Metaphors of the Mystery - Part 8
Identity, You Are a Saint
1 Corinthians 1 (KJ2000)
1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,
2 Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:
3 Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul wrote these words to the church at Corinth.
That matters.
Corinth was not a perfect church. They had divisions. They had strife. They had disorder. They had moral issues. They had confusion about spiritual gifts. Yet Paul did not begin by calling them failures. He called them sanctified in Christ Jesus. He called them saints.
That should get your attention.
Many believers hear the word saint and think of a special class of Christians. They think of a few exceptional men and women who lived far above everyone else. They think sainthood belongs to people with rare discipline, long prayers, unusual sacrifice, and spotless records.
But that is not how the New Testament uses the word.
In the New Testament, saints are believers in Christ. Ordinary believers. Growing believers. Corrected believers. Believers who still need teaching. Believers who still need discipline. Believers who still need to renew their minds.
A saint is not a spiritual celebrity.
A saint is one who belongs to God.
Saint Means Holy One
The word saint speaks of one who is holy. It points to someone set apart for God. It does not first describe your achievements. It describes your belonging.
Paul says the Corinthians were “sanctified in Christ Jesus.” That is the key.
They were not saints because they had behaved perfectly. They were saints because God had set them apart in Christ. Their identity came from union with Christ. Their conduct now needed to agree with that identity.
This is how the Gospel works.
God does not wait for you to become perfect before He names you. He names you in Christ, then teaches you to live according to that name.
You are not trying to become God’s property. You are God’s property.
You are not trying to become holy enough for God to claim you. God has claimed you in Christ, and because He has claimed you, holiness now fits you.
The New Testament Calls Believers Saints
Paul did not use the word saint in one isolated verse. He used it again and again when he wrote to churches.
Romans 1 (KJ2000)
7 To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 1 (KJ2000)
1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints who are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:
2 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Philippians 1 (KJ2000)
1 Paul and Timothy, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:
2 Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul addressed believers as saints in Rome, Ephesus, Philippi, and Corinth. These were real churches with real people. They had leaders, members, needs, questions, weaknesses, and pressures.
Yet heaven’s language over them was clear.
They were saints.
So, when you read the word saints in the New Testament, do not push it away from yourself. If you are in Christ, the word includes you.
You may still be growing.
You may still need correction.
You may still need your mind renewed.
But if you are in Christ, you are a saint.
You Are Set Apart in Christ
Holiness begins with God’s claim on you.
In Scripture, holy things were things set apart for God. Holy vessels were not common vessels. Holy places were not common places. Holy people were not common people. They belonged to God in a distinct way.
That is the idea behind sainthood.
You are not common anymore.
You have been brought into Christ. You have been separated from the world’s ownership. You have been joined to the Lord. God has placed His name on you.
This does not mean you are better than other people. It means you are no longer your own.
That truth should affect your choices.
You cannot carry your body anywhere you like. You cannot feed your mind with anything you like. You cannot build your life around every desire that rises in you. You are a saint. You belong to God.
The Father Has Made You Fit
Colossians 1 (KJ2000)
12 Giving thanks unto the Father, who has made us fit to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
13 Who has delivered us from the power of darkness, and has translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
Paul says the Father has made us fit.
That is strong language.
He does not say the Father is waiting for you to make yourself fit. He does not say the Father may accept you if you try hard enough. He says the Father has made us fit to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.
How did He do it?
He delivered us from the power of darkness. He translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son. He redeemed us through the blood of Christ. He remitted our sins to us. He forgave our sins.
This is why you are a saint.
Your sainthood rests on the work of God in Christ. It rests on redemption. It rests on remission. It rests on the Father’s act of deliverance.
You did not crawl into the kingdom by personal effort. God translated you into the kingdom of His Son.
Stop speaking as though darkness still owns you.
You are one of the saints in light.
Saints Still Need Correction
Some people struggle with this teaching because they know believers still fail.
That is true.
Saints can behave wrongly. Saints can think wrongly. Saints can speak wrongly. Saints can sin. Saints can need strong correction. The church at Corinth proves this.
But Paul did not correct the Corinthians by denying their identity. He corrected them by appealing to it.
He did not say, “Because you failed, you are no longer saints.”
He said, in effect, “Because you are saints, this behaviour does not fit you.”
That is the pattern of New Testament correction.
God tells you who you are in Christ. Then He calls you to live in line with it.
This protects you from two errors.
The first error is pride. You do not boast as though you made yourself holy. God set you apart in Christ.
