SAINTS

Mike Johnson

There is a great deal of misunderstanding about the term “saint.”  Some think of the word in connection with receiving a second blessing from God, which makes a person “sanctified” and incapable of sinning.  To be qualified as saints, still others say that people must meet specific qualifications (such as performing a miracle) during their lifetime, and then must have been dead for a specific number of years.  Then, if qualified, they are voted into sainthood. Both of these theories are contrary to God’s Word.  Many people do not understand the Biblical teaching regarding this subject.

The Greek term translated “saint” is also commonly translated “holy” in the New Testament.  The basic idea of the word is “to set apart in the service of God.”  Thayer, in his Greek Lexicon, defines this term (hagiois) as one who is “set apart for God, to be, as it were, exclusively his. . . .”

The term “saint” is used in the Bible to refer to all who are Christians.  Like the terms disciple and believer, it is used numerous times in the New Testament and describes those who make up the body of the Lord.  Although believers are to be devoted to God, and they are to avoid sin, the application of the term is not specific to Christians of exceptional holiness.

Consider a few passages in the New Testament where this word occurs.  In I Corinthians, we learn that the Christians who made up the congregation at Corinth were called saints (1:2; 6:1-2; 14:33).  The book itself, as well as the book of Romans, was addressed to those “called to be saints.”   Further, Acts 9:13 mentions evil done to saints; Romans 15:26 cites the needy saints at Jerusalem; Paul commends the church at Ephesus for their love unto all of the saints (1:15).

Are you a saint?  If you are not, you need to be.  To become a saint, you do not have to die, live a perfect life, or perform miracles. Instead, you must become a Christian.  Becoming a Christian can be done by believing (Jn. 3:16), repenting (Acts 2:38), confessing Christ (Rom. 10:10), and by being baptized (Mk. 16:16, I Pet. 3:21).  Why not obey God today?