Identity in Christ (Part 6) – Saint You

I want to add one more thought in this short series about who we are in Christ. Our church staff just completed a planning retreat in the hill country of Texas at a beautiful sight on the Guadalupe River. A gorgeous country chapel made of Austin stone stood serenely on a hill just above here we were staying. Each morning we hiked up the hill to have a devotional. One of the prominent features of the chapel was its tall stained-glass windows depicting saints who were always dressed in flowing robes with angelic faces. Some were notable while others were not recognized by us since we do not honor “the saints” in the same way in our community church.

I was reminded, however, that the title of “saint” has been reserved for a few outstanding men and women of faith in many branches of the Lord’s body leaving most believers with the impression that the term is only applied to a few “super-Christians” in each generation. However, that is not the biblical use of the term. The term “saint” is used about 60 times in the New Testament but never attached to the name of an individual such as St. Paul, St. Peter, etc. Those accolades were attached decades and centuries later by the church –especially the Catholic Church.

Biblically, the word translated “saint” is from the Greek word hagioi and refers to all believers as “holy ones.” To be holy is to be sanctified and to be sanctified is literally to be “specially set apart for service unto God.” In the Jewish temple, items were set apart and often labeled for use in either sacred ceremonies or for profane or ordinary circumstances. Those set apart for sacred used were termed “Holy Unto Jehovah.” Once designated for sacred service, they were never again to be used for profane, ordinary, or secular functions.

As a believer, you are a saint. You have been especially set apart for service unto Jehovah. You are Holy Unto Jehovah and your life should reflect that special position. Remember, Jesus told his disciples that they did not choose him but that he had chosen them (Jn.15:16). You have been chosen by God and having been chosen you have been separated from the world and declared holy in his sight. “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Col.3:12).

The temple of God in Jerusalem was holy and everything in it was sacred because the presence of God dwelt in the Holy of Holies. But now, you are the temple of God and his presence dwells within you. As a believer, in the eyes of God you are different from all other men or women in the world. I think it is likely that in the spiritual realm there is a designation on you that marks you as belonging to Jehovah and, perhaps, the very phrase Holy Unto Jehovah identifies you as one who belongs to him. That sets you apart from all those in both the natural and spiritual realms who have no faith in God and who are not in Christ Jesus. You are one of his Saints. Maybe your condition does not yet always reflect that sacredness as much as it should, but your position in the kingdom is definitely a saint of the Most High God.

Remember who you are and the next time you step into a chapel or a cathedral full of stain glass depicting “the saints” you may sincerely ask, “So…where is my window?”