Who is a Saint? by Donald C. Elifson
The answer to this question must be from the Bible because God alone
has the right to state the qualifications for sainthood. When we say
tha Bible has the sanwer, we do not mean merely the Protestant Bible,
but the Roman Catholic Bible as well. Every Bible teaches the same on
this subject, if we confine ourselves to the text itself.
A saint is not a person who is now dead and declared such by a
religious organization because he did so many good works and preformed
miracles while he was alive on this earth. First, no one can do more
good works than God requires - "When ye shall have done all those
things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants; we
have done that which was our duty to do." (Luke 17:10). In the light of
these plain words from the mouth of the Lord Jesus Christ, how can
anyone say that any person can do more than God requires? It is
impossible for a man to fulfill God's holy law because man is a sinner
by nature and practice. "For all have sinned, and come short of the
glory of God." (Romans 3:23). In the text of Luke 17:10 our Lord is
speaking to the apsotles who had believed on Him as the Son of God;
even the apostles could not do works of supererogation, i.e., more than
Christ required. So if the apostles could not do more than God
commanded, how can any person today do more?
Second, if the performance of miracles is necessary to become a
saint, then no one can qualify today because there are no miracles
being performed today, as recorded in the Bible. Notice what Christ
commanded the apostles to do in Matthew 10:8. "Heal the sick, cleanse
the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils; freely ye have recieved,
freely give." No one today can do the miracles listed above. It is true
that some claim they can, but their claims have proven fraudulent. The
sign gifts of the New testament have passed away (1 Corinthians 13:8).
The Apsotle Paul tells us that "lying wonders" will be performed to
support a false worship (2 Thess. 2:9) Satan has been suporting a false
worship by means of lying wonders ever since the magicians opposed
Moses back in Pharaoh's palace (Ex. 7:10-12). The climax of satan's
religious deceit will be in the future when the Antichrist will be
reigning on this earth. (Rev. 13:13-15).
No, a sinner does not become a saint by performing more good works
than God requires and by performing miracles, but by faith in the
finished work of Christ on the cross. The great word of true
Christianity is, "It is finished." (John 19:30). This word was spoken
by Christ from the cross after He had suffered for our sins and
completed the necessary payment for sin that a holy God demanded. In
the six hours Christ was on the cross, He fully satisfied the demands
of a holy God which we could have never satisfied even if we has
suffered in hell forever. "He shall see of the travail of His soul and
shall be satisfied, by His knowledge shall my righteous servant justify
many; for He shall bear their iniquities. (Isaiah 53:11). If God the
Father says that He is satisfied with the work christ did on the cross,
then every human being should be satisfied. Yea, woe to the person who
has the audacity to deny that Christ made complete satisfaction for all
sins, past, present, and future of the true believer (Galations 1:8 &
9).
The book of Hebrews teaches that Christ is the only High Priest
whose once for all sacrifice makes the believing sinner a saint; i.e.,
makes him holy in the sight of God, "Jesus also, that He might sanctify
(make saints, make holy) the people with His own blood suffered without
the gate." (Hebrews 13:12). Our Lord willingly went to the cross for
our sins, and through the act of His will in dying; believers are made
holy, "By the which will we are sanctified (made saints), through the
offering of the body of Christ once for all (Hebrews 10:10).
I have spoken to people about their eternal destiny and some have
said, "Well, I would not call myself a saint." I have replied, "You
better if you want to be in God's heaven." If we are not a saint before
we die, we never will be one after death. The New Testament epistles
were written to living people who were addressed as saints by the
apostles. Notice several instances: "Called to be saints." (Romans
1:7). "To the saints at Ephesus." (Ephesians 1:1). "To all saints."
(Phillipians 1:1). The Apostle Peter wrote to those who were "Elect
according to the God the Father through sanctification of the Spirit
unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ." (1 Peter
1:2). These people were once lost, guilty sinners, but had been washed,
sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the
Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:11).
Thus we see from the Bible who is a saint. According to the Bible
the writer of this article is a saint by the grace of God having been
made holy, not by works, but by the cleansing power of the blood of
Christ. You too can become one of God's saints in the same way.
Donald C. Elifson ../ |