Our God is Holy (Part 3)

Because not god himself is not the only thing that’s called holy in scripture. Of course, we talked about the objects and days and things that are called holy but god is the one who calls it that but there’s as you go through both the Old Testament and the New Testament, there’s another thing that the lord applies the term holy to, and that is to his people. And he does so, he doesn’t very often say his holy people, but he uses another word that is played right off of the word holy and that is the word saint, saint.

And so that’s what I wanna spend a little bit of time talking about this morning is the saints. Now the word saint, we see that both in the Old Testament and the New Testament. The word saint is, you might be surprised to find this out, in the New Testament the word saint is the most common designation that the Lord gives to believers. Saints is the most common designation in the New Testament for a believer.

62 times in the New Testament, the word saint is used to refer to believers. And so, I wanna show you, but when we say saints, of course, we have a modern idea of saints, is certainly not scriptural and I’ll talk about that in just a minute. But let’s look at what the Bible says, what what the Bible means when it uses the word saint. Who is that referring to? First Corinthians six verse number one, the Bible says this, dare any of you having a matter against another go to law before the unbeliever, before the unjust and not before the what?

The saints. So, it’s it’s set in opposition to the unjust. So, the opposite of unjust would be? Just. So, in this case, the word saint refers to the just and again, remember, we’ve already studied this before but when we say just in scripture, we’re not talking about someone who who you know, weighs laws favorably or correctly. No, when we say just, we’re talking about the word righteous.

And this word saint is applied to those who have the imputed righteousness of Christ in this verse. Look if you would a little bit further in chapter 14 verse 33. Chapter 14 verse 33.

Chapter 14 verse 33. The Bible says this, for god is not the author of confusion but of peace as in all churches of the saints. So, who are the saints? The saints are those who are just, that’s the that’s righteous and the saints are those who are in the church. Churches of the saints. And then if you would go a little bit further into Philippians, Philippians chapter one, Philippians chapter one, verse one.

Philippians one verse one, the Bible says, Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ to all the saints in Christ Jesus, which are at Philippi with the bishops and deacons. The saints in this verse refers to those who are in Christ. That makes it a little bit more clear. Colossians, look at Colossians.

Colossians chapter one. Colossians chapter one verse number two. Says this, To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ, which are at Colossae. Saints and faithful brethren. So in this verse, the saints are kind of attached to or equated with faithful brethren who are in Christ, brothers and sisters in the Lord. And lastly, look at first Thessalonians next next book, chapter one also. First Thessalonians chapter one verse number This is not the right verse.

Let me see if it’s in the other verse. Second Thessalonians, excuse me. Second Thessalonians chapter one says this, when he shall come to be glorified in all his saints and to be admired in all them that what does it say? Believe. Because our testimony among you was believed in that day. So, scripturally, what are we talking about when we say the word saint? We’re talking about a believer. We’re talking about someone who’s in the church. We’re talking about someone who is in Christ, someone who is just, who has been justified, we’re talking about, so in essence, this is what I want you to see, is the word saint is applied to, it’s a generic term that is applied to all believers, all believers.

That might sound a little bit unusual to us if you’ve not ever seen this before is because oftentimes, oh well, you know, he’s a saint. That means he’s like more righteous than everyone else. And there’s an element of that which we’ll see but but the word saint in scripture doesn’t refer to a special kind of Christian but to any kind of Christian, to any believer, and anyone who is in Christ. What’s And interesting about the word saint is that the word saint is actually under the surface, it is the word holy that is being applied to a person.

It is literally, quite literally, the same word that is translated in our Bible holy as in Holy Spirit is the same exact word that is translated saint when it applies to a believer. In other words, we’re a saint you could say means holy one or one who’s holy. Now, we’ve already seen what holiness is and that’s gonna be important in just a minute. So, the word saint just just means a holy one. It means holy. God applies this to a believer.

