WHO IS A SAINT?

WHO IS A SAINT?

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

“… all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of men as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls out, but the Word of the Lord endures forever.”  Chapter 1, verses 24-25, from Peter’s first letter preserved by God in His Word.

  There is presently much in the news about sainthood. Our local Omaha World-Herald has given many inches of column space to the topic and recent events. Several media have explained the pious process in detail.  But has any mass media in this Christian nation explained sainthood according to Sovereign God’s Book?

  For your convenient review and consideration, from first mention to last:

Ps.106:16  And they were jealous of Moses in the camp, and Aaron the saint of Jehovah.

Phil.4:21  Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me greet you.

Deut.33:2-3  And he said: Jehovah came from Sinai and rose up from Seir to them. He shone forth from Mount Paran, and He came with ten thousands of saints. From His right went a fiery law for them. Yea, He loved the people. All His saints are in Your hand, and they sat down at Your feet. Everyone shall receive of Your words.

1Sam.2:9 He keeps the feet of his saints, and the wicked are silenced in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.

2Chr.6:41 And now arise, O Jehovah God, into Your resting-place, You, and the ark of Your strength. Let Your priests, O Jehovah God, be clothed with salvation, and let Your saints rejoice in goodness. …

Job 5:1, 15 Call now, is there anyone who will answer you? And to which of the saints will you turn? … Behold, He puts no trust in His saints; yea, the heavens are not clean in His sight.

Ps.16:3 As to the saints in the earth, they are the excellent, in whom is all my delight.

Ps.30:4  Sing praises to Jehovah, O you saints of His, and give thanks at the memory of His holiness.

Ps.31:23  O love Jehovah, all you saints of His; Jehovah preserves the faithful, and plentifully rewards the proud doer.

Ps.37:28  For Jehovah loves judgment and does not forsake His saints; they are kept forever; but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.

Ps.50:5  Gather My saints to Me; and those who cut My covenant by sacrifice.

Ps.52:9  I will praise You forever, because You have done it; and I will wait on Your name; for it is good before Your saints.

Ps.79:2  They have given the dead bodies of Your servants as food for the birds of the heavens, the flesh of Your saints to the beasts of the earth.

Ps.85:8  I will hear what God Jehovah will speak; for He will speak peace to His people, and to His saints; but let them not turn again to folly.

Ps.89:5  And the heavens shall praise Your wonders, O Jehovah, Your faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints.

Ps.89:7  God is greatly to be feared in the congregation of the saints, and to be adored by all around Him.

Ps.97:10  You who love Jehovah, hate evil; He keeps the souls of His saints; He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked.

Ps.116:15  Precious in the sight of Jehovah is the death of His saints.

Ps.132:9  Let Your priests be clothed with righteousness, and Your saints shout for joy.

Ps.132:16  I also will clothe her priests with salvation; and her saints shall shout aloud for joy.

Ps.145:10  All Your works shall praise You, O Jehovah; and Your saints shall bless You.

Ps.148:14  He also lifts up the horn of His people, the praise of all His saints, even of the sons of Israel, a people near to Him. Praise Jehovah!

             Ps.149:1, 5, 9 Praise Jehovah! Sing to Jehovah a new song, His praise in the congregation of saints. … Let the saints be joyful in glory; let them sing aloud on their beds. … to carry out on them the judgment written; this is an honor for all His saints. Praise Jehovah!

Pr.2:8  He keeps the paths of judgment, and guards the way of His saints.

Dan.7:18, 21-22, 25, 27 But the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever. … I watched, and that horn made war with the saints and overcame them until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High. And the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. …  And he shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and plot to change times and laws. And they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and one-half time. … And the kingdom and rulership, and the greatness of the kingdom under all the heavens, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. And all kingdoms shall serve and obey Him.

Hos.11:12  Ephraim circles around Me with lying, and the house of Israel with deceit. But Judah still rules with God, and is faithful with the saints.

Zech.14:5  And you shall flee to the valley of My mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal. And you shall flee as you fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. And Jehovah my God shall come, and all the saints with you.

Mt.27:52  and the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep arose,

Acts 9:13, 32, 41 And Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard from many of this man, how many evil things he has done to Your saints at Jerusalem. … And it happened, passing through all, Peter also came down to the saints who lived at Lydda. … And he gave her his hand and lifted her up. And when he had called the saints and widows, he presented her alive.

Acts 26:10 which I also did in Jerusalem. And I shut up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests. And they being put to death, I cast a vote.

