The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my mind and heart in Colossians 1:2,
"To God's holy people [that is, "saints"] in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ: Grace and peace to you from God our Father."
Some religions have defined a saint as someone who might be considered a "super-Christian", one who holds a particular relationship with God, who manifests that through impeccable holy living, the performance of miracles and the like.
Many may be surprised to find in their Bibles that such a concept of saints is faulty. The Scriptures call all believers "saints" or "holy ones." This salutation from Paul to the church in Colossae is not addressed to only some among the believers with an alleged special title of "saint", but to all the believers in Ephesus, the true "saints", all the believers in that fellowship.
The writer of Hebrews tells us that all who Jesus calls as called brothers and sisters are made holy by him (the definition of what a "saint" is), "In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered. Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters." Hebrews 2:10-11. He goes on to address those who have "the heavenly calling", that is, all believers, as saints, "Therefore, holy brothers and sisters [that is, "saints"], who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest." Hebrews 3:1. He tells us in Hebrews 10:10, 14, "By that will, we [believers] have been made holy ["saints"] through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all... by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy ["saints"].
Peter tells us that all who come to Jesus Christ form a priesthood of saints, "As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy [saintly] priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 2:4-5.
Here is an amazing truth. When we embrace Jesus Christ in faith, we become on of his "holy ones", one of his saints! This is something God decided to do before time began, "For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight." This is something God does, not us. We cannot make ourselves saints, we cannot earn or advance ourselves to some level of spiritual attainment called "sainthood". This is something only God can do, only God can bestow. No process of "canonization", no beatification performed by any ecclesiastical group on planet earth can make anyone a "saint". This is something only God himself does... and isn't it just like him to make all believers holy, all believers his "saints"! No prima donnas in God's family!
I am always reminded that it matters not a whit how I am esteemed by others compared to how I am esteemed by God. And he esteems all of us believers as saints, his holy ones! How wonderful is that?!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
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