Are
You a Saint?
Acts 9
Ephesians 1
Here in Greenville, South Carolina a man died recently who had amassed multiple millions of dollars but lived in a modest singlewide trailer and drove an old car. He left an enormous amount of money to various people and institutions yet left nothing to his estranged daughter. This is a picture of too many Christians today. They have limitless wealth at their disposal but live like paupers.
Paul had led an anti-Christian movement killing Christians when God met him on the road to Damascus where he converted to Christianity (Acts 9). Paul becomes the apostle to the Gentiles and led three missionary trips throughout the Roman Empire. During his third mission trip he founded a strong church in Ephesus (Acts 20). Ten years later, about 62 AD, he wrote a letter to them which we know as the Book of Ephesians. He addressed them as saints nine times. In the New Testament the word saint is used differently than many perceive the word to be. The dictionary defines the word saint as a person officially recognized for holiness of life. Usually some religious groups ascribes this honor to someone who has died, and after much scrutiny, the deceased person's character is exemplified to be above reproach. If he/she has been responsible for working at least two miracles then he/she qualifies to be a saint. The problem with this is that the Bible does not outline or authorize any such procedure.
Paul addressed Christians as saints, and these were people were alive at the time of his writing. It is clear that they had not performed any miracle, though they had experienced a miracle by trusting Jesus Christ as Savior (Ephesians 2:4-10). The person (saint) is alive not only physically but also spiritually. You will find Christians called disciples (Acts 9:1,10, 19, 25, 26, 36, 38), people or the Way (Acts 9:2) and saints (Acts 9:13, 32, 41). The New Testament uses the word saint as 'one who has been set apart'. The believer has been taken out of the world and placed 'in Christ'. The believer is in the world physically but not of the world (John 17:14-16). Like a scuba diver, he possesses special equipment to function in an alien environment through the Indwelling Spirit. God's Holy Spirit lives in us and gives us power to live and function in the world.
Here's the important question: How do we become Saints? The answer is two words; faithful and grace (Ephesians 1:1-2). When Paul addresses his letter to the saints and faithful he was not addressing two different groups of people. These believers in Christ were not saved by living faithful lives, rather, they put their faith in Jesus and were saved. The word 'grace' is used twelve times in Ephesians and refers to "the kindness of God toward undeserving people." The only way to experience grace and salvation is through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). The phrase, 'in Christ' is found 27 times in Ephesians. It describes the spiritual position of the believer who is able to draw on the wealth of Christ for his daily living. We achieve sainthood not because of any works we do but because of the work Christ did for us on the cross and the work of the Indwelling Holy Spirit.
To answer the question in my title: You are a saint. You have been set apart by the grace of God, by your faith in Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit. Act like it.
