Paul addressed his letter to the Ephesians calling them saints. We don’t consider ourselves saints – usually far from it. This daily devotional looks at how we, also, are saints and how we should live as such.
Nuggets
- Profession of faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord makes us saints.
- This faith in Jesus is exhibited in the way the saints live their lives and what they do to expand God’s kingdom.
Devotions in the The Letter of Paul to the Ephesians series
I told you a couple of devotions ago that I had a bad habit of skipping the introductions to the letter books of the Bible. The introduction for that devotion was encouraging. This introduction carried more of a challenge.
To read a related devotion, click the button below.
I got through the Hi-it’s-Paul part. I tripped over the word saints.
To me, it sounded like Paul thought all of the Christ’s disciples should be saints. That can’t be, can it?
Aren’t saimts a special group of people? You know, like the rock stars of the believers?
Is every Tom, Sally, and Elaine supposed to be saints? Oh, that is a scary thought!
Let’s see if we can figure out what Paul really meant. Maybe he gave us some clues in other letters, and maybe others have had the same question I had.
Let's Put It into Context #1
Here is a running list of nuggets for the series.
Let's Put It into Context #2
Saint means set apart. Saints are specifically set apart for God.
We’ve talked about being separated – or different – before. God does not want us to follow the patterns of this world. He wants us to be set apart.
To read a related devotion, click the appropriate button below.
Wait! Doesn’t holy mean to be set apart, perfect, and pure? We know we are “… a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that [we] may declare the praises of him who called [us] out of darkness into his wonderful light” (I Pet. 2: 9 NIV emphasis added). Yes, we still struggle with that one, too, don’t we?
The way I read it is that we are saints because we are holy. Holy is the action, and saints are what we are called because we do the actions. Let’s see if this holds by the end of the devotion.
Just so we are straight here, we are talking about live people, not dead people. You can’t become a saint after you are dead.
We aren’t talking about Old Testament people like Abraham and David. We aren’t talking priests or temples – or even cities. We are talking God’s chosen people who are holy because He is holy (I Pet. 1: 16) and who have confessed that Jesus is their Lord and Savior.
Some may wonder if even one holy person could be found in Ephesus. It not only was one of the biggest cities in the ancient world at that time, but it was also the home of the temple of Diana, which is known as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Ephesus was known for its pagan idolatry, sexual immorality, and greed.
We should also consider that, while the letter is addressed to the church at Ephesus, Paul does not call out any specific people for either greetings or rebuke. (So, we can read it like he wrote it to us.)
What Makes Us Saints?
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus. (Eph. 1: 1 KJV)
It sounds like the Ephesians were everyday people, just like you and me. We are looking only on their outsides. Remember, God looks at the heart (I Sam. 16: 7).
In this instance, God is looking at their profession of faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.
Faith is a gift from God that enhances the conviction that the doctrines revealed in God’s Word are true, even if we do not understand all aspects of them, a belief which impacts our lives and distinguishes us from others.
That is what makes them saints. They are holy because they belong to Him.
The ABCDs of Salvation
If you have not become a believer in Christ, please read through the
Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
A – admit our sins
B – believe His Son Jesus is our Redeemer
C – confess God as Sovereign Lord
D – demonstrate that commitment by making any changes needed in our lives to
live the way in which God has called us
The Disciple’s Job Description
Glossary
We can’t earn our way to salvation. Neither can we earn our way to sainthood. We already are saints once we have become God’s child.
When we think about the whole Jewish nation being holy, we can get a better picture of it. God chose the Israelites because he chose the Israelites. The reason He chose them was so He could bless all mankind.
Nothing the Jews did set them up for this honor. Nothing they did to date booted them out of this honor. It was all based on their faith in God. Since Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sins, faith is based through Him alone.
Yes, it does kind of read funny in the King James Version where it highlights the saints and the faithful. Many of the newer translations have just one or the other — and they don’t use saint if they pick that one.
What It Isn’t
One of the commentaries I read said that saints referred to the Jews and the faithful referred to the Gentiles. They use First Corinthians 1: 2 as further evidence of a distinction. “To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ — their Lord and ours” (NIV).
I don’t see that. Paul was such a champion that there was just one faith in Christ that was available to all who admitted, believed, and confessed (Gal. 3: 28). I don’t see him relegating the Gentiles to second-class citizenship here. In fact, he later said, “He [Jesus] united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us” (Eph. 2: 14 NLT).
I see it more as Paul emphasizing that the Ephesians — and we — are saints because we are faithful in Jesus. We can’t be saints without being faithful. God made us saints because we are faithful to Jesus.
I can see a reason Paul addressed the letter to the Corinthians in that way. He was writing to rectify specific issues in that letter (that he wasn’t here). He knew that it would be passed around until all of the churches in the area saw it. So, he was saying hi to everyone.
Saints. Holy. Faithful. Those are some pretty broad concepts. Let’s look at some key components.
First off, the saints have to profess Jesus as their Lord and Savior. It isn’t because we are faithful to some other god. It is because of our faith in Jesus.
The saints have put their faith and trust in Jesus. We said in another devotion that faith is the underlying foundation. Trust is how we get it and exhibit it.
To read a related devotion, click the button below.
This faith in Jesus is exhibited in the way the saints live their lives and what they do to expand God’s kingdom.
Making the Connections
A lot of times, we don’t feel saintly. Plus, non-believers are quick to point out any behavior of ours they see as unsaintly.
Unfortunately, Jesus’ disciples do continue to sin. “But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me” (Rom. 7: 23 NLT). We still need to confess and receive God’s grace.
Grace is a free and unmerited gift of love from the Heavenly Father, given through His Son, Jesus Christ, that enables salvation and spiritual healing to believers by the work of the Holy Spirit.
Glossary
We won’t be perfect until we are called home.
But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t keep striving to be saintly. It is a struggle to be in the world but not of the world. We have to choose daily to follow Jesus’ example.
Our lives here are just practice for our lives in heaven. We have to live lives for Him, or we won’t be heading up to heaven.
To read a related devotion, click the button below.
How Do We Apply This?
We have to get it into our heads that we are saints. If we do, it can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. We are what we tell ourselves we are.
Don’t worry. God will help us. “We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy,[a] 12 always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light. 13 For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son” (Col. 1: 11-13 NLT).
We become saints by exhibiting the following. “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony” (Col. 3: 12-14 ESV).
We can become saints. We need to in this life. We need to be ready for the next life.
Loving Heavenly Father. You have called the saints. Most times we don’t feel like this, because we focus on the sin still in our lives. Help us confess that sin so that You may forgive us and cut it out of us. Strengthen us to have compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, and love. Prepare us for when You call us home. Amen.
Related Links
To read devotions in the Children and Heirs of God series, click the appropriate button below.
What do you think?
Leave me a comment below (about this or anything else) or head over to my Facebook group for some interactive discussion.
If you don’t understand something and would like further clarification, please contact me.
If you have not signed up for the email daily or weekly providing the link to the devotions and the newsletter, do so below.
If God has used this devotion to speak with you, consider sharing it on social media.
Pingback: What is the Spirit of Wisdom? – Seeking God with Elaine
Pingback: What Are Heavenly Places? – Seeking God with Elaine
Pingback: How Do We Use Our Gifts to Promote Growth? – Seeking God with Elaine
Pingback: Does God Come Looking for Us? – Seeking God with Elaine
Pingback: How Does God Delight in Our Salvation? – Seeking God with Elaine