With its widespread influence through its practices, teachings, and traditions, Roman Catholicism has tainted the original idea of the word "saint" in the minds of many to the extent that very few in the world would ever think of calling what the Bible describes as a Christian a "saint."

    Notice the following concerning the process by which one may become a "saint" in the Catholic Church: "Canonization is an act or definitive sentence by which the Pope decrees that a servant of God, member of the Catholic Church and already declared blessed, be inscribed in the book of saints and be venerated in the universal Church with the cult given to all saints." (New Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, P. 55). In other words, a person could read and study his Bible, obey the gospel through faith, repentance, confession and baptism, and thus be saved from past sins (Mk. 16:15,16; Acts 2:38; Rom. 10:10), do all he could to please God, die a faithful Christian and go to heaven eternally, but never be recognized as a "saint" because the Pope did not declare it and he never belonged to the Catholic Church!

    However, long before the first Pope was ever named, ALL Christians were called "saints." Furthermore, they were alive when they were so called! Notice what God says in His Word. When the apostle Paul spoke in his own defense before King Agrippa he said, "and this I also did in Jerusalem; and I both shut up many of the SAINTS in prison, having received authority from the chief priests, and when they were put to death I gave my vote against them" (Acts 26:10). The saints to whom Paul referred were none other than those Christians composing the church of Christ (Acts 8:3) or simply "disciples of the Lord" (Acts 9:1). Have you ever stopped to think about how many of the epistles were addressed to "saints"? Please read the following passages (Rom. 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Cor. 1:1; Eph. 1:1; Phil. 1:1; Col. 1:2).

    The word "saint" implies one set apart or separated unto God. The original word also means "holy." When one has become freed from sin in his obedience from the heart to that form of teaching whereunto he was delivered, he is then a servant of righteousness (Rom. 6:17,18). A servant of righteousness is dead to sin and no longer lives in it. His old manner of life has been "crucified with" Christ if he was genuinely converted to the Lord (Rom. 6:1-11).

    An Example: People at Corinth had at one time been fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, effeminate, abusers of themselves with men, thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers, and extortioners (1 Cor. 6:9-11). However, when they heard Paul preach the gospel of the Son of God, "many of the Corinthians hearing, believed, and were baptized" (Acts 18:8). To these same people Paul addressed two letters. In the salutations of each, he called them "sanctified" (1 Cor. 1:2) and "saints" (2 Cor. 1:1). Both are from the same Greek word. It is obvious these were "saints." When people who have committed similar sins today, believe and obey the same gospel, and strive to live "sanctified" lives, the same are "saints" today.

    Saints must grow in character to be like Christ: To these same Corinthians Paul wrote, "Having therefore these promises beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, PERFECTING HOLINESS in the fear of God" (2 Cor. 7:1). This means that once they had become children of God, the process just began - they had to continue! Yes, through their obedience to the gospel, they had become separated from the world and unto God, but growth is paramount. "Perfecting holiness" means that this process of being set apart from the world and unto God is ongoing. Robertson in his Word Pictures of the New Testament says of this verse, "Not merely negative goodness (cleansing), but aggressive and progressive (present tense of epiteleo) holiness, not a sudden attainment of complete holiness, but a continuous process (1 Thess. 3:13; Rom. 1:4,6)."

    This is why constant teaching, learning, imbibing the principles of righteousness from examples of godly men and women written about in the Scripture, and warning about sins of all kinds in our culture is so necessary. We are to grow as "saints"!

    Have you obeyed the gospel? Are you growing and "perfecting holiness in the fear of God"? If you have and are, you are a "saint." If not, you aren't.

---Philip A. Owens