Everyday Saints

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
Philippians 1:6

Interestingly, Philippians is a letter from servants to saints. “Paul and Timothy . . . to all the saints in Christ Jesus in Philippi, including oversees and deacons” (Philippians 1:1 NASB). Today we might say, “to pastors and deacons” or to “elders and deacons.”

Saints is a very interesting term. If you’ve traveled in Europe, you have seen a lot of stone saints in and around huge cathedrals. If you worship in a liturgical church, you have seen them in icons—plaster or marble statues representing people whose lives have become famous in the long and colorful history of the church.

But the saints Paul was writing to were not those kinds of saints. The saints in Philippi were ordinary people. They were everyday, normal folks like you and me. We seldom put common names in that light, but we could! Saint Chuck. Saint Frank. Saint Shirley. Saint Cynthia. Saint Sylvester. Saint Margaret. Saint Bob. Saint You. That’s right—you!

The Greek term translated saint is from a word that means “set apart and consecrated for the purpose of God’s service.” Isn’t that a great idea? That’s why you are a saint. When you were born into God’s family by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, you got that title. You were set apart for God’s special purpose. Consecration is at the core of the word.

“Paul and Timothy, servants of the living Christ, to all those set apart for the purpose of serving God, who live in the city of Philippi”; that’s the idea.