Who Is A Saint?

Many believers have no appreciation of Biblical Sainthood. This is because of the distortion of church history after Emperor Constantine converted from paganism to Christianity and made the latter a state religion. The Emperor went ahead to incorporate many pagan practices into the church, which later metamorphosed into the Roman Catholic Church. Thus, according to Catholic tradition, Sainthood is the sole prerogative of the Pope, on the recommendation of the Council of Bishops.

The attack on Biblical Sainthood did not come from the blues. It was part of satan’s strategy to rubbish the impact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, in order to reinforce his lies that God cannot redeem humanity. This is also the reason why his agents promote perpetual confessions of sins without repentance. So, according to this demonic doctrine, no human can be transformed from a sinner to a saint.

Now, what does the Bible say about Sainthood? According to Scriptures, everyone who has received Jesus Christ by faith is a saint. The word comes from the Greek word hagios, which means “consecrated to God, holy, sacred, pious.” There are about 67 instances where the word ‘Saint’ appears in the New Testament. In 65 of them, Paul and other apostles referred to Christians or believers. Some of the Scriptures relating to the subject matter are presented below:

1. Acts 9:13, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to Your saints at Jerusalem”;
2. Acts 9:32, “Now as Peter was travelling through all those regions, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydia”;
3. Acts 26:10, “And this is just what I did in Jerusalem; not only did I lock up many of the saints in prison”;
4. Philippians 4:2, “Greet every saint in Christ Jesus”;
5. Romans 16:2, “That you receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints”;
6. Ephesians 4:12, “For the equipping of the saints for the work of the service, for the building up of the body of Christ”;
7. Ephesians 5:3, “But immorality or any impurity or greed must not be named among you, as is proper among saints”;
8. Romans 1:7, “To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints”;
9. Romans 15:26, “For it had pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem”;
10. I Corinthians 1:2, “Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints”;
11. I Corinthians 6:1, “Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?”;
12. 2 Corinthians 1:1, “Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye”;
13. 2 Corinthians 9:1, “For as touching the ministering to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you”;
14. Ephesians 1:18, “The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints”;
15. Ephesians 2;19, “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God”;
16. Philippians 1:1, “Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons”;
17. Philippians 4:22, “All the saints salute you, chiefly they that are of Caesar’s household”;
18. Colossians 1:2, “To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse, Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ”;
19. Colossians 1:26, “Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints”;
20. 2 Thessalonians 1:10, “When He shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in all them that believe”;
21. Hebrews 6:10, “For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward His name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister”;
22. Hebrews 13:24, “Salute all them that have the rule over you, and all the saints”; and
23. Jude 3, “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

Therefore, saints are the body of Christ. All Christians are considered saints. Unfortunately, most believers have bought into satan’s lies that they cannot attain to Sainthood while on the earth. This is primarily due to the pervasive influence of the Roman Catholic Church. In Catholic theology, the saints are in heaven. In the Bible, the saints are on earth! In Roman Catholic teaching, a person does not become a saint unless he or she is “beautified” or “canonised” by the Pope. In the Bible, everyone who has received Jesus Christ by faith is a saint. In Catholic practice, the saints are revered, prayed to, and in some instances, worshipped. In the Bible, saints are called to revere, serve, worship and pray to God alone.

It is not enough for believers to know the Biblical significance of the word ‘saint’. It is also important that we understand why satan distorted its significance through the so-called church traditions traced to Roman Catholicism. In Isaiah 61, the Scripture Jesus Christ read to announce His ministry as recorded in Luke 4:18-20, it is clearly stated that the purpose of redemption is that the redeemed would become the trees of righteousness. Isaiah 62:3 also says that believers would become “a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, a royal diadem in the hand of the LORD.”

