In some religions, only a few select people are considered saints.  For example, in the Catholic Church, a person must have lived a life of heroic virtue before death and be the subject of at least two verified miracles after death.

The truth is in the Lord’s body, every member is a saint.  We became saints immediately when we obeyed the gospel.  Listen to Paul addressing the Christians in Rome.

Romans 1:7 (ESV)
⁷ To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

It was not that some of the Christians in Rome were saints.  Paul said that all those in Rome were called to be saints.  What is a saint?  It is not someone who is awarded certain privileges after death.  It is a person who is set apart by the gospel of Christ.  The Greek word for saint is hagios.  Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary defines it as such:

“To venerate, fundamentally signifies ‘separated’ (among the Greeks, dedicated to the gods), and hence, in Scripture, in its moral and spiritual significance, separated from sin and therefore consecrated to God, sacred.”

The Greek word for “saint” is from the same family of words from which we get the words “holy” and “sanctify.”  This is what we are called to be when we become Christians.  We are called to live holy lives.

1 Peter 1:15-16 (ESV)
¹⁵ But as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, ¹⁶ since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

To be holy is to live a life separated from the world.  Here is Paul in another place.

2 Corinthians 6:17 (ESV)
¹⁷Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you,

Again, this is what we have been called to be.  The question is, are we living in accordance with our calling?  Paul exhorts us to do so.

Ephesians 4:1 (ESV)
¹I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,

To walk in a manner worthy of the calling is to live by the gospel of Christ.  It means that we do not follow the ways of the world, but instead live distinctive lives that set us apart from the world.  Our speech is different.  Our dress is different.  Our beliefs are different.  Our standard of living is different.  Our morals are different.  Almost everything about us reveals that while we are in this world, we are not of this world (John 17:14).

It is when we live as saints that the world takes notice of us.  They may commend the difference in us, or they may despise us for it, but they will notice us.  We should want the world to notice us, not for our own glorification but for the glorification of our heavenly Father (Matthew 5:14-16).

We are called to be saints.  Let’s act like it.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.