Who’s a Saint?

Kyle Bartholic   -   August 11, 2023

Have you ever heard someone call another person a saint? Maybe after someone did something particularly praiseworthy or notable? Or, perhaps it was in a pejorative sense, rolling off the tongue with the purpose of insulting, saying, “You’re such a saint.” We have a unique relationship with the idea of being saints. On the one hand, it is noble and desirable because it echoes something truly good. On the other, it can feel disconnected or even judgmental, and we don’t want to be that.

 

So, what is a saint?

 

In its most basic sense, a saint is a “holy one,” someone who is set apart for God’s special purposes. As a result, every follower of Jesus Christ is a saint. In most of his letters, the apostle Paul refers to the recipients as saints, including the church at Corinth, where there were significant moral and theological problems! The New Testament writers draw their use of the word saints (“holy ones”) from the Old Testament (e.g., Exod 31:13; Lev 11:45; 19:2; Dan 7:18, 27). Particularly important is Exodus 19:5-6, where God refers to Israel as “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” I Peter 2:9 applies this same language to believers: “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

 

The simple truth is that if you have given your life to Christ, you are a saint. Not because of what you’ve done but because of what Jesus has done for you. And that status is not about propping you up to look good. It is, instead, to reflect the glory of the one who took you from rebellious to redeemed. You are a saint because Jesus gave you his righteousness.

 

Why does it matter that those who are in Christ are called saints?

 

It matters because it is a reminder of our new identity in Christ. The old has gone, and the new has come… we are no longer what we were before Jesus. So, what does the Bible say about that new identity? Here are a few things.

 

  1. You are a child of God. – Gal 4:4-7
  2. You have access to God. – Heb. 4:16
  3. You have been reconciled. – 2 Cor. 5:17-20
  4. You have been justified. – Rom. 3:21-26
  5. You are acceptable to God. – 1 Pet. 2:4-5
  6. You are a citizen of heaven. – Rev. 21:3
  7. You are in the family of God. – Eph. 2:19
  8. You are in fellowship with all believers. – Eph. 4:1-7
  9. Your life is safe and secure, having been built on Jesus, the rock. – 1 Cor. 3:10-17
  10. Your life has eternal meaning and purpose in God’s plan of redemptive history. – Eph. 2:10

 

If you are in Christ, you are a saint – safe, secure, and made new.