To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours.

(I Corinthians 1:2 NIV)

Two brothers terrorized their small town for decades. They were unfaithful to their wives, abusive to their children, and dishonest in business. Loud, arrogant, and cruel, they earned the reputation of being the worst kind of neighbors.

One day, the younger brother died. The older one went to the local preacher and said, “Preacher, I want you to do my brother’s funeral and I want you to say that my brother was a saint.”  The preacher hesitated. “We both know he wasn’t.”

The brother said, “I’ll give your church $100,000 if you’ll just call him a saint.”

At the funeral, the preacher said, “Everyone here knows the deceased was a wicked man — a womanizer, a drunk, a cheat, and a bully. But compared to his older brother… he was a saint.”

The word “saint” is often misunderstood. To many, it conjures up images of halos, stained glass, and unattainable perfection. But in Scripture, particularly in Paul’s letters, “saint” is the most common word used to describe followers of Jesus. In fact, Paul uses the word around 60 times, which is especially surprising when you realize he never once uses the term “Christian.”

“Saint” simply means “holy one.” And what makes someone holy is not flawless behavior, but the presence of a holy God.  Think about it: the ground where Moses stood was called holy ground because God was there. Mount Sinai was a holy mountain because God descended upon it.  The tabernacle and temple were holy spaces because God’s presence dwelled there.

And now, in Christ, those of us who are ordinary, imperfect people are called holy because God dwells in us.  We are not saints because we always act like saints (just ask the Corinthian church!).  We are saints because we belong to the Holy One — and his nearness changes everything. 

So live today aware of this truth: you are holy because God is near.

Prayer: Father, thank you for calling us saints — not because we’re perfect, but because you are present. Help us to live each day with the awareness that your holiness dwells within us, and may that awareness guide our actions.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

Alan Smith
Reprinted with permission from Alan Smith’s Thought For the Day