All Christians are God’s holy ones . . . now act like it . . .

 One dictionary says that a ‘saint’ is someone considered holy or virtuous and typically regarded as being in heaven after death. Emphasis is usually on dedication to doing good. In other words, this term is reserved for those who get to holiness and to heaven by their exceptional goodness. This definition opposes the Gospel!

According to the Bible, those who believe in Jesus Christ are “in Christ” by grace through the gift of faith and thus considered a saint. No one is saved or made a saint by their virtuous deeds. We all fall short and are all sinners in need of a Savior.

As today’s devotional says, 1 Corinthians says, “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) then goes on to correct their sinful practices. Believers are called saints in other NT epistles, but none of them were perfect either. Sainthood is a status rather than a condition.

While some ‘churches’ say saints are people with exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God, the Bible calls this maturity. Again, every Christian is a saint because they are “in Christ” and He lives in them, not because they have earned this title. It is about being united to Jesus by faith as indicated here:

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons . . . ” (Philippians 1:1)

The word translated saints means “holy ones” and describes any person or thing that is set apart for God or represents God. The term also describes God Himself. Because Christians are His children and are called saints of God, He tells us to think and act like He does.

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. (Colossians 3:12–15)

These are the marks of sainthood, not that we gain them by arduous work and commitment, but by letting the Spirit of God fill our lives. It is Christ’s peace and His holiness that makes us holy, not our so-called goodness. Faith in Him and responding to His call to trust Him gives us a new position or status. Our response to His call is all that we do to become His set-apart people.

God has “blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.” (Ephesians 1:3–4) We cannot and do not earn it:

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8–9)

From the beginning of our calling, we are responsible to continue answering His call and rely on Him for direction and the ability to live in a manner worthy of that calling.

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:1–3)

An important part of this is learning to think with the mind of Christ. This is done by refusing to be conformed to this world, and instead being “transformed by the renewal of our minds” (Romans 12:2) and by obeying Him in all details of life, practicing spiritual disciplines, prayer and obedience,  as we discover the wonder of what it is like to be a saint.

Oh Lord Jesus, being a saint is a reality yet so often I feel as if it cannot be true because I tend to evaluate my godliness by my performance instead of the fact that You have chosen me as Your child. This is like being a soldier that has enlisted but not yet experienced boot camp! Help me turn my eyes always toward You as the One who enlisted me and marks me as a child of God and a saint. That thought of being in Christ is the only foundation for living as Your holy and chosen child.

MORE: Read Psalm 34 and think how I can be more like the saint that God declares me to be.

 

Who or what is my taskmaster?

 

In most of the free world, the term slavery is negative, outlawed and evil. However, its elimination, at least in North America, has removed a metaphor used in the NT for a good thing, even a godly designation.

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:22–23)

The Bible says we are all slaves to something, and particularly mastered by our desire to be in control and do our own thing. This has become the idea of freedom, but when God and faith are left out of the equation, that lifestyle is termed sinful. The OT describes it this way:

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him (Christ) the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6)

Our own way, because it is self-centered and rejects the Lordship of our Creator, is called sin. Even what people might call the ‘good life’ is sin. Even our righteousness is called “filthy” or “polluted” in Isaiah 64:6. The inner person is dead to God and does not seek Him. However . . .

But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. (Romans 6:17–18)

Christian organizations work to set people free from the slave trade which has thousands in bondage  serving harsh and immoral taskmasters. The idea of being a slave is repulsive, yet Paul uses this concept to describe that being a slave or bond-servant of Jesus Christ is the only alternative — a relationship that gives great freedom and joy, freedom from sin and recipients of the Lord’s joy, a joy that overrides all negatives and makes life totally delightful.

The Greek word translated “bond-servant” in several NT passages was commonly used of those who, out of devotion to their masters, chose to remain as slaves when they had an opportunity to be released. They were also known as love slaves because they served out of love, not compulsion.

 That is the difference. No one suffers agony and a desire for freedom when Jesus is our Lord and Master. Being His “bond-servants” frees us from the tyranny of always wanting to have our own way. It also is the freedom of knowing we are doing good when we follow His direction, and in doing that, there is great joy.

In NT times, slaves in the Roman Empire were usually treated with respect. Most had very little, yet their masters supplied all their needs. A disobedient or self-willed slave was of no use, but faithful slaves set aside their personal interests to do their master’s will and were highly valued. This makes slavery an example of what it means to serve Jesus. Jesus even said, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.” (John 4:34)

Nowadays, harsh treatment and forced service have ruined the metaphor, even turned minds against faith in Christ because they assume He will demand actions we do not want to do and ask of us to live the worst life imaginable.

In the past few weeks, God has asked for several small actions. I had no idea why they were important to Him, but did them anyway. The results were surprising — and so was the joy that filled my heart. As today’s devotional describes, being set free from sin is a great gift that brings joy, and serving God as His slave increases that joy like nothing else. Another benefit of this slavery is the adventure not knowing what comes next alongside the total assurance that it will bring joy.

Jesus, what a privilege to serve You. I have often feared being set on a shelf because I’m not worthy, yet it isn’t about that at all; it is about the wonder of having the King of kings and Lord of lords directing my life and filling me with great joy as I do what You say. Increase my determination to listen and obey, and to glorify You in the doing.

MORE: Read Philemon. What does this short letter say about a runaway slave and what does it suggest about ‘slavery’ to Christ in the lives of Paul, Onesimus and Philemon?