A run through Philippians-Are you a saint?

Some years ago, in the heat of the never-ending circles of political break-ups and make-ups, Raila dismissed some of Kalonzo’s allegations with a sarcastic broadside;

“…that is gospel according to Saint Stephen!” he remarked to wild laughter from his supporters. From that time, the joke has never gotten tired and every so often you will hear someone apply it to some hapless opponent.

Political jokes aside, who really is a saint? How does one become a saint? Or to bring it closer home; can you dear friend, become a saint?

To answer these questions we have to turn to the bible for this is where the word originates from. In his letter to the Christians who lived in Philippi, Saint Paul saluted them thus;

Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus,

To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Phil.1:2

So right there is our first hint. If you read the text slowly you will see at least three things;

1. Paul was addressing people who were still alive as saints-so there is hope for you dear friend 👀. 
2. Paul was addressing ordinary folk-more hope for you dear friend💃.
3. He addresses them as saints in Christ Jesus!

However before we delve into the implications of this let us take a look at some of the different positions people take on what it means to be a saint.

First there is a beautiful song by Bob Carlisle whose chorus goes something like this:

We fall down, we get up
we fall down, we get up
we fall down, we get up
and the saints are just the sinners
who fall down and get up

If you like you can watch it here

So for Bob Carlisle saints are simply sinners who fall down (into temptation) but have the courage to get up and make attempts at living right again.

Bob takes the view that saints are merely struggling (or hustling if you like) humans. This is unlike many today who simply subscribe to the YOLO philosophy to enjoy life with few or no moral constraints. YOLO I am told is (wait for it); 

You

Only

Live

Once!

Another popular viewpoint is that of the Roman Catholic Church. You most likely have heard of calls to hasten the path to sainthood for such people who died like Mother Theresa and our very own Cardinal Otunga. Even the late Nelson Mandela has had his name fronted by some naughty people.

Being named a saint in the Catholic Church is a very high honor. It means among other things, that the saint’s name is added to the official catalogue of saints, faithful can request for intercession from the named saint and that Masses and feast days can be celebrated in his or her honor. The path to sainthood is called canonization and goes something like this;

• Wait at least five years after the person has died. However some wait for awfully long periods (Saint Bede, a theologian, died in 735 but had to wait 1,164 years before he was declared a saint!)
• Become a servant of God i.e. five years after your death, your Bishop opens an investigation into your life and deeds.
• Show proof of a life of 'heroic virtue' (don’t know what this means; someone, anybody, HEELP!)
• have a miracle attributed to you by someone who prayed in your name
• In the final stage, have a second miracle attributed to you by a person who prayed in your name. The Pope thereafter canonizes you i.e. declares you a saint.
  

The obvious implication here is that one can only be reckoned a saint once they are deceased. But is this what is written in scripture?

Other major denominations including the Anglican Church hold more or less similar views as the Catholic Church except that the process to sainthood is less formalized. For example the ninth Lambeth Conference held in 1958 clarified in Resolution 79 that:

• In the case of scriptural saints, care should be taken to commemorate men or women in terms which are in strict accord with the facts made known in Holy Scripture.
• In the case of other names, the Calendar should be limited to those whose historical character and devotion are beyond doubt.
• In the choice of new names economy should be observed and controversial names should not be inserted until they can be seen in the perspective of history.
• The addition of a new name should normally result from a widespread desire expressed in the region concerned over a reasonable period of time

Yes, I agree that it is quite a mouthful. So why don't we just turn to simple scripture? Well, here we go.

In the days of Paul, he seemed to be addressing living individuals as saints. In the passage above, his letter is to Christians in a place called Philippi. And this is not the only place where Paul write like this.

In the opening lines of six out of the thirteen letters he wrote, Paul addresses living individuals as saints (Romans, 1-2 Corinthians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians). You can check them out yourself. Only don't use the newer bible versions which have a tendency to sanitize virtually every important concept. For NIV use a 1984 or older version. The newer version is well...(I reserve my words).

Saint Paul is not the only one to refer to living saints. In the book of Acts 9:32, the bible reads;

Now as Peter was traveling through all those regions, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda

So there you are! Saints in the New Testament are not necessarily deceased individuals. If you still think otherwise, do let me know.

So who is a saint and how does one become one?

A little research will show you that the word "saint" is derived from a Greek verb (hagiazo) whose basic meaning is "to set apart,” "sanctify,” or "make holy."

So a saint is one who is set apart or one who is made holy or one who is sanctified.

What do these phrases mean? Again the beauty of the bible is that it is a self-answering book. So let’s look for passages in the bible that can help us with this. To do this we need to take a few steps back.

In the book of John, chapter 3 as Jesus explains to a puzzled Nicodemus what it means to be born again, he makes the now famous statement;

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

What does it mean that God gave his son? What was this supposed to accomplish?

Well, one of the passages that explains this is Hebrews 10.

⁵ Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said:

“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
    but a body you prepared for me;
⁶ with burnt offerings and sin offerings
    you were not pleased.
⁷ Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—
    I have come to do your will, my God.’”^[a]

8 First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—though they were offered in accordance with the law. 9 Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. 10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Now, if you read the passage a little more slowly, you will see that it explains how God came to give his one and only son. In other words Jesus offered and was given out as a substitute sacrifice for the sins of people like you and me.

What did this sacrifice accomplish? It made us holy before God. This is emphasized in verse 14;

 For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.vs14

So Jesus died for our sins. His death and subsequent resurrection made us holy before God. And if we are holy before God then we qualify to be saints according to our earlier definition of the word ‘saint’.

A caveat is however necessary. As with almost everything else in life, there is no such thing as a free lunch. There is a catch.

John 3:16 states that only those who believe in Jesus are safe from eternal damnation. These are the ones who God qualifies to be saints by making them holy. So the first condition is that you must believe in Jesus Christ as the ONLY ONE who can save you from sin and eternal damnation. Have you confessed that you believe in Jesus as explained in Romans 10:9-10?

But how do we know that our belief in Jesus is genuine? It must be evidenced by a continual desire to turn away from sin. Saint Paul wrote of his journeys;

First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and then to the Gentiles, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds. Acts 26:20

Saint Peter also urged us;

¹³ Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. ¹⁴ As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. ¹⁵ But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; ¹⁶ for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”¹⁷ Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear.

So do you think you qualify to be a saint? Do you suppose you would have been among those Paul addressed as saints in one of his six letters?

Well, it is really up to you.

Hint: Romans 10:9-10

References & acknowledgements:

https://www.nyfaithformation.org/documents/2016/4/canonization-process.pdf

http://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/saints/

http://www.anglicancatholic.org/about-the-church