Rom.1:7  to all those who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Rom.8:27  And He searching the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

Rom.12:13  distributing to the needs of the saints, pursuing hospitality.

Rom.15:25, 26, 31 But now I am going to Jerusalem to minister to the saints. … For it has pleased those of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints in Jerusalem. … that I may be delivered from those disbelieving in Judea, and that my service which I have for Jerusalem may be accepted by the saints;

Rom.16:2, 15 that you receive her in the Lord, as becomes saints, and that you may assist her in whatever business she has need of you. For she has been a helper of many, and of myself also. … Greet Philologus and Julias, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints with them.

1Cor.6:1-2 Do any of you dare, when you have a matter against another, to go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints? Do you not know that the saints shall judge the world? And if the world shall be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters?

1Cor.14:33  For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

1Cor.16:1, 15  And concerning the collection for the saints, as I charged the churches of Galatia, so also you do. … But I exhort you, brothers. You know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruit of Achaia, and they appointed themselves to ministry to the saints.

2Cor.1:1  Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in all Achaia.

2Cor.8:4  with much beseeching, begging us that they might receive of us the grace and the fellowship of the ministry to the saints.

2Cor.9:1, 12 For indeed regarding the ministry to the saints, it is not necessary for me to write to you. … For the ministry of this service not only supplies the things lacking of the saints, but also multiplying through many thanksgivings to God,

2Cor.13:13  All the saints greet you.

Eph.1:1, 15, 18 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus. … Therefore I also, hearing of your faith in the Lord Jesus and love to all the saints, … the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of His calling, and what is the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,

Eph.2:19  Now therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God,

Eph.3:8, 18 This grace is given to me (who am less than the least of all saints) to preach the gospel of the unsearchable riches of Christ among the nations, … may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height,

Eph.4:12  for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.

Eph.5:3  For let fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness not be once named among you, as becomes saints,

Eph.6:18  praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching to this very thing with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.

Phil.1:1  Paul and Timothy, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons.

Phil.4:22  All the saints greet you, most of all those who are of Caesar's household.

Col.1:2, 4, 12, 26  to the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse. Grace to you, and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. … since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love you have to all the saints, … giving thanks to the Father, who has made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light. … the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints.

1Thes.3:13  in order to establish your hearts blameless in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.

2Thes.1:10  when He shall come to be glorified in His saints and to be admired in all those who believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that Day.

1Tim.5:10  well reported of for good works: if she brought up children, if she lodged strangers, if she washed the feet of saints, if she relieved the afflicted, if she followed after every good work.

Phm.1:5, 7 hearing of your love and faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints, … For we have great joy and consolation over your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed by you, brother.

Heb.6:10  For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.

Heb.13:24  Greet all those leading you, and all the saints. Those from Italy greet you.

Jude 1:3, 14 Having made all haste to write to you about the common salvation, beloved, I had need to write to you to exhort you to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints. … And Enoch, the seventh from Adam, also prophesied to these, saying, Behold, the Lord came with myriads of His saints,

Rev.5:8  And when He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one having harps and golden vials full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

Rev.8:3, 4 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer. And many incenses were given to him, so that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints on the golden altar before the throne. … And the smoke of the incense which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God from the angel's hand.

Rev.11:18  And the nations were full of wrath, and Your wrath came, and the time of the judging of the dead, and to give the reward to Your servants the prophets, and to the saints, and to the ones fearing Your name, to the small and to the great, and to destroy those destroying the earth.

Rev.13:7, 10 And it was given to it to war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given to it over every tribe and tongue and nation. … He who leads into captivity will go into captivity. If anyone will kill with the sword, he must be killed by a sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

Rev.14:12 Here is the patience of the saints. Here are the ones who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.

Rev.15:3 And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty, just and true are Your ways, O King of saints.

Rev.16:6 since they have poured out the blood of the saints and prophets; and You gave them blood to drink, for they were deserving.

Rev.17:6 And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with a great marveling.

Rev.18:24 And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all those who were slain on the earth.

Rev.19:8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white. For the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints.

Rev.20:9 And they went up over the breadth of the earth and circled around the camp of the saints, and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of Heaven and devoured them.

  Indeed this is a long list of verses to read. But having done so, what important facts having to do with sainthood did you notice? Please share them and I’ll publish in a few days. One particular question I’d like you to address: May I go by Saint Edwin?  EBB4