Day 3

“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.”  

—COLOSSIANS 1:2 (KJV)

Every true Christian is ‘set apart for Christ’. In many of Paul’s letters, he introduces his readers as “saints”. The word ‘saint’ has been hijacked by historic churches as a designation of heroes from the past. We talk of St. George, St. Paul, St. Patrick, and, of course, all the leading characters of the New Testament are ‘sainted’. Some people speak of fast tracking Mother Theresa to sainthood, and by fast-tracking they mean let’s do it in decades, rather than centuries. But that is not the way the word ‘saint’ is used in the Bible. ‘Saint’ is translated from the Greek word ‘agios’, which literally means to be ‘set apart’, and is used in three different ways in Scripture – as a noun, an adjective and a verb.

As a noun, a saint is the designation of every true believer and is the name given to all Christians in the New Testament. Paul didn’t address his letter to “all the saints and the rest of you”. He categorizes them all as ‘saints’. What turns a sinner into a saint is the intervention of a saviour who cleanses us of sin and clothes us with his righteousness. When we are united with Christ, bringing our lives in full surrender to Him, we are set apart for the purpose of Christ’s agenda and we are called ‘saints’.

As an adjective, saint is used as ‘holy’, primarily in the Old Testament where it describes the tabernacle, the temple, the holy of holies and the nation of Israel, all of which are set apart for God. In disposition, attitude and intent, a Christian is holy, set apart for serving Christ. As a verb, saint is usually translated as ‘sanctified’, which also means to be ‘set apart’, but for the purpose it was created. 1 Thessalonians 4:3 says, “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified.” To be sanctified is to be used for the purpose in which we were created – to glorify God.

In Paul’s letter, he reminds all Christians that they are ‘saints’, set apart for the purposes of our Lord Jesus. Conversely, to not behave as a saint, is to not be set apart exclusively to God, but to be available to anything which attracts our attention at the time. But that is to rob Christ of what He has purchased. As Paul wrote, ‘Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honour God with your body’ (‘1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

PRAYER: I thank You, Lord, that I am a Christian, and therefore set apart for You. May your holiness grow deeper in me, and may You continue to sanctify me for your purposes in this world.

TO REFLECT UPON: Do I realize that in becoming a Christian I am also a saint? What does that mean to me?