What Does Saint Mean? Who is a True Saint?

" But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.,"?(Daniel 7:18)

The above Scripture verse is a significant declaration of hope and assurance for saints. It speaks of the ultimate victory of God's kingdom and the reign of the saints alongside Him.

The "saints of the most High" refer to God's chosen people, those who are faithful and obedient to Him. One of the key themes in this verse is the sovereignty of God. This theme brings comfort and encouragement to saints, reminding them that no matter how awful the world may seem, God is ultimately in control and His kingdom will prevail. Another prominent theme in this verse is the concept of eternal life. The phrase "even for ever and ever" emphasizes God's kingdom's everlasting nature and the saints' inheritance. This reassures saints that their future with God is secure and unending. It speaks to the hope of a future beyond this earthly life, where saints will reign with God in His eternal kingdom.

The allegory in this verse is also significant. The ultimate hope for man lies not in the nations of this world but in the kingdom of Christ. "take the kingdom" implies a transfer of power and authority from the earthly kingdoms to God's kingdom. In the final consummation, the kingdoms of the earth will become the kingdom of King Jesus.? He will reign forever and ever, a world without end.

The possession of the kingdom by the saints indicates their participation in the rule and reign of God. This symbolism reinforces the idea of the saints as co-heirs with Christ, sharing in His victory and authority. ?Hence Daniel 7:18 is a powerful declaration of the ultimate triumph of God's kingdom and the eternal reward for His faithful people. It emphasizes the sovereignty of God, the promise of eternal life, and the saints' participation in His divine rule. We look for a different King and kingdom.?Jesus Christ is our King, we shall reign with him,?Revelation 1:6?20:4, and possess the kingdom forever,?Matthew 19:28?1 Corinthians 1:9?6:3?1 Peter 2:9?Revelation 5:10. This shall be forever because Christ’s kingdom is the last kingdom, never any shall succeed after that. As the words of a popular song say,?

“This world is not my home;

I’m just passing through.

My treasures are laid up

Somewhere beyond the blue.

The angels beckon me

From Earth to heaven’s shore,

And I can’t feel at home

In this world anymore.”?

As the song states, this world is not our home.? We are merely pilgrims on a journey.? We should not dwell on the things of this world, but instead set our minds on our eternal home, which is Heaven.? ?When we draw our last breath, what we have accumulated here on the earth will go to someone else. After we pass from this life our fate is sealed and we will be judged by what is written in the word of God (John 12:48). Life here on earth is so temporary and short. James 4:14 says, “How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.” Many people are living their lives as though they will live forever here on the earth. But the apostle Paul was longing to leave this world and go home to heaven. He says, “For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless, to remain in the flesh is more needful for you…For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 2:9. “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”? We have, “an inheritance incorruptible and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,” “knowing that you have a better and enduring possession for yourselves in heaven. Our home will be either heaven or hell. We choose as to where we will go while we are here on Earth. If one is not preparing to go to heaven he will end up in hell. No one will accidentally go to heaven. Heaven is a Prepared Place for Prepared People. There is only one truth, one Savior, and one way to go to heaven. God sent His only begotten Son to deliver the world from perishing (John 3:16). There is only one true gospel of Grace: Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again to live forever (1 Corinthians 15:1-5) If our sights are set on heaven, we will do everything necessary to go there and bring others with us.

The Bible teaches that man has an immortal soul (Matthew 10:28, 2 Corinthians 5:6-8, Philippians 1:21- 23) and, in a future resurrection, will have an immortal body (1 Corinthians 15:35-58). This simply means that believers will live forever just like Jesus (Revelation 1:17-18, Philippians 3:20-21) because they have everlasting life and an immortal body (John 3:16-18, 5:24-29). Jesus also clearly promised His disciples that He was going to return to heaven after His death and resurrection to prepare a special place for believers who are church saints to live. Saints are the bride of Christ and Jesus will live with His bride in this prepared place (John 14:1-6, 2 Corinthians 11:1-2, Ephesians 5:22-33). Jesus made this unique promise to His disciples in John 14:1-6. Jesus didn’t want His disciples to be troubled about His announcement that He would soon be leaving them. He told them that He would be going back to heaven to prepare a dwelling place for all of His bride (John 14:1-3). After preparing this place in heaven, Jesus would come again (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) and gather all church saints unto Himself so that they could begin to live with Him forever. This is the blessed hope and glorious appearance of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13).?

Now a lot of people are confused about the word?Saint. Often when one hears the word saint, the first thing that comes to mind is a person who is especially holy or religious.?Some have been taught that saints are super-spiritual believers who lived high above the plane of everyone else and were awarded this exalted title after their deaths, in fact, according to the Bible every believer is a saint. Apostle Paul addressed?all?the believers in Rome as “the saints,” (Romans 1:7) not just a select group of believers.

When the Bible uses the word?saint, it refers to "every?child of God,?every?person who has entered the Kingdom through faith and trust in Christ as Savior and the Lord." If you are a believer, you are a saint, and if you are a saint, you are an heir to the Kingdom of God. In the context of the book of Daniel, this verse serves as a reminder to the Jewish exiles in Babylon that God has not forgotten His people. Despite the trials and tribulations, they were facing under foreign rule, God's ultimate plan is to establish His kingdom and give His people an eternal inheritance. This would have been a source of great encouragement to the exiles, reminding them that their current circumstances were temporary and that God's purposes for them extended far beyond their present situation.

