Saints? What is a saint? According to the Bible, a saint is anyone who is forgiven of their sins and lives in keeping with the New Testament. The word means holy, or a holy one, or saint. Our Catholic friends have it all wrong about saints. A saint is not someone who has performed miracles. That’s nowhere in the Bible. Just take God’s word for it. A saint is a sincere Christian.
Can I be a saint? Absolutely! To be a saint, you have to be a Christian. And that means we submit our will to Him. Want to go out and get inebriated this Friday? Jesus and His apostles say no, 1 Peter 4:3, NLT. Do you want to be immoral every chance you get? Immoral usually means some illicit sexual act. Again, no. Do you feel lust seemingly all the time? Jesus said we have to stop that. How about wild parties? Nope, we can’t do that, either. Want to give your life over to the pursuit of wealth, fame, and power. You can certainly have those things to some degree, but Jesus would say that’s idolatry if you don’t submit to Him in this.
You can be a saint, anyone can, but you have to be willing to first “give up the world” and submit your mind, heart, and will to Jesus. The world can no longer be your focus. Your focus must be on the spiritual life, in the world, but not of the world.
How do I become a saint? Well, it’s both easy and challenging. You’ll have to get your nose in the New Testament. You’ll need to see what Jesus said and what He did. You can do this by reading the gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. They give Jesus’ story from their unique perspective. But know this, the gospels are written by men, inspired by God. The Holy Spirit gave them the stories He wanted to be told. You have to read these accounts, so you’ll be persuaded that Jesus is who The Bible says He is – the Son of God who came to seek and save the lost. Numerous preachers write study guides to help in your studies. They’re usually helpful.
After reading, are you sure Jesus is God’s Son? Did He do all those miracles? Did He genuinely speak God’s word? Was He put to death on the cross for all sin for all time? And did He come to life again and leave His rock tomb? And did He show Himself alive to His disciples? Finally, did He rise to heaven, and is He sitting at God’s right hand, ruling everything in heaven and earth?
If so, are you willing to act on your belief? To be a saint, Jesus requires the following:
- Repent of your sins and change from worldly to spiritual life, one that pleases God, 2 Corinthians 7:10, NLT.
- Confess your belief that Jesus is the Son of God and that He is your Lord, Romans 10:9-10, NLT.
- Submit to the Lord’s demand for baptism to wash away your sins, Matthew 28:19-20, NLT; Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; and Acts 22:16.
Once your sins are washed away, you become a holy person. You are set aside from the world for God’s holy service. You become a saint.
So, what do I do as a saint? What does a saint do? A saint is a member of a local congregation of the Lord’s church, Philippians 1:1, NASB. So, you do as the New Testament directs.
You meet with the saints each Sunday (called the Lord’s Day) for worship. In worship, you pray Ephesians 6:18, NLT; sing spiritual songs without musical accompaniment, Ephesians 5:19, NLT; give your resources as an offering, 1 Corinthians 16:1-2, NLT; take the Lord’s Supper, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, NLT; and hear God’s word, Romans 10:14, NLT.
A saint comes to know the church. It’s Jesus’ church, Matthew 16:18, NLT. He is the head of the church (not man), Ephesians 1:21-23, NLT. He knows how the church is structured, the work of the church, and how a church loves each other and cares for each other.
In addition, a saint continues to learn about Jesus, 2 Peter 3:18, NLT, and 2 Peter 1:3-8, NLT. He becomes like Christ in his behavior, Ephesians 5:12, NLT; Ephesians 4:21-24, NLT.
A saint endeavors to share the gospel (the New Testament, gospel meaning good news), Matthew 28:20, NLT.
Wow! That’s a lot! Do I have to do all that at once? No, no one can do all that at once. Each saint grows and matures throughout the years. But you can see how one turns away from the world into a lifetime of holy living. You can see what is involved in being an authentic, Bible-based saint of God.
There are folks to help! You can get a lot of help from your brethren at the congregation where you worship. All you need to do is ask. Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people. If you miss heaven, you’ve missed all there is.