[UntoHim]

Originally Posted by Scribe

...But those who have ever walked in a local church use the Word to mean fellow believer. This also is not the meaning. To be a believer and to be a saint are not the same thing. ..To be a saint is more than this. I am always glad to find a fellow believer. But to find a saint is holy. This thread is the call to all saints. So what is a saint?

Very intriguing Scribe! At first glance I must admit that I agreed with what you wrote. I thought, yes, "saint" does seem to indicate something further or higher then "believer" or "disciple". But, "upon further review" (as they say in the NFL) I think this is a wrong premise. I am more then willing to hear something further from you regarding this. As Suanne says, you seem to have something on your mind. Don't be a tease Scribe, hit us with both barrels! Your revelation is just as good as mine, providing you can back it up with some scripture of course.

One of the most positive things I have taken from my Local Church experience is the use of this term "saint" among the believers. Of course there is always the danger that any term that is used so often can become common, which would be kind of ironic considering the term "saint" denotes something uncommon, something special, something separated unto God. In my thinking, we are not called to be saints anymore then we are called to be a son or a daughter. We get those designations at birth, and in the case of being a saint we get it at our new birth. So to be a believer is to be a disciple, to be a disciple is to be a saint. You can change the order here and it won't hurt my feelings.

Frankly your idea of a "saint" being something more then a "believer" reminds me of the worst of what came from Nee and Lee, especially Lee. Other Christians use this term "saint", albeit sparingly, but few use it in the exclusive manner of the Local Church. When LCers say "I'm going to be with some saints", they invariably mean members of the Local Church of Witness Lee. How this can be viewed any different then some Lutherans saying the exact same thing (when they really mean some members of their local Lutheran fellowship) is beyond me. Maybe you can fill me in on the real difference.

Saints,
I found this to be pretty good:
http://www.gotquestions.org/saints-Christian.html

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Question: "What are Christian saints according to the Bible?"

Answer: The word saint comes from the Greek word "hagios" which means “consecrated to God, holy, sacred, pious." It is almost always used in the plural, “saints.” "…Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to Your saints at Jerusalem" (Acts 9:13). "Now as Peter was traveling through all those regions, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda" (Acts 9:32). "And this is just what I did in Jerusalem; not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons … “(Acts 26:10). There is only one instance of the singular use and that is "Greet every saint in Christ Jesus…" (Philippians 4:21). In Scripture there are 67 uses of the plural “saints” compared to only one use of the singular word “saint.” Even in that one instance, a plurality of saints is in view “…every saint…” (Philippians 4:21).

The idea of the word “saint” is a group of people set apart for the Lord and His kingdom. There are three references referring to godly character of saints; "that you receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints …" (Romans 16:2). "For the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ" (Ephesians 4:12). "But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints" (Ephesians 5:3).

Therefore, Scripturally speaking, the “saints” are the body of Christ, Christians, the church. All Christians are considered saints. All Christian are saints…and at the same time are called to be saints. 1 Corinthians 1:2 states it clearly, “To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy…” The words “sanctified” and “holy” come from the same Greek root as the word that is commonly translated “saints.” Christians are saints by virtue of their connection with Jesus Christ. Christians are called to be saints, to increasingly allow their daily life to more closely match their position in Christ. This is the Biblical description and calling of the saints.
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