Romans 1:1-7

Words have a great impact on our lives. Some words are calming and soothing, like lullaby, peace, and quiet. Others are exciting, such as challenge or victory. This evening, we’re going to explore a word from Scripture: saint. What is a saint? Some churches have set criteria for who can be called a saint. In our Scripture reading, Paul says, “We are all called as saints.”

Studying the word saint will give us a clearer understanding of the call the Lord has extended to us by grace.

• A saint is a person summoned by God
  • God is the active party
    • II Thessalonians 2:13-14 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
  • We react or respond to God’s work
    • John 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

By an act of His grace, God chose us to belong to Him. Our response to that call has made us saints.

• A saint is a person set apart for God
  • We are separated from others
    • In Judaism, kosher utensils are kept separate. In a kosher kitchen, utensils are strictly divided into three categories: meat (fleishig), dairy (milchig), and neutral (pareve, which can be used with either meat or dairy). Mixing meat and dairy utensils violates Jewish dietary laws.
    • Just as kosher utensils in the same kitchen are set apart for specific uses, so too are these.
      • John 17
  • Given special standing
    • I John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
• A saint is a person who serves God
  • Ours is a special relationship
    • The chief end of man is to know God and to enjoy Him forever
  • Ours is a service relationship
    • Ephesians 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

God has given certain people to serve as leaders to equip the saints. The purpose for this equipping is that we carry on the ministry in Christ’s name.

Thus, having looked at the term saint, we can better understand both our relationship to the Lord and the responsibility we share as His people. He made our relationship clear by summoning us to a position with Him and giving us standing by setting us apart as belonging solely to Him. Our responsibility is to serve Him each day.