I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t offer an alternate view. Like I mentioned before, I’m new to the Catholic worldview and have been unwaiveringly Protestant my whole life. But, once I took on an Exorc
I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t offer an alternate view. Like I mentioned before, I’m new to the Catholic worldview and have been unwaiveringly Protestant my whole life. But, once I took on an Exorcist-type roll, my worldview has been expanding faster than usual.
Saint originates from the Greek word meaning “holy” or “set apart.” For example, in Acts 9:13, Simon says, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints [set-apart people] at Jerusalem.” Here, saints refers to all the Christians at Jerusalem, not to a special group of Christians.
The New Testament uses the word saint or saints 67 times. In every instance, the reference is to all believers (e.g., Acts 26:10; Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:2). Never is the word used of a special group of believers who serve God better than others. Scripture is clear that all Christians are saints.
This biblical view is much different from the traditional Roman Catholic view of saints. In Catholic theology, saints are a special class of believers who have been canonized. Canonization is the process by which the Catholic Church confers sainthood upon a person based on that person’s special deeds. It is an honor bestowed posthumously. In contrast, the Bible views every Christian as a saint, as someone set apart for God’s work. Ephesians 4:12teaches that the spiritual gifts are given “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.” Clearly, the “saints” are ordinary Christians involved in service in the church.
Another interesting observation regarding the biblical view of saints is that they are almost exclusively referred to in plural form—”saints.” Even the one exception, found in Philippians 4:21, has more than one believer in mind: “Greet every saint in Christ Jesus.” The church is a team.
In the Old Testament, the word translated “saint” is the Hebrew qadowsh. It means sacred, Holy One, set apart. It does not only refer to people (Psalm 16:3) but, as the adjective “holy,” also describes a place (Leviticus 6:16), food (Leviticus 7:6), and God (Leviticus 20:26). The Aramaic qaddiysh is related (Daniel 7:22). The word “saint” in the New Testament is the Greek agioss. It can also be translated holy and refers to people (Matthew 27:52), the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18), Jerusalem (Matthew 4:5), the Holy of Holies in the Temple (Matthew 24:15), prophets (Acts 3:21), and general believers (2 Corinthians 1:1). Nowhere is the term restricted to a particular class of individual that is granted the title by the organizational au