The Making of a Saint

There are times we either tell someone they are a saint or we think to ourselves, "That person is a real saint." What is the criteria that you and I use to determine someone to be a saint? Today we are going to see what criteria is given to us in Scripture to determine if someone is a saint or not.

Our passage for this study is 1 Corinthians 1:1-2. We are going to focus on four words in verse 2 that will give us the criteria to determine if someone meets the biblical qualifications to be classified as a saint.

The first word is "Church." The literal meaning is an assembly called out from the masses of people. The early church used it to distinguish itself from the Jewish Synagogue that was located in the same city. So the first criteria to be a saint is to be separated from the masses of people. Therefore, not everyone is a saint.

The second word is "Sanctified." Sanctified means to be separated from the world and to be dedicated to the worship and service of God. We are separated from the world and the phrase which follows tells us that we are separated "in Christ." This phrase reveals that Christ is the One who separates us from the world and not ourselves. The individual is passive in this process and Jesus Christ is the Agent making the separation. This also means that we are made holy in Christ because we have been separated from the sin in the world.

The third word is "Called." The verb "called" has the meaning that this invitation can not be refused or rejected. It is the effectual call of God through Jesus Christ and given by the Holy Spirit. There is no way a mere human being is able to refuse or reject the call of the omnipotent and sovereign God!

The fourth word is "call upon." This word means that the one who is calling belongs to the One he is calling upon. When we are separated from the world and all its sin and dedicated to Christ we belong to Him and we also begin to call upon Him for the help we need to overcome the sin that easily trips us.

Based on these words a Saint is an individual that has been effectually called by God to be His child; cleansed in the blood of Christ and dedicated to the Lord. It has absolutely nothing to do with the work the individual does. Therefore, one who is a saint in the biblical sense is one who has Jesus Christ as their Savior.

Are you a saint in the biblical sense? If not, you need to confess your sin to the Lord, repent and ask for His forgiveness and at that point you will be forgiven of your sins and you will become a saint in Jesus Christ.