should face the fact that "faith in God" must be "faith in Christ Jesus", for His mediation,

priesthood, and sacrifice are all involved.

The language of John 14: 1 is still true: "Ye believe in (eis, into or toward) God,

believe also in (eis) Me." Throughout the Gospel of John great stress is laid on believing

in Christ, and believing on His name. And in the epistles, where we read of "believing

God" (as in Rom. 4: 3), we know full well that the risen Christ is in view (4: 24; 10: 9).

In Galatians Paul says, "Abraham believed God" (3: 6), but when speaking of himself

and Peter he says, "We have believed in Jesus Christ" (2: 16). We shall realize more

fully the necessity to make it plain that our faith in God and His Word is faith in Christ,

when we have considered the errors that Col. 2: exposes.

Not only is faith specified, but the special aspect of love brought forward is: "that

love which you have unto all the saints." The ten agapen ten demands the translation,

"that love which", marking it out as something distinctive. "Love to all saints" finds an

echo in the "holy and beloved" of Col. 3: 12, "saints" and "holy" being the same word,

hagios. One reason why this aspect of love is stressed is that the error attacked in Col. 2:

is a superficial sanctity, a travesty of the true sanctification of the believer in Christ, and

the apostle would encourage the Colossians to remember their calling. He had addressed

them as: "The saints and faithful brethren in Christ" (1: 2). They were "made meet for

the inheritance of the saints in the light" (1: 12).  They were "presented holy, and

unblameable, and unreproveable in His sight" (1: 22), and to them as "saints" the mystery

had been manifested.

All this is an echo of the teaching given in Ephesians. There the Ephesians are called

"saints and faithful" (1: 1), and have been chosen that they should be "holy and without

blame" (1: 4). They were to pray for light upon the "glory of His inheritance in the

saints" (1: 18). They were "fellow-citizens with the saints" (2: 19) and were being built

up "an holy temple in the Lord" (2: 21).

We can well understand that many of God's children shrink from using this holy title.

To be called by another believer "a saint" makes many a Christian feel that he must

immediately refuse the title or else act hypocritically. While this is a feeling shared by all

who have the slightest acquaintance with their own hearts as seen in the light of the

Word, we must beware lest a false humility leads us to a denial of our blessed acceptance

in the Beloved, and makes us imagine that the title "saint" is conferred only upon those

who are of special "sanctity". It is hoped that there are no readers of this magazine

whose spirituality is as low as that of the Corinthians (I Cor. 1: and 3:), yet they were, at

the same time, "saints", and were so addressed by the apostle who deplored their

carnality (I Cor. 1: 2; 3: 1). The apostle revealed to them the ground of their saint-hood:

"But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, Who of God is made unto us wisdom, and

righteousness, and sanctification, as well as redemption" (I Cor. 1: 30).