So, are you a saint? Do you have the qualifications? Do you have what it takes? Now when I ask these questions I am not asking you if your name happens to be Simon Templar and you drive a flash car. I am also not asking you if you’ve been declared to be of saint stature by some religious committee (that probably wouldn’t happen until long after you were dead anyway). And, perhaps most importantly, I am not asking you if you’ve lived a life full of so called “good works” or wearied yourself in tireless floor waxing at some remote monastery. Unfortunately, none of these accomplishments would qualify you to be called a saint as far as the Bible is concerned. God made it much simpler than that.
So exactly how do you get in? As usual the truth of God’s Word is rather straight forward. Saintly status may be achieved immediately by following this simple formula:
Romans 10:9, 10
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
And that is it. Once you do what these simple verses say, a number of Biblical terms become applicable to you. You are “born again”, “born from above”, “saved” and not to forget our topic here, you have been granted the distinguished title of “saint”.
I know that this may not be the generally accepted view – but it just happens to be what the scriptures say. Some may argue that you’ve not read your Bible enough times, you’ve not “earned your stripes” by feeding the poor in some third world country, you’ve not founded any churches, started any revivals and so on. All such arguments soon find themselves at odds with what the Word of God declares.
Consider this address from the Book of I Corinthians:
I Corinthians 1:1, 2
“Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:”
Anyone who calls upon the name of Jesus Christ as mentioned in Romans 10:9, 10 is Biblically called a “saint” – one who is sanctified (set apart) to eternal life. “Saint” is the term that the Bible uses to refer to believers. It is interesting to note that the more common term “Christian” is not used by God. This was a label given to the early believers by those outside, those who did not believe. In fact it was thought by some to be a derogatory term. The Biblical term is “saint”.
So go ahead – if you’ve made Jesus your Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, put your name right here Saint _________. And to not put too much of a damper on what you might have previously thought about being a saint, it’s still quite acceptable to own a flash car.