His call is humbling. Some religious groups consider only a special group of people can be saints. However, the Bible clearly says that all who follow Jesus Christ are designated by that name, even me.
To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 1:7)
To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: (1 Corinthians 1:2)
The word “saint” means holy, pure, dedicated, consecrated to God. This is not for some believers, but all of us. Saints are not only the apostles or church leaders, even though many of us tend to look at the “super stars” of Christianity as extraordinary beings. We think that they could never be subject to the same weaknesses and temptations as we are, and that is why they are so special, but this is not true.
I’ve learned by research and experience that the nearer any Christian lives to God the more intensely they will see and mourn over their own sin. The purer a believer’s life, the more the Lord honors their service, but also the more intensely does the flesh and the devil try to lure them from this calling.
As I read the New Testament, I see that the apostle Paul struggled with many things. Yes, he was more faithful, more holy, and more deeply taught than I am, but he endured trials too. He was not exempt from sin or struggles. He was as human as I am, so I must never put him, or any other child of God, on a pedestal. We are saints together, not in a hierarchy.
Holiness is attainable because all of God’s people are called to live holy lives. The Scripture says I am “called to be a saint” by the same Lord that called Paul and the others to be saints. It is the will of God for me, and even though the saints of old were superior in their attainment, I am to follow their lead. Paul even wrote that I am to imitate him even as he imitated Christ.
This is possible because God gives me the same light and grace that He gave them. Yes, they lived with Jesus, but so do I. God also gives me the same Holy Spirit as He gave them. I cannot use their experience with Jesus or their superior saintliness as an excuse for not pressing on.
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Some days I do not feel very saintly. In fact, the ordinariness of life can be discouraging. Yet Lord, You first offer me the example of Jesus, but also the example of Paul and others who followed You with all their hearts. I cannot aspire to sainthood out of pride and arrogance, but I can claim it as Your will, even Your designation for me. On those days when I feel, or even act less than my calling, remind me of who I am and the One I must to emulate. Keep my aim high, again, not because of pride, but because of what Jesus has done for me.
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