To the Saints

Understanding who the biblical saints are and what their nature is really like, is one of the most difficult subjects MPI church has to deal with. On one hand, the church has to lovingly correct the false view of saints being dead super-Christians who are now worthy of prayer and worship. Sadly, this false view is idolatry and is taught by Roman Catholicism.

On the other hand, many true Christians struggle with identifying themselves as holy, righteous and perfect in Christ because they let their struggles with sin redefine their nature. They make excuses from false humility (pride); "no one is perfect," "we're all sinners" and "God loves me just the way I am." This belief is found in most contemporary Christian songs, books and sermons.

For example, Casting Crowns in their popular K-Love song, Broken Together, sing;

"Maybe you and I we're never meant to be complete.
Could we just be broken together?
If you can bring your shattered dreams and I'll bring mine.
Could healing still be spoken and save us?
The only way we'll last forever is broken together."

(Note: Read how many modern pastors see themselves as being broken too).

However, this is not what the Bible teaches when it refers to brokenness. Brokenness is either a temporary place of repentance over sin or a broken heart from the hurt of others but nonetheless both circumstances of brokenness are to end in complete and total healing; brokenness according to God is never meant to last forever.

Isaiah wrote, "1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, 3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor" (Isaiah 61:1-3).

Therefore, the truth is that saints are living disciples of Christ who have been regenerated to be perfect, holy and righteous. It was always the Father's plan to make Jesus the first born among many brothers and sisters so we could all live like Him in this world (Romans 8:29).

John wrote, "This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus" (1 John 4:17). Also, see 1 John 3:2-3.

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SERMON TEXT

Ephesians 1:1 (NIV), “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus.”

Ephesians 1:1 (NKJV), "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus."

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IN-DEPTH STUDY OF "SAINT"

SAINT DEFINED: Greek, "hagios," which means, "holy, pure, consecrated, dedicated to God: most holy one or God's holy people."

PAUL'S USAGE OF SAINT: Paul used the word "saint" over 20x in his epistles and it never refers to those who are dead, but rather those who are alive and are holy and blameless like God (Ephesians 1:4). Here are the nine references for "saint" in the book of Ephesians; 1:1, 1:15, 1:18, 2:19, 3:8, 3:18, 4:12, 5:3 & 6:18. For further examples in Paul's other epistles see Romans 1:7, 15:25 & 16:2; 1 Corinthians 1:2, 14:33 & 16:15.

THE SAINTS IN HEAVEN: The times in the Bible when saints are mentioned in heaven, like in Revelation, they refer to all the followers of Christ who have died and are waiting for Jesus' return. There is no place in the Bible where a Christian prays to anyone but God nor is the title "saint" used of certain "super-Christians." The saints in heaven do not intercede for those on earth, only Jesus does, and saint is the term used of every born again Christian.

For example when the book of Revelation speaks about the "prayers of the saints," it is referring to the prayers of the saints on the earth coming before God in heaven. Revelation 8:3-4, "3 Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel's hand."

These prayers are not the prayers of people to the saints in heaven, but rather the prayers of the saints on earth brought before God in heaven as incense. David wrote in Psalm 141:2, "May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice." Jesus clearly taught that He was the only meditator between the Father and humanity (John 14:6) and Paul taught that all disciples were saints (Ephesians 1:1).

IN SUMMARY, SAINTS ARE...

1. All of God's holy people who have been born again,
2. Who are either on earth now doing the works of God or are in heaven waiting to return with Jesus (Jude 1:14-15),
3. And are not a special group of people who Christians pray to and make idols in their image;
4. Saint is the predominant title for disciples in the New Testament because it represents the restoration of the image of God inside of humanity.

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SAINTS ARE PERFECTLY SAVED AND MADE HOLY

Hebrews 10:14 (NET), "For by one offering he has perfected for all time those who are made holy." The word, "holy" ("hagiazo") in this verse is directly related to the term "saint" ("hagios") Therefore, to make this passage personal it could read, "For by one offering Jesus has perfected for all time those who are made saints."

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THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BEING & ACTING PERFECT

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UNDERSTANDING “BEING PERFECT”

1. PERFECT LIKE YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER: Jesus clearly taught that you were to “BE PERFECT,” just like your Heavenly Father is “PERFECT.” 
   1. Matthew 5:48, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” 
   2. Therefore, if you are born again your NATURE is PERFECT just as the Heavenly Father’s nature is PERFECT.
2. GODLY LIKE GOD: Peter boldly said you PARTICIPATE (share/partner) in the DIVINE NATURE.
   1. 2 Peter 1:4, “Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” 
   2. Therefore, if you have been BORN AGAIN, you have a NEW NATURE and it isn’t sinful, but rather it is DIVINE (godly, God-like).
3. PERFECTED BY JESUS’ OFFERING: Peter clearly said you were to BE HOLY (present tense) just like God is HOLY (present tense).
   1. 1 Peter 1:16, “For it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
   2. Therefore, there is no higher calling than being holy like God is holy (Isaiah 6:3). However, holiness doesn't come from your humanity but the divinity of the Holy Spirit in you.

