I’ve never thought much about Saints. I didn’t grow up Catholic and that’s the realm in which I remembered hearing the term most often. I kept the shuttered away in mind with an enclave of angels. It wasn’t until last week that I actually looked up the definition, which says:
“A person acknowledged as holy or virtuous and typically regarded as being in heaven after death.”
That’s from the dictionary, but if you look to the Bible, we needn’t be dead to be considered saints.
Saints in the Bible
In 1 Corinthians, Paul calls all Believers “saints”:
“To the church of God which is in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, the called saints, with all those who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place, who is theirs and ours.”
We may refer to particularly good or pious people as “saints” in jest, but the truth is, as Christians, we are all saints through our place in the family of God. It’s a clear representation of our sins erased by grace. In what other realm could someone like me or you be called an actual saint? Only in the upside down kingdom of Jesus.
Christian Saints Here and There
This word — saints — has come alive to me everywhere lately. I thought of Jackie Hill Perry, who often starts her videos addressing “Saints and Aints” — which now makes more sense!
Today, the moment we accept on the faith the grace of Jesus as Savior is the moment we become immortalized as saints. So often, we think of heaven in the far distant future, a place we will one day belong where tears and pain no longer exist. This is certainly true, but our position as saints here on Earth means we are already part-way there.
Ephesians 2:19 says:
“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.”
No doubt you’ll recognize this verse, but consider it with fresh eyes. Who else is a saint? Believers already in heaven, of course. We are *already* fellow citizens with those who have gone before us. We are *already* in the doorway — half-there, half- here, so to speak.
Saints in Heaven
Recognizing this brought great comfort. I thought of my Grandma, the closest thing to my former definition of saint when she was on earth. It’s fascinating to consider that, though she is on longer here, we worship the same God at the same time still today.
Claiming our title as “saints” also reminds us of our permanent home. We should feel “strange” here at times — because we have a deep longing for the true home that will only be fulfilled when we walk fully through that doorway.
Hold your head high today, sister. You are a saint and you live and worship in the company of angels and the many generations of Believers who have come before you. As Christians, we live in the “thin place” — where heaven and earth are fused together as one.
Christian saints are you, every one. Hold on to that for your value today.