On the other hand, the biblical saints were called saints because they are sanctified, and God set them apart at the moment they got saved by faith on Jesus Christ. Christians are the saints of God who are member of the church, the body of Christ (I Corinthians 1:2), the moment we are still alive we repented from our sins and put our faith on the finished redemptive work of Christs we are saint and God set us apart unto divine service.

     The words Paul used “faithful brethren” and “saints” is referring to the same person. So, saints and faithful brethren are not two different groups of people. Each one of them is referred to as a saint AND a brother in Christ.

     The rule of Greek grammar teaches that when two nouns are joined by article “and”, and if the first noun has the article and the second does not have an article, then the two nouns refer to the same thing.

     Even though Paul used the words “faithful brethren” it does not mean that Paul is writing to two group of people in the church of Colossians, one that is sanctified or called saints who were not necessarily faithful, and another group is that faithful brothers and sisters in the church. That is not what Paul is saying. The rules of Greek grammar dictate against that interpretation. Therefore, any genuine believers are referred to as saints and brethren, whether the saints were living or walking according to their calling as saints, and whether the brethren are faithful or not, they are still saints and brethren of Colossian church or of Messiah Baptist Church of Baesa.

I – DESCRIPTION OF THE FAITHFUL BRETHREN

     In our passage, the word “faithful” in Greek “pistos” from “peitho.” It refers to something or someone who is worthy of trust, one who keeps promises, and clearly supreme applicable to God (Jesus is called “the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness” – Revelation 3:14) and applicable to God’s Word. But in this context the word “faithful” refers to believers who are trustworthy, steadfast, unswerving in their Christian Walk. They are Christians who are worthy of trust, they are reliable and dependable. They maintained a firm adherence to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

     In our passage, the word “brethren” in Greek “adelphos” from “a” denoting unity, and “delphus” means womb, that is literally one born from same womb, so brother having the same father and mother as reference person. Figuratively, adelphos as in this verse refers to a close associate of a group of persons having well-defined membership, specifically here referring to fellow believers (including sisters!) in Christ who are united by the bond of affection which creates an atmosphere of intimacy. Believers are closer to us in many ways than blood relatives who are not believers.

     The brothers and sisters in Christ at Colosse were faithful, although they were not perfect, but they were faithful brethren. They were believers, they were brothers in the faith and they were sheep of Christ. Jesus said that sheep follow the Shepherd. Jesus said, John 10:27 “But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. ²⁷ My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:” The sheep is a believer and follower of Christ, the Shepherd

     The Hebrew believers were holy brothers and holy sisters in the faith. These Hebrew believers were not perfectly holy in their practice, but they were sanctified positionally that begins at the moment of their salvation in Christ, they were set apart for God, and that sanctification is once and for all.  

     The word “contentions” in Greek “eris” means quarrels, wrangling.  It refers to rivalry, especially with reference to positions taken in a matter!  It conveys ideas of self-centered rivalry and contentiousness and is an expression of enmity with bitter sometimes violent conflict. Contention or quarrel has no place for humility or love. The Greek “eris” refers to the contention comes from the heart in which is born of envy, jealousy ambition, and it comes from the desire for prestige, for place and for prominence. “Eris” is the spirit that is born of unbridled and unholy competition. Contentions comes from the hatred of being surpassed. It is essentially the sin which places self in the foreground and is the entire negation of Christian love. It is the characteristic of the man who has forgotten that only he who humbles himself can be exalted (Matthew 23:12; Luke 14:11; I Peter 5:6; James 4:10. Eris is used nine times in the New Testament (Romans 1:29; Romans 13:13; I Corinthians 1:11; I Corinthians 3:3; 2 Corinthians 12:20; Galatians 5:20; Philippians 1:15; I Timothy 6:4; Titus 3:9).

     The problems in the family of God arose because some brothers in the church family like when an individual christian prefer his favorite one speaker better than another speaker (I Corinthians 3:3-5 “For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? ⁴ For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal? ⁵ Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?”). That kind of problem was the early stages of denominationalism and that serves as plague and blight on the churches. But carnality did not stop in a small issue of differences because they were suing each one another (I Corinthians 6:1, 4-7 “Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints? ⁴ If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church. ⁵ I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren? ⁶ But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers. ⁷ Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?”)