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UNDERSTANDING ACTING (DOING) PERFECT

1. FORGIVE US: Jesus taught the Christian could still sin, even if their nature was perfect. Hence, the reason of teaching us to pray for forgiveness. 
   1. Matthew 6:12, “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”
   2. Therefore, we are EXPECTED to live PERFECT (free from sin), however, if we do not, we can be forgiven when we truly REPENT (confess our sins).
2. THE CRUCIFIED FLESH: Paul taught that though the soul/spirit of the believer was perfected and saved, we still live in a sinful body of flesh. Therefore, the flesh (our sinful body born cursed because of sin) was to be counted as CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST.
   1. Galatians 5:24, “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.“
   2. Therefore, if you do not “keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25) you will sin and fall into the temptation of the flesh. However, if you are led by the Spirit of God you will be “not be lead into temptation but delivered from all evil” (Matthew 6:13).
3. YOU ARE NOT TO SIN, BUT IF YOU DO: John the beloved disciple of Jesus taught that the believer should never make an excuse for sin, but rather should always aim to never sin. However, if the disciple should sin they can be confident that Jesus will forgiven them (not as a license to sin more) but rather to continue living in their new perfect and holy nature.
   1. 1 John 2:1-2, “1 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” 
   2. Therefore, sinning is not the "default position" of the believer- perfection and holiness is. Forgiveness is a means of returning to God’s mindset, not an excuse to say, “nobody is perfect,” and remain in sin (Romans 12:1-2).
   3. As a matter of fact John went on to teach in 1 John 3:9, “No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God.” 
   4. Likewise, the Christian cannot truly remain saved and continue in their sin because it is a contradiction of their nature. If they do, they will harden their heart and return to unbelief and be lost (Hebrews 3:12 & 10:26-31).

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THE PERFECTION TO COME AND THE PERFECTION ALREADY OBTAINED

Paul wrote in Philippians 3:10-16, "10 That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; 11 in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

12 Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. 13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

15 Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you; 16 however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained."

(1) PERFECTION TO COME: The perfection that Paul had not obtained in Philippians 3:12 is the perfect resurrected body of verse 11, this is also the perfect he spoke about in 1 Corinthians 13:10 (NASB), "but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away." Also see, Romans 7:24-25 & 1 Corinthians 15:53-54.

For Paul the flesh was the literally body of clay that was a tent for the spiritual soul (2 Corinthians 4:7-11 & 5:4). Paul taught that the flesh (the physical body, including the brain) is the place of ongoing temptation, hence its desires are to be counted as dead and crucified (Galatians 5:19-21, 24). This concept of the flesh always needing to be dealt with in an ongoing way for the disciple agrees with Jesus' command to "deny oneself, take up the cross and follow Him" (Matt. 16:24) and James' teaching on where sin comes from in the believer's life; the evil desires of the flesh (James 1:13-15).

(2) PERFECTION ALREADY OBTAINED: The perfection that Paul taught every disciple had and was to live up to was the inner perfect of the spiritual soul, "as many as are perfect," (Phil. 3:15). Paul believed that because the disciple was born again and made a new creation that they were perfectly saved and sanctified (2 Corinthians 5:17 & 1 Corinthians 6:11). All in-dwelling sin had been removed and the "default" position of the Christian was complete holiness, sanctification and righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21).

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"BORN AGAIN A SAINT"

I was born a sinner; with nothing good on the inside of me.
Since meeting Jesus Christ, I’ve born again a saint with a righteous identity.

Though the world may not see my entire sanctification,
My obedience to Christ will show I’m a perfect new creation.

Yes, it’s true that I don’t always reflect Christ in all my behavior,
But that doesn’t change the fact I share in His divine holy nature.

The life that I now live is not based on weak excuses,
like, “nobody is perfect,” because that wack thinking is useless.

I believe that by God’s grace I was made sinless,
So by that mindset I daily sin less, that’s why I stay blessed.

I live based on God’s Word and all of His precious promises to me,
in which Jesus promised, “who the Son sets free, is free indeed.”

So awake oh sleeper and Christ will shine on you,
He will raise you from the dead and make your spiritual soul brand new.