Saint

The English word 'saint' is derived from the Latin word sanctus, which translates the Greek hagiois, "holy". In common parlance the adjective describes someone who is morally pure and upright. While the idea of such moral purity is not absent from the biblical usage of the word, primarily the word denotes what has been set apart for God's use. "The word 'saint' is not a description of what they are like but of what God has done for them. It indicates that they have been set apart for God and made pure and holy for his service."¹ The adjective was first applied to ancient Israel, whom Yahweh calls, "my holy people" (Exo 22:31) and, in commanding them, asserts as the reason for obedience, "for you are a people holy to the LORD your God. Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the Lord has chosen you to be his treasured possession" (Deu 14:2). In the NT, the term came naturally to be applied to all who believe in Jesus, and is the typical term Paul uses in addressing his audiences in his letters. With the use of this term, Paul naturally had a right to assume that any one who identifies him/herself should naturally, be expected to live a life of moral rectitude.

In all his letters Paul addresses his audience as 'saints.' Such we are, and it should not cause us to shrink in shame. It denotes that we have been set aside for God. And as such we should live, so that we don't have to shrink back in embarrassment.

The Roman Catholic Church has not done the church a favour in its custom of designating certain persons, through the formal process of beatification, to be especially revered as 'saints.' Not only has this obfuscated the true meaning of word, but by the association of these saints with particular realms of influence. In so doing she has encouraged superstitions among the more simple-minded believers in the church, e.g., to pray to St Raphael for healing, to Isidore for rain, St Medardus for good weather, etc., when they—all the more because they are simple-minded—should be helped to turn their hearts wholeheartedly to God our Father in Christ instead. The desire to remember these persons certainly is laudable; the method of it is disastrous for the health of the church.

Notes:

1. Yusufu Turaki, "Ephesians" in Africa Bible Commentary, ed. By Tokunboh Adeyemo (Nairobi/Grand Rapids: WordAlife/Zondervan, 2006), 1426.