We had a lovely sermon today at church. Our vicar was talking about Saints. He asked who are the Saints?

The answer is, we are!

Romans 1:1-7 says 

"Paul, a servant of Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God..........Among whom are ye also called of Jesus Christ: To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints; Grace to you and peace........"

As our vicar said, the Greek word used for Saints is Hagios, which means, *'separate from common condition and use; dedicated or, hallowed; used of things, the sanctuary; and of persons, saints, e.g., members of the first Christian communities; pure, righteous, ceremonially or morally; holy'

I looked it up and everywhere I looked up the word saints, it was the same Greek word Hagios that was used.

So, as I understand it, anyone who answers God's call is recognised as a saint, because we are separated for God. We are called to be pure and Holy for the glory of our God. 

We live in the world, but we are not of the world, because Jesus called us, and we responded. John 15:19 says, 'If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you do not belong to the world, but I chose you out of the world, for this reason the world hates you.' (People do not like what they do not understand).

The word chose here is the Greek word, eklegomai, which means,*'to pick out; in NT to choose, select, or, to choose out as the recipients of special favour and privilege'  

When we hear his voice and understand what Jesus did for us on the cross, we choose to respond to his show of absolute, unconditional love, by changing our minds and behaving differently from those around us - possibly very differently from how we previously behaved. This is unnerving to those who do not understand why we no longer go to the places we used to go to, or say the things we used to say, or join in with activities we used to enjoy. 

Jesus described it like this, "My sheep listen to my voice, I know them, they follow me, and I give them eternal life" John 10:27. 

He calls, we answer, he picks us out to receive special favour and privilege. 

So, in short, because we answered His call, He has turned us from sinners - outcasts of God's kingdom, into saints - loved and highly favoured by God, not by our own works, but by the sacrifice Jesus made for us, all we did was accept him as our Lord and Saviour.

How good is our God?

This is how I understand my God.

Read for yourself, see what you think.

*Mounce reverse-interlinear new testament