     The church at Corinth was a brotherhood, not only a fraternity of God but also a family of God. Sometimes it was a dysfunctional family so not a healthy family. Although they were brothers and sisters in Christ, but brotherly love did not always continue in that assembly. Often, they clash each other which was a miserable testimony to the young people growing up in that church and to the community. Is Christ divided? (I Corinthians 1:13 “Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?”). Because of their division in the church, they were sending the message to the people around that Christ was divided. Today that was the miserable sick condition of the body of Christ. May God help us!

     By God’s amazing grace, people got saved in that city of Corinth in spite of the past experience of that church. This carnal mindedness of the Corinthians upsets the brotherhood.

     Like the carnal Israelites who were always murmuring and causing trouble for Moses in the wilderness, today the carnal believer likewise is constantly murmuring and causing trouble in the local church. But the spiritual Christian spiritually discerns all things and discerning enough to see how destructive carnal and self-will Christian to an assembly, and how much damages caused to the brotherhood of believers. The spiritually minded Christian is willing to suffer loss for the good of the brotherhood, for the good of the family of God, the body of Christ the church. Problems always expected in every church. When the problems arise in the family of God at Messiah Baptist Church, are you like that of carnal believer who often murmurs and adds fuel to the fires of controversy? Or are you like that of spiritual minded Christian who is willing to suffer loss for the goodness and welfare of brotherhood?

     Are we faithful brethren? In some human families in the earth there is little evidence of a spirit of fidelity – ill feeling in the home, selfish purpose of individual interests, no love, no loyalty. Can it be so among the members of the Family of GOD? Well, what about ourselves? How delightful is that opposite picture when harmony that should prevail, wherein "whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it" (I Corinthians 12:26).

     C. Self-differing convictions among the brethren

     There has always been a host of issues about different convictions such as eating meats offered to idols (Romans 14:13-23; I Corinthians 8-10), supporting windows (I Timothy 5:3-5), Jewish holy days (Romans 14:5-6; Colossians 2:16), to name few, that caused problems to the brotherhood and forced brothers judged one another wrongly. We cannot forcefully change their convictions, what we can only do is to just pray that more of the convictions of our brethren in Christ are based on Scriptures. Not all believers agree with each other on their convictions, even though their conflicting convictions are based on the same biblical principles.

     Convictions are personal application of principles and one principle can be applied in many different ways, that is why brothers and sisters often hold to different convictions. There is at least a dozen or more even in small church where believers hold different and conflicting convictions on different issues. This is a problem of differing convictions among the brethren in Christ in the 1^st century which also a problem existing in the 21^st century among many churches.

     Paul is telling us that various conflicting issues were insignificant, what is important was the effect of it on brothers and sisters in Christ. There were times that our actions as Christian can grieve a brother or a sister in Christ or can even stumble and ruin them. (Romans 14:20 “For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence.”).

Instead of tearing down our brothers and sisters, it would be better to build up our brothers and sisters, even though they have a different set of convictions as long as it is not doctrinal issues or moral issues (Romans 14:19 “Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.”

Are you a fleshly minded brethren who demands you own way and don’t mind if it would harm or hurts you brethren in Christ? Or are you a Christ minded brethren who sacrifice your own right for the benefits and for the good of your brethren in Christ?

     D. Status of rich and poor among Brethren

     God’s family included rich and poor or bond and free brethren.

     Can you think of problems in the family that is existing in the early churches when some might be rich who enjoy luxurious living and some are farmers working in the fields under the hot sun and received small wages. What others brethren would think if they have a brother might own a slave brother with his family. During those times, slaves and masters were part of the family of God, part of the brotherhood (Colossians 3:22 “Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God;”; Colossians 4:1 “Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven.”

     The unseemly situation in the early churches gives us the picture of the congregation full of murmuring, slandering, complaining, ill feeling with one another and bitterness. There were distinctions of rich and poor in their brotherhood in the church of Colosse, so Paul addressed to the employees to serve like the way they serve Christ and Paul likewise told the employer to be treat their employees fairly and justly like their Heavenly Father.