Similarly, 1 Peter 2:9 declares that we “are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that should show forth the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvellous light.” Peter also quoted Leviticus 19:2 to reinforce his claims that believers are no longer ordinary people; “Be ye holy, for I the LORD your God, am Holy.” (1 Peter 1:16). Hebrews 12:14 caps it all with the injunction on believers to “pursue peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the LORD.”
So, how did the devil side-tract believers from pursuing holiness? The sleuth of demonic doctrines in the church is evidence of his intent to keep us bound to his nature, which is sin. He has been able to convince many believers that they cannot be saint or holy ones in their lifetime. I have heard Christians make statements like “I am not a saint” or “No man is a saint.” Such declarations are clearly from the pit of hell and they are intended to rubbish the atonement of Jesus Christ.

Scripture is clear that the Lord Jesus Christ has made us kings and priests unto God and His Father (Revelation 1:6). We are no longer under the dominion of satan and his demons. We no longer have the nature of the devil which is sin; because the atonement by the blood of Jesus cancelled the penalty of sin and the guilt associated with it. We are holy unto the Lord. We are called, justified (declared free of the guilt of sin), and glorified (raised to heavenly dignity). The idea that we have to die to be made holy is unscriptural.
Of course, this begs the question, what should a believer do to become a saint? Do works, including sundry Christian service qualify us for Sainthood? The Biblical standpoint is that we must believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and that God raised Him from the death for our justification. Confessing Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord is the starting point of our journey to heaven. The Lord Himself said in John 17:3, “This is eternal life, that they may know You the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You sent.” The knowing that is spoken of here is intimacy. The more time we spend with God in fellowship, the more we become like Him. Holiness can only be imparted to us by God because it is His nature.

This is also the reason why we need the help of the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:14 is emphatic that no one can claim to be a child of God except he or she is led by the Spirit. Can the Holy Spirit, the administrator of God’s grace on earth lead us to commit evil or to practice sin? Certainly not. 1 John 3:8 says that the “one who practices sin is of the devil.” As believers, we can stumble due to the influence of our carnal nature, and God has made provisions for this human frailty. “If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous One.” We are also assured that if we confess our sins, God would not only forgive us, but would cleanse us from all unrighteousness linked to these sins (1 John 1:9).

     So, how do we keep ourselves from falling into satan’s traps or yielding to the desires of our flesh? The answer is found in Colossians 3:5, “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: for which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: in the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.”
     

Where did the idea that Christians are not accountable for their actions once they confessed Jesus Christ as Saviour come from? It is true that salvation is free in the sense that only the blood of Jesus Christ atoned for the sins of the world. The fact that Christ died for us does not give us the liberty to practice sin after we have received God’s mercy and grace; otherwise, Christ would be a minister of sin! Every man is accountable for what he does; or believers would not be charged to “mortify their members which are upon the earth”; “put off” certain fruits of the flesh (Colossians 3:1-10); “Crucify the flesh with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5:24); “put to death the deeds of the body” (Romans 8:12-13) and “Abstain from every appearance of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:22).

Clearly, we have a responsibility as humans created with free will to pursue holiness, or else God would not have required us to do so. We are also accountable for our actions after the new birth. If we return to our vomit by yielding to satan’s temptations and living a life that is contrary to the will of God, we cannot expect God to deny His holiness and accept us into His home in heaven. After all, even the Lord Jesus Christ indicated in Revelation 3:5 that a person’s name can be removed from the Book of Life.

It is critically important that we run away from ministers and ministries promoting the demonic doctrine that once a person is born again, he is saved forever even if he returns to the kingdom of darkness. As usual, they twist the word of God to justify their falsehoods. Romans 8:31 which declares, “Nothing can separate us from the love of God which is Christ Jesus” does not stand-alone. It is a culmination of the entire chapter, which starts from verse 1: “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” Anyone who wants to claim the promise of Romans 8:31 must walk in the Spirit!

Since the Bible is the only standard guiding the life of a Christian and the worship that is acceptable to God, it is left for our readers to decide who to accept as the final say on Sainthood – God or doctrines of men/satan. I choose to stand with God in line with Romans 3:4, “Let God be true and every man a liar.”

* Some materials sourced from, What Are Christian Saints According to the Bible? https://www.gotquestions.org.