What do you think of when you hear the word “saint?” Do you picture Mary, the 12 disciples, or Apostle Paul, or maybe Mother Theresa, in heaven? Or maybe your loved ones who lived their lives for God & have gone on to be with Him? Did you know that YOU are just like these whom you hold in such high esteem? You are a saint, too!

A saint is a person regarded as holy or virtuous, or admired because of their virtue, regarded as being in heaven when they’ve passed on. We become these things when we receive salvation; YOU are now holy & virtuous, YOU will be in heaven with all the other saints one day. You don’t have to wait until then to be considered a saint, you already ARE a saint!

“…You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ & by the Spirit of our God.” -1 Corinthians 6:1

I want to focus on the word “sanctified” (Greek: hagiazo) here, to me, this embodies what a saint is- made holy, consecrated, purified, hallowed, set apart as holy. God didn’t just create us & say “Here you go, you have this one life, now go wing it, good luck to you!” No, He created us with a purpose & a plan for our lives, & gave us the Bible, His Word, as the instruction manual. EVERY human ever born, is called to serve God, but also given free will to choose whether or not to answer that call. Those of us who do answer the call, get to walk into the plan God predestined for us before we were born. He has now justified & glorified us ( Romans 8:30). We are now sanctified & called to be holy (1 Corinthians 1:2).

Before we accepted salvation, we were influenced by & conformed to this world. We were foolish, disobedient, misled, living with anger, envy, & hatred in our hearts, controlled by desires & pleasures the world has to offer (1 Corinthians 12:2, Ephesians 2:2, Colossians 3:5, & Titus 3:3).

Now, you are in Christ. You no longer live the way you did before, the things you once enjoyed are no longer appealing to you. You are now free from the impurity & wickedness of this world; you have been sanctified & brought nearer to God because of your faith. Your soul has been purified & reformed, you are now separated from the profane & dedicated to God. God’s stamp of holiness is ON you! (Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)

You are special, set apart to do great things in Christ! Regardless of your past, no matter what you’ve done, when you accepted your salvation, you became a saint. Walk & talk like one! Let go of the mistakes that haunt you, don’t let the past make you feel unworthy. Where you came from is not who you are! Leave that behind you, walk as a saint into the predestined plan God has for you!

– Walking in Sainthood by Faith, & Finding the Blessings, Gerri