The Saints

Ephesians 1:1 “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:”, Colossians 1:2 “To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colossae:”

"Saints " in these verses means that God has sanctified them, that He has set them apart from the old, into the new. He has set them completely apart from the old, ruined self and from the result of that, into Christ Jesus.

God, the Holy Spirit, has placed them, permanently and eternally, into their new someone IN Christ, and into the new something of what Christ, in and by His person, has accomplished for them personally (1 Cor. 12:12-13).

The Word "faithful", in these two verses is what they were, and are, IN Christ Jesus. They were IN the exercise of faith, IN absolute dependence, towards God and our Lord Jesus Christ. It IS having faith, but at the same time, it experientially comes to being faithful to the position, IN Christ, that they were, and WE ARE IN.

"Faithful " is that they, and we, have the faith. It is a great principle, not only here that they were consistent IN everything, but that they were characterized by walking IN the faith. 1 Jhn. 1:7 is not teaching conduct or behavior, it is teaching our character IN our new man IN Christ. When we continue to walk, IN dependence IN Christ, our experience in our conduct will be equal to our position IN Christ Jesus.

Thank God, it is by grace, and by positional and experiential knowledge as a result, that we are growing, growing up into a new spiritual man, together, IN Christ Jesus IN all things (2 Peter 3:18; Eph. 4:15).