Now, in this case, now I’m going to read you Isaiah 5seven 15 and pay close attention to this, it says this, For thus saith the high and lofty one that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is, capital H, holy. I dwell in the high and holy place with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. You see this? Whose name is holy. So if God’s name is holy, whenever God uses that same word and applies it to a believer, you know what He’s doing? He is taking a name of his own and applying it to a person.

He is calling a believer by one of his own attributes. To me that’s very interesting. Now we already know from this is why it’s important for us to get the foundation and the background of the word holy that when we say holy, we’re not talking about righteous. And there is overlap, but primarily that’s why we looked at holy ground. Again, no moral value, that’s not what we’re talking about. When we say holy as far as God’s holiness, we’re referring to the fact that god is separate and totally distinct and separate and and the the idea of distance from everything that is not god, right? And that’s why remember he said, take off your shoes to Moses and stand over there. He he told the children of Israel not to come to the mount. Stay away. Stay away. I’m holy. You’re profane.

I, you know, that’s the idea. But god takes that very same attribute of his, that separateness, that hallowedness, that distinctiveness. And he calls us by that. And when he does so, he is not so much referring to the way we live. So when God calls us a saint, he’s not saying, he he’s not making a statement about how righteous we live. That’s often how how we say it in kind of our modern modern vernacular, but that’s not what the lord is saying. So, the designation of the of the the term saint is less about the practical righteousness of the people God has named that way and it is more about their state or their condition before God.

Because we know there are saints, by that I mean believers. Some believers live in a way that is practically righteous, right? Some believers live uprightly and avoid sin. No believers without sin in the sense of God’s absolute righteousness. No believers totally without sin. First John tells us if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves. And so that the idea that there’s any believer that has no sin whatsoever on his account is just deluded himself.

Alright, so that’s why and if that were the case, then God could not rightly call us a saint, but he does. He does call us a saint, which tells us that there are saints sometimes that sometimes live uprightly and godly and in a in a way that is righteous, and we know there are saints who don’t. And you don’t have to look any further than like we’ll see this morning, David or Lot or Abraham on his bad days or Moses on his bad days. Saints all the time throughout scripture are not people who never had fault so that’s not what we’re talking about when we say the word saint. God is referring to our condition, our state before him. Do you understand that’s different?

I have my children here, right? Grandchildren, child. As far as my children’s condition or state before me or state with me, that never changes, right? That’s a matter of our relationship that never changes. But in a practical sense, our relationship can change based upon whether my kids do what I tell them to do and that kind of thing, in that kind of way. But no matter what it is, what the relationship is practically, our condition, our state before God does not change.

And that is a matter, here’s the keyword, that is a matter of calling. That is a matter of calling, not performance. This is what people always get mixed up. And sometimes people have misused this. How many of you have heard this terminology, all the performance, performance?

God does not require us to perform, people say things like that. But so often that’s abused, is it not? It’s to say, well, salvation is not a matter of performance. But really it’s kind of a Trojan horse to say and to argue that well it doesn’t really matter because how you live practically. Well that’s not right either, does God care how you live practically?

Yeah, of course, so it will be. But the truth is, as always, it’s when the pendulum is in the middle and the truth is that our state and our condition before God, He calls us a saint and that’s regardless of our quote unquote performance or in other words how we live practically. And so someone who is carnally minded might look at that and say, well, doesn’t matter. Doesn’t matter what I do, I’m a saint, whoop dee doo. Well no, your calling is a saint and we’re gonna see this very clearly in the Bible, in the text of scripture but your calling as a saint never that doesn’t change because it is a calling.

Yes, sir? It’s like Paul said, shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Mhmm. Exactly. Right. Right. And that’s that’s the danger. That’s the danger. You see, in god’s reckoning, the saints, remember saints means separate. It means distinct. It means unlike the others, right? And and and I know my I I understand my definition and explanation is it it falls short but I I trust that we all kind of have our brain around it a little bit but this is applied then to believers.

The in god’s reckoning, the saints are a distinct group from the rest of humanity. They are unlike the others. That’s why they’re holy. Again, we’re not talking about practical righteousness. We’re talking about god’s calling, right? Our condition before God. In other words, God views you, God views you as a saint and we as the corporate saints of God as different. We are not as the rest of humanity.

