January 02, 2023 – Monday
Acts 9:13, 32, 41 NET
13 But Ananias replied, “Lord, I have heard from many people about this man, how much harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem
32 Now as Peter was traveling around from place to place, he also came down to the saints who lived in Lydda.
41 He gave her his hand and helped her get up. Then he called the saints and widows and presented her alive.
Comments
In chapter nine of Acts you will find four instances (three given above) of believers being referred to as saints in the New English Translation (NET), also true in the NKJV, and others. However, in the popular NIV you will not find anyone referred to as a saint or saints. Instead, they are referred to as the Lord’s people (9:13) and the believers (9:32&41).
To get a better idea of this we will turn to 1 Corinthians 1:2, 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) and again, To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours (NET).
If you are sanctified in Christ, you are called to be His holy people or you are called to be saints! Or perhaps both as to be one of His saints is to be one of His holy people. Note the to be is added to make the verse more readable in English, but it perhaps dilutes the meaning somewhat compared to called His holy people or called saints, no to be necessary. What does it mean to be His holy people or His saints? It simply means morally holy and consecrated (sanctified or set apart) or made acceptable to God and for service to Him.
Most believers I know, including myself, have trouble thinking of themselves as holy ones or saints. Imagine looking in your mirror every morning upon arising and saying Good Morning saint Ruth or Good Morning saint Roger. Or doing the same before retiring to bed, Sleep well holy one Ruth or Sleep well holy one Roger. Most of us would reject doing so, but the reality is that in accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior we have become His holy ones, His saints.
Bottom Line: We should always remind ourselves we are His saints or His holy ones. We have been sanctified and set aside as His when we repented, believed He rose on the third day and called upon Him as our Lord and Savior. And we should live our lives in acknowledgment of that hard fact.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, Through Jesus, You have set us aside and made us His holy ones or saints. Help us to always be aware of this and help us to live in awareness of what this means in our day to day living of our lives. – In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
RileyD, nwJ
Riley D. Driver – Pastor
Calvary Chapel of Dayton
in Beavercreek