The word “saint” comes from the Greek word?hagios, which means “consecrated to God, holy, sacred, pious." The word?saint?comes from the same root as the word?sanctified. To be?sanctified?means "to be set apart for a specific use; to be reserved for a special purpose." In the same way, we as saints are sanctified and set apart for God’s special purpose. Collectively, we are the Church, the?ecclesia?in Greek, which also means the "called-out ones?’ First Peter 2:9 applies this same language to believers: “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

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).

Therefore, scripturally speaking, the “saints” are the body of Christ, the church. ?In the Bible, everyone who has received Jesus Christ by faith is a saint. ?In other words, all born-again Christians are considered saints. First 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 as “saints.”?Ephesians 2:19 says: “So then you are no longer?strangers and aliens,?but you are?fellow citizens with the saints and?members of the household of God.”

The idea of the word “saints” is a group of people set apart for the Lord and His kingdom. let us look at three references to the 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). To understand what it means that every follower of Christ is a saint, we can look at it from two different—but complementary—angles.

The first is our position before God. In?1 Corinthians 1:30, Paul writes that Christ Jesus “became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption.” The word translated as “sanctification” (or “holiness” in some translations) is part of the same word family as the word for “saint.” All who are identified with Jesus Christ by faith are given the status of “holy” before God because of what Jesus has done for us. In 1 Corinthians, Paul calls all Believers “saints”: “To the church of God which is in Corinth,?to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, the called saints, with all those who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place, who is theirs and ours.”

The second angle is our experience. In other words, because of our status as “holy ones,” our lives should reflect that reality. Peter challenges believers to “not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct” (1 Pet 1:14-15). This command is grounded with a quote from?Leviticus 11:44— “since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy” (1 Pet 1:16). ?As Christians, we demonstrate that we are set apart for God's special purposes by living lives that reflect the moral?purity?of God himself. In that sense,?Hebrews 12:14?can exhort believers to “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.” 1 Thessalonians 4:3 says God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin.

A Call to Holiness (1 Peter 1:14-16)

God calls all people to holiness. 1 Peter 1?says, “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.'” (1 Peter 1:15-16) The Bible is a book of invitations! Beginning here and continuing to the very last verses of Revelation, God is involved in the business of inviting people to come to Him for salvation, for the help they need, and for the things they lack in life. When God calls us to “be holy,” it is not so much a call to action as it is an invitation to impartation. More specifically, holiness is imparted to us by the Holy Spirit, who IS the Spirit of Holiness (see?Romans 1:4?and?Isaiah 11:2).?? The word “come” is used some 1,972 times in the Bible.?Gen. 7:1?is the first time it is used as a command and as an invitation. Here, God calls Noah and his family to come into the?Ark?so that they might be saved from the flood of water that He is about to send upon the earth. God is still inviting people to enter an?Ark?of Safety. There was only one ark and there was only one door. So there's only one way to be saved - God's way. There's only one way to God's way - the Lord Jesus Christ who said, “I am the door.” (John 10:9) When the flood of God's judgment is poured out one last time on this rebellious earth, the only thing that's going to matter is this: which side of that door are you on?

The only people who can be a part of God’s kingdom are those who have repented of their sins and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. Your salvation will include eternal life and possession of God’s kingdom. If you have turned away from your sins and trusted in Jesus and what he has done on the cross, you are a saint, a “holy one.” God has set you apart for his special purposes in this world and has sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in you. The Holy Spirit is at work in you to transform your life so that you reflect the ultimate holy one, the Lord Jesus Christ.

When Jesus was here on the earth, He made many promises to His followers, but perhaps none is as great as His promise that He will indeed return to this earth one day,?Matt. 24:27-30. The last recorded words of the Lord Jesus in the Bible are,?"Surely I come quickly.",?Rev. 22:20! Jesus is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords! One day, He will return to power and the world will be forced to admit that which they have always denied: that Jesus is indeed King! What a day that will be! We are the ones who will receive the Kingdom, we are the ones who will see our power, authority, and dominion restored, The Kingdom is not reserved for us alone, but for many, many others as well who are still outside and need to be brought in, That is why when Christ saved us and brought us into His Kingdom, He made us ambassadors so that we could go out and bring others in.

Daniel had a joyful prospect of the prevalence of God's kingdom among men. Daniel 7:18 refers to the second coming of our blessed Lord when the saints shall triumph in the complete fall of Satan's kingdom. The saints of the Most High shall possess the kingdom forever. Far be it from us to infer from hence, that dominion is founded on grace. It promises that the gospel kingdom shall be set up; a kingdom of light, holiness, and love; a kingdom of grace, the privileges, and comforts of which shall be the earnest and first fruits of the kingdom of glory. But the full accomplishment will be in the everlasting happiness of the saints, the kingdom that cannot be moved. The gathering of the whole family of God will be a blessedness of Christ's coming. When Jesus comes again, He will complete God’s plan for the ages and He will be glorified. To see Him honored, loved, lifted, magnified, and glorified should be the desire of every child of God,?1 Cor. 10:31. To see the eternal purposes and plans of God brought to pass should be the prayer of every saint. ?God bless

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