We are not as the rest of humanity. Now let me make a statement. Are there people who live practically righteousness, practically more righteous than believers on earth. Yes. But that makes no difference as to how they’re viewed by God. They can, in their daily practical life, their choices, they can live a way that involves less sinful activity and I’m just referring to the externals, mean we could argue the details all day long but there are people that would live more uprightly than many saints but that does not make them a saint because that is a matter of condition and calling.

Now, don’t just take my word for it. We’re gonna see it in the in the scripture. The word saint, the fact that God applies it to us, shows that we are unlike the others, we are distinct group in humanity and God’s reckoning.

But it does not necessarily indicate a purity of life but it indicates a hallowedness to the person of god, a distinctness from everyone else around us. Now, let me just say a point before we get to in fact, I got two things that are competing here. Alright, I’ll just say this and then we’ll look at the text again. This idea of sainthood that religions push and they push, it was in Rome Catholicism and in the Protestant Reformation. The idea that normal believer could be somehow canonized by the church, selected you know, upon some criteria and then they could be dubbed a saint is holy and totally foreign to scripture. There is nowhere in the Bible where that is supported in the least.

In fact, in fact, if a person is not a saint, then that means by definition, they are among the perishing world. That’s what the definition means. And besides that, the one of the most abundant places you see the word saint besides revelation is Acts in the early church. You tell me every one of those people, men and women, you tell me all of those people went through some process where the church canonized them, give me a break, give me a break. I’m just, listen, what I’m saying is if we got that wrong, something so plainly obvious in Scripture, I mean, what else is wrong here?

Right, something plain. What is our basis? So this whole idea of the canonized saints that is so common among religion is just totally, it’s not true. It’s not scriptural at all. Look at Romans chapter one.

Look at Romans chapter one if you would. Now, I told you that the condition or or state of being a saint before God is not about is not measured by your your practical righteousness, but it is a question of your status. It is a question of your calling. Romans one verse number seven.

To all that be in Rome, Paul speaks, beloved of God called to be saints. You see this, called to be saints. Called to be saints. Now, does you see how to be is in italics? Do you see that?

Here’s what’s here’s what’s if you read this, if we were to read this as God is telling us to live right, to live righteous. See, has called us to be saints. See, we’re working toward sainthood. You could understand it in that way, you would be wrong, very wrong. What this means is that God’s calling upon us is what makes us saints as a matter of condition. And what is that, what is this calling that we’re referring to? You very often in the New Testament, the Bible refers to the fact that we are the called of Jesus Christ and it simply means, we’re gonna see in the scripture, but it simply means that that the Lord came to us, called our name, drew us to himself and we are saved because he came to us and this idea that god initiated, initiated to us the invitation for us to to believe and receive eternal life, become one of his people, become part of the church, that was all God calling us. That wasn’t us seeking after God, it was God calling us, right? And we answered, which is why we believe, we repented and trusted in Christ. But it started with a call of God. That’s why in scripture, saints are called, called.

It means God called them. Does God call people that do not answer? Absolutely, many people and that’s born out in the scripture as well. Look if you would at Romans, we’re already here chapter eight, I want to show you this because this is an interesting fact. Romans eight verse 30 Or verse 29, for whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate, then he also called.

Whom he called and whom he called, then he also justified, and whom he justified, then he also glorified. You’re the called of Jesus Christ. That means he he called out to you. Look at first Corinthians chapter seven. First Corinthians chapter seven.

Verse 22. For he that is called in the Lord being a servant is the Lord’s freeman. Likewise also he that is called being free is Christ’s servant. He’s just saying to to people in different stations of life. If if you’re if you’re called by Christ while you’re a servant and you believe, right? You become a believer while you’re a servant. That’s you’re called while you’re a servant. That’s all it’s referring to. It’s referring to that time when you have trusted in Christ because he called you. Alright, look at chapter look at Ephesians chapter one.