The second error is shame. You do not sink into the thought that failure defines you. Christ defines you. Now rise and walk according to who you are.
Holiness Should Fit Your Life
Ephesians 5 (KJ2000)
1 Be you therefore followers of God, as dear children;
2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us, and has given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling fragrance.
3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becomes saints;
4 Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not fitting: but rather giving of thanks.
Paul says certain things should not be named among believers, “as becomes saints.”
That phrase is important.
There is behaviour that fits saints. There is behaviour that does not fit saints.
Fornication does not fit saints. Uncleanness does not fit saints. Covetousness does not fit saints. Filthiness does not fit saints. Foolish talking does not fit saints. Sin is not merely wrong because it breaks a rule. It is wrong because it contradicts who you are in Christ.
This is where identity becomes practical.
You do not reject sin because you are trying to audition for sainthood. You reject sin because you are a saint.
A police officer should not dress like a robber. A judge should not speak like a criminal. A married person should not live like a single person. A single person should not live like a married person. Identity places a demand on conduct.
In the same way, a saint should not live like someone who does not belong to God.
God’s Call Produces Holy Conduct
1 Peter 1 (KJ2000)
14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:
15 But as he who has called you is holy, so be holy in all manner of conduct;
16 Because it is written, You will be holy; for I am holy.
Peter speaks to believers as obedient children. Then he gives them a clear command. Do not shape your life according to your former lusts. Be holy in all manner of conduct.
Why?
Because the One who called you is holy.
Christian holiness is not imitation without relationship. It is family resemblance. God is your Father. You are His child. He is holy, so holiness should show in your conduct.
You cannot claim the Father and despise the family likeness.
This does not mean you become holy by pretending. It means you take your identity seriously. You stop dressing old desires in new excuses. You stop calling former lusts normal. You stop making peace with what Christ died to deliver you from.
You are a saint.
Live like one.
You Belong to a Holy People
Ephesians 2 (KJ2000)
18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
19 Now therefore you are no more strangers and sojourners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone;
You are not a saint in isolation.
You are a fellow citizen with the saints. You are part of the household of God. You belong to a people built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Jesus Christ Himself as the chief cornerstone.
This means your identity also affects how you treat other believers.
The believer beside you in church is not a random attendee. He is one of the saints. The sister who is still learning is one of the saints. The brother who needs correction is one of the saints. The young believer who does not yet know how to speak, serve, or stand is one of the saints.
This should shape church life.
We should correct one another with honour. We should serve one another with patience. We should forgive one another with understanding. We should not treat lightly what God has set apart.
The saints are God’s people.
Handle them with care.
God Has an Inheritance in the Saints
Ephesians 1 (KJ2000)
17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what is the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
Paul prayed that believers would know the riches of the glory of God’s inheritance in the saints.
Think about that.
God speaks of an inheritance in His people. He sees value in the saints. He sees glory in what He has made us in Christ. He is not ashamed to claim us.
Many believers speak of themselves in smaller language than Scripture uses. They speak as though they are still outside. They speak as though God barely tolerates them. They speak as though Christ has not washed them, claimed them, and joined them to Himself.
You need to let Scripture correct your speech.
If God calls you a saint, do not keep calling yourself common.
If God calls you accepted, do not keep calling yourself rejected.
If God calls you light, do not keep speaking as though darkness still owns you.
Do Not Use the Word Carelessly
There is another side to this.
If you are a saint, do not use that word as a slogan. Do not use it as a religious label while ignoring the life it demands.
A saint belongs to God.
That means your body belongs to God. Your time belongs to God. Your money belongs to God. Your speech belongs to God. Your relationships belong to God. Your ministry belongs to God.
You cannot say, “I am a saint,” and then live as though God has no claim on you.
Grace does not make holiness irrelevant. Grace makes holiness possible.
You are not holy because you never failed. You are holy because God set you apart in Christ. Now your life must agree with His claim.
Say What God Says
The Christian life begins to change when you learn to agree with God.
Do not wait for your feelings to confirm what Scripture has said. Feelings can be slow students. Your mind must sit under the Word of God.
When Scripture calls the believer a saint, agree with it.
Say it with reverence.
Say it with humility.
Say it with faith.
“I am a saint in Christ.”
That is not pride. Pride says, “I made myself holy.” Faith says, “God has set me apart in Christ.”
That confession should steady you. It should sober you. It should call you upward. It should make sin look strange. It should make holiness look normal.
You are not trying to become God’s property.
You are His.
You are not common.
You are set apart.
You are not auditioning for sainthood.
In Christ, you are a saint.
Continue in grace!