|
the communion of saints, |
Nothing to do with the “Saints” of the Roman Catholic church – all
believers are saints in the New Testament! Communion simply means the things
they share in common. This phrase is often taken to refer to (1) the
inspiration we can take from the faith of past generations, and (2) the
future time when we all meet in heaven. |
The
word “saint” derives from the word for “holy”. In the New Testament it is frequently
used to refer to the members of a particular church (so Paul might address his
letters “to the saints that are in XXXXXXX”). Why can people be called “holy
ones”?
·
Not
“holier than thou”!! Christians are in essence people who have recognised that they
are NOT holy, and accepted their need for salvation through Jesus Christ;
·
But
at the time of conversion they receive the promise of Christ’s holiness to
replace their sinfulness;
·
And
from that time on, they strive to change their thinking and actions to match
the thoughts and lives “as they should be”;
·
And
one day, when we get to heaven, that process of change will be completed.
As
a famous preacher once said “I am saved, I am being saved, I will be saved”.
Communion
(think “common union”) simply means the oneness we have with each other. We are
all “sinners saved by grace”, no matter what our background or status.
Why
is this important?
·
This
means that wherever we go, in this world and the next, there will be believers
who we will be able to relate to.
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