I Was Just Thinking About – BEING A SAINT.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines saint as: “A person who is officially recognized by the Christian church as being very holy because of the way he or she lived; a person who is very good, kind, or patient.” The word “very” can be disconcerting especially as it is attached to “very holy” and “very good, kind, patient.”
A passage of Scripture that is frequently used in a Funeral Service for a Church Member is Psalm 116:15 (NIV), “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful servants.” In the ESV, “saints” is substituted for “faithful servants.” The Amplified Bible uses “godly ones” as being precious in the sight of the Lord. The overall Biblical idea is expressed in the Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia: “One who is set apart, consecrated. In the NT the word 'hagios' when used as a noun, usually refers to members of the church. All believers are called 'saints,' even when their character is dubiously holy."
It goes on to state about being called a saint:
“A Christian, a member of the body of Christ. As such, Christians are considered by God to be (1) Set apart, holy; and (2) Consecrated for His purpose; (3) A saint is not some super-spiritual Christian who is now dead and having lived a long time ago who is canonized and venerated as an object of worship -- Indeed, every Christian is a saint!”
Just a few Biblical examples: Romans 1:7 (ESV), he addresses the people as: “To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints.” In I Corinthians 1:2 (ESV), Paul expands his definition when he states: “To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours.” In II Corinthians 1:1-2, Paul expands his description further when he wrote: “To the church of God that is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."
What is the Goal and Expectation of God for every Biblical Christian?I Thessalonians 4:7 (NIV), “For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.” I Peter 1:13-16 (NLT), “So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say: You must be holy because I am holy.”
This is our God-given goal and challenge. Prayerfully – consider these things with me.
Just a few Biblical examples: Romans 1:7 (ESV), he addresses the people as: “To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints.” In I Corinthians 1:2 (ESV), Paul expands his definition when he states: “To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours.” In II Corinthians 1:1-2, Paul expands his description further when he wrote: “To the church of God that is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."
What is the Goal and Expectation of God for every Biblical Christian?I Thessalonians 4:7 (NIV), “For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.” I Peter 1:13-16 (NLT), “So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say: You must be holy because I am holy.”
This is our God-given goal and challenge. Prayerfully – consider these things with me.
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