Baker's Evangelical Dictionary
of Biblical Theology
Saints [N] [J]
The word "saint" is derived from a Greek verb (hagiazo [aJgiavzw])
whose basic meaning is "to set apart, " "sanctify, " or "make
holy." In the history of the Old Testament religion, the idea of
holiness or separateness was inherent in the concept of God. God
was unapproachable in the tabernacle or temple by the ordinary
individual, being accessible only to the priests and only under
carefully specified conditions. His presence (the Shekinah) dwelled
in the Holy of Holies or the Most Holy Place, the most remote and
inaccessible place in the wilderness tabernacle and later in the
Jerusalem temple. Only the high priest was allowed to stand in
God's presence in this area, and then only once a year at Yom
Kippur (the Day of Atonement).
This sacred place was further separated from the ordinary Jewish
worshiper by another room called "the Holy Place, " which could be
entered only by priests. The intent was to impress upon the people
the utter holiness and sacredness of the God they worshiped, as
well as the necessity of their being set apart or sanctified as
saints in his service. This sense of Jehovah's separateness from
the sins of the people and from the pagan idols of the lands in
which they dwelled was the heart of Jewish monotheism. Its eventual
disregard led to the destruction of the temple and the exile of
Israel.
This idea of the separateness of God and his people is carried
forward in the New Testament, which was written by Jews (except
possibly Luke-Acts) who interpreted God's covenant with Israel
through the teachings of Christ. Those who were dedicated to the
teachings of Christ were frequently called saints by these writers
(e.g., Matt 27:52; Acts 9:13; 26:10; Rev 14:12). Six of Paul's
letters to churches are addressed to saints (Romans, 1-2
Corinthians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians).
Saints, in the New Testament, are never deceased individuals who
have been canonized by the church and given sainthood. They are
living individuals who have dedicated themselves to the worship and
service of the one true God as revealed through his Son, Jesus
Christ. Even the children of such parents are called "sanctified"
(1 Cor 7:14-15). That is, they are considered undefiled by paganism
if at least one of their parents is a Christian. All saved are
sanctified, but not all sanctified are saved.
On occasion, when discussing the atonement, Paul carefully
differentiates between Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians,
calling the former saints and the latter believers. It was the
saints, the holy people of God in the Old Testament, who brought
the Messiah and redemption into the world, eventually extending the
blessings to the Gentiles.
This usage may be seen in 1 Corinthians 1:2, which is addressed to
"those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy
[saintsJewish Christians], together with all those [Gentiles]
everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus ChristLord and
ours." The same distinction is made in Ephesians 1:1: "to the
saints [Jewish Christians] in Ephesus and the faithful [Gentiles]
in Christ Jesus." Colossians is also addressed to "the holy and
faithful brothers" in Christ.
Paul addresses the letter to all the Christians in Rome as saints
(Rom 1:7, because Gentiles who, as wild olive branches have been
grafted into the stem of Judaism, now share in the full
relationship to that plant and are also saints ), but the Jewish
Christians in Rome, who are to be recipients of a special
contribution Paul collected among Gentile churches, are called "the
saints" in distinction (Rom 15:25-33).
It is informative in this regard that Paul refers to this same
collection in 2 Corinthians 8:1-4 as a sharing by the Macedonian
churches with "the saints, " not with the "other" saints. Paul's
apprehension over whether the Jerusalem saints would accept such a
contribution was based on the fact that Jewish Christians were
being asked to accept the offering from Gentile Christians. The
entire discussion of the issue in Acts 21 when Paul arrived in
Jerusalem makes this clear.
Thus, although Gentile Christians are saints, too, because they
were given access to the faith of Abraham and the people of the Old
Testament, when redemptive history is discussed the Jews are
specially designated the "saints" while the Gentiles are considered
believers who were later admitted into this "holy" Jewish
nucleus.
John McRay
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