As I write this, the world focuses on numerous catastrophic events, including wars and rumors of wars. The new President of the United States is preparing to take office with an agenda addressing various issues, from economic challenges to mass migration from other countries. On the religious front, the Catholic Church has decided to canonize another saint. However, this one differs from our typical conception of a “saint.” This is the purpose of this article…to help us understand the idea of sainthood.
“A video-gaming Italian teenager will become the Catholic Church’s first millennial saint after his cause for canonization was approved by church authorities.
Carlo Acutis, who died from leukemia in 2006 at the age of 15, was renowned for using his computing skills to spread awareness of the Catholic faith and earned the nickname “God’s influencer.” By Christopher Lamb, CNN.
As I read about this new “saint” from the perspective of a protestant, I wondered a couple of things. First, what are the requirements to become a saint? Secondly, who has the authority to declare someone a saint and create, as it were, a cult-like following? The Catholic church has quick answers from church tradition, but having learned that tradition is not always the best source for answers, I turned to God’s word, from Genesis to Revelation.
Scope:
Understanding the word “saint” in the Bible and its scope and usage led me to a clearer picture. The singular version of the word translated ” saint” ( qāḏôš-Hebrew- hagios-Greek) appears only two times in both the King James and the New King James versions (Psalm 106:16 and Philippians 4:21).
When they envied Moses in the camp,
And Aaron the saint of the Lord, Psalm 106:16
Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren who are with me greet you. Philippians 4:21
As you can see, Aaron is called the “saint of the Lord.” That is understandable, although he encouraged Israel to sin by making a golden calf (Exodus 32: 1-5) to worship even though God had specifically said not to (Exodus 20:4). As I reread the story in Exodus 32, the actions of Aaron (the saint of the Lord) are very shocking and highly disobedient to God! These are the things evil kings did, as recorded in the books of Kings, but Aaron was forgiven and continued to be a leader among the people. God’s grace is so powerful!
Paul calls those brothers who visit Philippi and, in Christ, “saints.” This is a nice segway into the plural version of a saint. If we go back to the 1 chapter of Philippians, we see Paul and Timothy’s greeting:
“To all the saints (hagios-Same Greek word as above.) in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons.” Philippians 1: 1
So, there is a whole town of saints in Philippi. At this point, the only requirement seems to be those “in Christ.” Specific good works to become a saint are also not a requirement.
Interestingly, when I checked the newer translations (NIV, NLT, NLV), the word “saint” was absent. The exact Greek and Hebrew words are available, but “saint” is often replaced with a phrase like “holy one of the Lord.” This would seem to be in line with the aura of a saint. They are holy or set apart for God’s purposes. Set apart from the unbelievers, not the believers, as will be shown below.
Example of saints in the Old Testament:
Now, let’s turn to the 96 times the plural version of the word “saint” is used -33 times in the Old Testament and 65 times in the New Testament. Since this study is not exhaustive, let’s focus on a few examples to understand the requirement for “sainthood.”
The Book of Psalms uses the term “saints” more than any other book in the Old Testament, 21 times of the 33 or 64%. Here are some notes on how it is used:
Psalm 16:3-They are excellent and delight the Lord
Psalm 31:23-Referred to as the “faithful.”
Psalm 50:5-They have made a covenant with God by sacrifice
Psalm 97:10-God delivers them from the hands of the wicked.
Psalm 149:5-They are joyful. They sing aloud on their beds.
You can see that the “saints” are not dead as you read through these passages. They are alive. Also, they are described as a delight to the Lord, faithful, and covenant-minded with God. They are joyful and even sing when they are in their beds!
Daniel is the next in line with five references to saints. So, here is a quick review of all 5:
Daniel 7:18-They receive the kingdom forever
Daniel 7: 21-The little horn makes war on them. So, they have an enemy. This is a reference to the religious persecution of those who broke away from the Roman Catholic traditions, as verified in the history of the Reformation.
Daniel 7:22-Before the time comes for them to possess the kingdom (verse 8), judgment is made in favor of them.
Daniel 7:25-The fourth power on earth or the fourth beast will make war on the saints and be given to make war with them for a specific time in history. A separate study shows that this time was historically accurate. (See Prophecies for Our Time. The Beast and Little Horn of Daniel 7)
Daniel 7:27–Again the kingdom and dominion given to the saints.
So, the saints described here are prophetical (From Daniel’s era) and are compared to the fourth beast described in this chapter, which was historically identified as the apostate church of Roman Catholicism.
Examples of saints in the New Testament
Paul is the champion of the word in the New Testament, having used it 43 of the 64 times! Here are just a few examples:
Romans 1:7-The letter to the Christians in Rome who are all called saints.
Romans 15:25-He refers to the believers in Jerusalem as saints
Colossians 1:2-The faithful brethren in Colosse are called saints.
Ephesians 2:19-Those who were once Gentiles in the flesh are no longer strangers but “fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.”
1 Corinthians 1:2– Those sanctified in Christ are called to be saints along with those who call upon the Lord.
The one book of the New Testament that uses the word “saints” the most is Revelation. The saints are identified 14 times in the prophetic book.
The Revelation of Jesus Christ talks about the saints’ prayers (Revelation 5:8; 8:3-4), their patience and faithfulness (Revelation 13:10; 14:12), their martyrdom and blood (Revelation 17:6, 18:24), and finally, their lodging in the New Jerusalem in heaven (Revelation 20:4,9) that eventually comes down to earth.
Conclusion
The saints, as described by the Bible, are alive. They are not declared saints after they die, but while they are still alive and active for the Lord. The requirement is to be “in Christ” and live a life that God gives you. It is not based on your good works or righteousness deeds because nobody has any righteousness (Romans 3:10) apart from the imparted righteousness of Christ (Isaiah 61:10, Romans 5:17).
Therefore, the church can make a big deal about someone who did good works and was a God Influencer, but all who are in Christ are saints and described as such in God’s irrefutable word. Brothers and Sisters, if you are in Christ, you are a saint called to honor him. You will know whether you are called or not, but it can’t be based on counting or pursuing good works. Those good works find their origin in the root of Christ. He is the root; works are the fruit. He is the vine. We are the branches. As branches, we cannot produce the fruit if not connected to the source of the fruit, the vine. John 15:5
Any church or pope cannot declare who is a saint. This is God’s work.
And no man takes this honor to himself, but he who is called by God, just as Aaron (the saint of the Lord) was. Hebrews 5:4