I’m just going in the book order of the Bible here. Ephesians one Verse 18, The eyes of your understanding being enlightened that you may know what is the hope of his calling and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the greatness of his power to usward, exceeding greatness of his power to usward who believe according to the working of his mighty power. So when Christ called us, it wasn’t just a call to be forgiven or to have eternal life. No, his calling was big.

Christ’s calling was not only all of those things but his calling was all of the all of the blessings of salvation. We are called to receive them and it is as sure as done. It is as as good as done in his in his sight. Look if you would at second Thessalonians chapter one. Second Thessalonians chapter one.

Verse 11, Wherefore we all we pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power. Last one, look at second Timothy chapter one.

Second Timothy chapter one. :Nine, Who hath saved us and called us with an holy there it is, holy calling. You know what that is? Called to be saints. The same word holy is saint. He’s called us to that, not to do that that we might obtain, but his calling includes us being called the holy people of God, the saints. I just want you to see that what a blessing it is that we are the called people of God, with that comes that designation that we have as the saints of God.

God doesn’t view us as He views the rest of this world, He views us in a distinctive way that is unlike them. He separates us from this world. Now what does that mean in practice? What does that mean in practice? Here’s what it means. By calling, you are a saint of God, you are holy, you are distinct from those around you. Therefore, live out because that is true already, not you are trying to obtain that, you have it already, that’s a part of your calling.

You got that when you believed. But now that you have obtained that, live up to that designation in practice. You see? So interesting how the blessings of salvation are always front loaded and then the Lord says, now that you have all these blessings live up to them.

Listen to these verses, Ephesians five three. But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not be once named among you as becometh saints. See that? In other words, the Lord’s saying, you’re different than this world. I have separated you from them as a distinct people. You are holy unto me. So live different. Right? Be different in practice.

Hebrews twelve ten, for they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure, but he for our profit that we might be partakers of his holiness. Romans six nineteen, I speak after manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh. For as you have yielded your members as servants to uncleanness and to iniquity, unto iniquity that is before you knew Christ, even so now yield your members as servants to righteousness unto holiness. In other words, look, you are the saints now. So now use your members, your body, use your body for righteousness unto holiness.

See how they’re different? In other words, our practical life should demonstrate that distinctiveness that we have in the world and thereby in this truth, we see the overlap between righteousness and holiness. They’re not the same, they are distinct, but they overlap and here’s how they overlap. In a practical moral sense, the idea of being holy means that we are distinct and separated from the wickedness of the world. In other words, there is a remoteness between us and the wickedness of this world in the practical sense. And so when when God says to be holy, He’s saying this world is wicked, you need to have distance between that in a practical sense.

You’re not trying to earn sainthood, you have it, we have it. Now, live up to it. Live up to it. Alright, one more passage and we’re finished. One Thessalonians chapter four.

One Thessalonians four:three. Says this, verse three, For this is the will of God, even your, what does it say? Sanctification. That’s related to the word holy because that’s the idea of being separated, right? Not exactly the same but very similar, they’re kissing cousins, I don’t recommend that but that’s what they are. Alright, that ye should abstain from, what does it say? You see God, separate yourself from the wickedness of this world and that which they practice, in this case fornication.

Keep going. That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel, that’s his body, in sanctification and honor, not in the lust of concupiscence, that’s sexual immorality, even as the Gentiles which know not God. See how the Lord’s saying repeatedly, he’s saying now, they do that, you do this, distance. They’re over there, you’re over here. It’s not a matter of who’s better, that’s not the question.

It’s a matter of distinction and distance between wickedness, what we used to be, and what a saint should be. He says, verse six, that no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any manner matter because that the lord is the avenger of all such as we have forewarned you and testified. For god hath not called us unto, what does it say? Uncleanness, that’s immorality but unto holiness.

Why has god called us into holiness? You know why? Because he calls us saints. Done. If for no other reason we have that reason, to live in a way that in the moral sense is holy, that is remote and distant from everything that is wicked and in that way the Lord calls us, you’re a saint. So you should live according to that calling. Right? Let’s pray.