Listen to Audio Devotion

What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word saint? Is it some guy sitting in solitude on top of some hill? We might think of someone in complete saffron clothing. Or even when you think about it in a Christian context, you end up adding the word saint as a prefix to the apostles, and other so-called elites in historical Christianity – St. Peter, St. Thomas, St. Paul, St. Augustine, or St. Theresa; and the list goes on. But is Sainthood something that you earn through your work like Doctorate? If so who is the authoritative figure responsible for inducting someone into the Hall of Fame of Christianity and prefixing their names with “Saint”?

Some mainline churches have a checklist; as you tick the list, you get a step closer to sainthood, acquiring some extraordinary religious accomplishments. Then, long after you’re dead the church leader declares you to be a saint. Keeping all that aside, let’s briefly look at what the bible says about sainthood. Paul writes this way in his greeting to the church at Philippi, “to all the saints in Christ Jesus” (Phil:1:1). That’s it. That’s the criteria. Sainthood isn’t limited to the Hall of Famers and the Elite Christians. If you simply are “in Christ”, meaning if you are a believer, then you’re a saint. Yeah, it might sound funny if you introduce yourself as a saint or put that word on your Instagram bio. But there’s no denying that every believer is a saint.

So we’ve understood that sainthood can’t be earned, it’s something that is a gift. It’s an inheritance from our heavenly father (Col. 1:12). But what does it really mean to be a saint? The Greek word used here is “hagios”, which literally means “holy ones”. Sainthood is characterized by holiness. We aren’t simply declared holy but God has placed an active calling on us to be holy, to be saints (1 Cor. 1:2). Similar to the famous quote from the Spiderman movie, “with the great privilege of being a saint, comes the great responsibility of living a holy life”.

It’s absolutely impossible for fallen people like us to live a holy life. But when God calls us to be holy ones (saints), He also sends the Holy Spirit to reside in us, and constantly work in us, to live in a manner worthy of what we’ve been called to be. Yes, as we live in the power of the Holy Spirit, submitting ourselves to the constant meditation of the Holy Scriptures, we’ll be able to live a life worthy of our calling, in obedience to the Holy One. Let’s all make this our commitment this morning.

Let’s Pray.

Heavenly Father, we desire to be the holy ones that you’ve called us to be. Strengthen us by your Spirit to live a holy life. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.