A Saint. Who? Me?

 I started again my read through 1 Corinthians and got as far as verse two of chapter one when the Holy Spirit stopped me. Here is the text:

 “Paul, called as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, to the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.”

No Christian doubts the genuineness of God’s call on the apostle. Nor does any Christian doubt why he is called ‘Saint’ Paul. But look at that next verse wherein he writes: “To those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling . . . .”

Christian – did you know God calls us – YOU and me – ‘saints’? The Greek word hagios means ‘holy.’ Most translations render the word in English as ‘saints.’ Some translations render the word as ‘holy ones.”

In either case, the idea behind the word means to be separated to God in active obedience to His word.

Now this is important: The word is NEVER used in the New Testament to describe super-dooper Christians. It is always used in reference to average, ordinary, regular people in the pew like you and me – sinners bought with the blood of Jesus and who strive to do His will.

So, saint of God, how can we live holy and saintly lives? That’s easy to answer (admittedly not so easy to do). The New Testament writers address the question in many places, but here is how St. Paul answers it in Ephesians 4:1-4, “Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

Christian! You have committed your life to serve Jesus. You have to the best of your human frailty separated yourself from the ungodly and corrupt practices, philosophies, and attitudes of your former life. And so be sure of this: God calls you a SAINT. A holy one.

Are you perfect?  Of course not. But neither were those Christians in Corinth. Or Ephesus. Or Philippi. Or Colossae. They were all sinners who knew they were saved by God’s grace, by His grace alone.

We are saints. And as we permit Him to do His daily work in our lives, we will walk as saints.