The salutations given by one saint to another are to be given through prayer having both the word of God and the will of God in mind.
The apostle Paul knew the saints of God and desired to greet them by name. This serves as a tremendous demonstration of brotherly love!
Paul’s salutation was so important to him that although he did not personally pen most of his epistles, he personally penned his salutation.
The Bible often defines words through their associations. For instance, the words salute, saluteth, and salutation involve a greeting.
Every person has done sinful things for which he was ashamed even prior to salvation (Romans 6:21). Some of those things are so wicked that the apostle Paul would not even mention what they were (Ephesians 5:12). The life of a Christian was never intended by God to be that way. According to verse 5 above, the Christian life is to be a life void of shame. This type of fulfilled life is only possible when hope is present for “hope maketh not ashamed.” Yet, every Christian must come to understand that hope is the outcome of a sometimes lengthy spiritual process. Here is the biblical sequence. If one properly endures tribulation, he learns to have patience. Patience, in turn, brings experience, and experience brings hope. All these things work together in the life of the believer to keep him from living a life of shame. There is truly no shame in a life lived with hope!
The saint of God is to have one chief love—the word of God. One of the primary reasons the scriptures were written was that believers “might have hope” (Romans 15:4). The world wonders why anyone would desire to read about the lives of those who lived thousands of years ago. This so-called archaic book has no appeal to them. Yet, the testimonies found in scripture concerning God’s provisions continue to provide hope for anyone today willing to look into that book. Multiple times in Psalm 119 the psalmist declared his hope in the word of God (Psalm 119:49, 74, 81, 114, 147). The truth is, man’s hope for the coming of Christ, his hope in a heavenly home, and his hope in eternal life is all founded solely upon the words recorded in the pages of the Bible.
Most people do not understand or recognize that the law and grace are polar opposites. The law emphasizes man’s responsibility to God, while grace emphasizes God’s efforts toward man. The law’s purpose shows man his sin and points him to God for help (Romans 3:20). Additionally, the law condemns man and sheds light upon the fact that he has no hope. Interestingly, the first five books of the Bible (commonly called the books of the Law) make no reference to the word hope. Some might ask why? Because the law simply reveals that man has no hope apart from God. As such, the Lord Jesus brought in a “better hope . . . by the which we draw nigh unto God.” Any man who places his hope and trust in what he can do or must do for God has lost sight of what God must do for him.
In a very basic sense, the word hope means desire, yet the true meaning is not nearly as weak as the world presents. The word hope in scripture is associated with the word expectation (Proverbs 10:28; Proverbs 11:7). Hope is not simply some type of wishful thinking; it is something that someone trusts in dearly (Jeremiah 17:7). This type of hope is not something visible to the naked eye of man (Romans 8:24), but it is believed and held firm by faith (Hebrews 11:1). All men live their lives based upon hope; however, not all hope is the same. One man’s hope might be that there is no life after death. Another might place his hope solely upon the payment for sin provided by the Lord Jesus Christ.
Charity is the peak of Christianity (2 Peter 1:5-7). The Bible says that after salvation, charity is to be desired above all other things (1 Peter 4:8) and is the bond of perfectness (Colossians 3:14). Yet far too many people, Christians included, know so little about charity. God has not left man without answers, both simple and profound. First Corinthians chapter 13 offers the most vivid description of charity: charity suffereth long and is kind (1 Corinthians 13:4). It rejoiceth not in iniquity but in the truth (1 Corinthians 13:6). It beareth, believeth, hopeth, and endureth all things (1 Corinthians 13:7). Out of all the wonderful things associated to charity, the Bible makes it clear that charity will have no part with envy.
During the Lord’s earthly ministry, His most malicious enemies were not common men or even the Roman government. His greatest enemies were the religious leaders charged with maintaining the spiritual purity of the people of God. How could those most religious create discord with the very One who gave them the dictates for the Jewish religion they claimed to defend? The answer is simple. It was envy! According to John 11:48, the religious leadership of Israel determined that they could not allow Jesus to continue teaching, preaching, and ministering to others. These leaders realized that all men would believe on Him causing the Romans to demote them. They would not allow this to happen. How far would they go to keep their place and nation? The Bible reveals that they would even cause the crucifixion of the innocent Son of God.
