Are We Not Saints?

One disagreement I have with the Catholic denomination is that they think only those folks chosen by their church council are saints. That's not what the Bible teaches. Christ is the one who chooses and all those who believe in him are in that category.

A quick look at the New Testament books proves that all believers are saints. Acts 9:13 (BBE) shows how the early Christians considered themselves to be saints. "But Ananias said, 'Lord, I have had accounts of this man from a number of people, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem:"

Some folks might argue that those church leaders in Jerusalem were all those who had been with Jesus. Therefore they're the only ones who the Lord sanctified. Look at what Paul wrote in Romans 1:7 (BBE) about those gentile Christians in that city. "To all those who are in Rome, loved by God, marked out as saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."

Romans 16:1 and 2 also demonstrates that Paul regarded all followers of Christ as saints. "It is my desire to say a good word for Phoebe, who is a servant of the church in Cenchreae: That you will take her in kindly, after the way of the saints, as one who is the Lord's, and give her help in anything in which she may have need of you: because she has been a help to a great number and to myself."

But sainthood isn't some new Christian rank. Even in the Old Testament, God's people were called saints. Deuteronomy 33:2 (KJV) explicitly states, "And he said, The LORD came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he  shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery  law for them."

And Psalms 116:15 (KJV) shows that the saints were living people, not those who had died. "Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints."

Psalms 89:5 (KJV) also shows that the people were the ones called saints. "And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O LORD: thy faithfulness also in the  congregation of the saints."(

I could quote so many more scriptures where God's people are called saints. I'll save that for my next book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? Far too many followers of Christ feel inferior to the saints of old but they needn't feel so. Those ancients were just as fallible as we are or maybe more so.

On Saturday, I'll post about a satirical comedy group and their take off of the Woodstock festival in 1969.

What's With All These Denominations?

This question confused me too, along with arguments about the right Bible to read,  when I was a new believer in Christ. I remember how every church used to believe that they were the best or only church Christians should attend. Each claimed all the rest were wrong or, even worse, heretical. Thanks to excellent biblical apologists, I now know How and why we came to have so many sects.

The answer is quite simple. Satan hates the truth so he infiltrated the churches from the beginning to confuse people and lead them astray. Even in the first few decades of church history, people were attempting to distort or nullify the gospel.

For a thousand years, the church at Rome, now known as the Roman Catholic Church, restricted the study of the scriptures to the priests and monks. They feared that if lay people read them, they'd come up with a plethora of blasphemous ideas.

Martin Luther, translators,  and the printing press made it possible for ordinary people to read the Bible. Though cults have arisen and churches have divided over doctrinal differences, the gospel and the scriptures have survived.

I learned from excellent scholars that misunderstandings happened due to people not knowing the cultures, customs, and nuances of the ancient languages. Proper biblical scholars and translators take all these factors into account whereas unscrupulous individuals seek to build up their own followings.

An example of false teachers is portrayed in my How I Was Razed book. Contact me regarding how to purchase this marvelous memoir of God's providential guidance.

In my next post, I'll deal with pastors who abuse their congregants and teach heresy. These are wolves in shepherd costumes and must be avoided.