefully the following to see that they were told of the change coming that they neglected until it finally sunk in.
After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs
that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about
the kingdom of God. On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them
this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised,
which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few
days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Acts 1:3-5
We all are ignorant for a season.
God understands it will happen.
Yet, God says we will cease to be called ignorant and will be called "stupid" if we fail to heed His corrections when they come.
Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
but whoever hates correction is stupid."
Proverbs 12:1
We hurt ourselves more than anything else when we refuse corrections that may shock us at first to consider but see what the Word was telling us all along. but whoever hates correction is stupid."
Proverbs 12:1
We even will fight the corrections with rationalizations and having others backing us up in spite of what the Word says....
That is why only a few will be chosen to reign with Him. "Few are chosen, but many are saved (called).
grace and peace ............
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