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November 2008
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Couldn't Help Noticing

An online survey of issues, events and ideas

Is it time to make you a saint?

Karen Beilharz / 25th September 2005

Because if you're not, you've got big problems. Being a saint is the same as being ‘sanctified’, and both come from the same Greek word, along with the word ‘holy’.

Some see sanctification as a future state, one that we will reach after great struggle in the Christian life, so that when we get to heaven we will finally be without sin. Indeed, this is pretty much the Reformed Puritan view, and it is a useful way to think about making spiritual progress.

But the Bible uses the word ‘sanctification’ quite differently. As a matter of fact, in 1 Corinthians 6:11, Paul declares that “you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of God”. That is, sanctification is something that has already happened to anyone who trusts in Jesus' death—or to put it another way, has received the Holy Spirit by believing the gospel of grace.

It's because of this trust on the part of the Corinthians that Paul can even refer to them as ‘saints’ (1 Cor 1:2)—this despite their obvious and continuing immorality, including all sorts of gross sexual sin, immorality, hatred, bitterness, and jealousy (Interestingly, the practise of homosexuality is mentioned as one of those sins from which the Corinthians have been cleansed in 1 Cor 6:9).

Paul's point is not that they (or we) should become saints, once we have trusted in Jesus. His point is that we already are saints—we have trusted Jesus, we have given our lives to him—and so, we should start behaving accordingly.

But if you haven't trusted Jesus, why not do it now and become a saint today? Jesus' canonization process is considerably quicker and more effective (though it came at a greater cost to him)?than that of any college of cardinals.

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