Holy Ones in the New Testament: What “Saints” Really Means

And the next day, he saw the man had given up his idols and stopped doing some other things the missionary mentioned. And he asked this branding Christian, who knew nothing about his salvation in Christ, why he had done that, and he said, “Well, because I’ve been saved and I’m a Christian and Christians don’t keep doing this.” What causes a man to know that? What causes us to change radically? Whether we’re a nice person or an evil person, what causes us to change so radically? Because of something that has taken place in us.

Regeneration, righteousness, sanctification. We have been holy-fied by holy-fication. It is the same as petrification. If you’ve ever been to the Painted Desert, you come to the Petrified Forest, and you find these little pieces of petrified wood. Petrification – that which once was has been changed. You have been petrified. You have been utterly totally changed.

What’s the difference between righteousness and sanctification? And redemption? Well, the difference between righteousness and sanctification is, and again, this is a word that Mr. William Tyndale made up. The word ‘righteousness’ means literally you are now right with God, and God was right with you. You make whatever application you wish to with that; you have now been accepted as right, not wrong. Enemy, no. Friend, no. But one of His whole household who is now in total agreement with. You’re right to Him, and He’s right to you.

What’s sanctification? You have been made holy. How holy are you? Well, I figure you’re probably about 99%. (laughter) And your holiness comes up to the very holiness of God about 99%…which means you’re going to go to hell. (laugher) Now saints, that’s a term I never use. I never use that word. So I’m using that only to make a point: that 99% of being holy will not do it. It is a difficult sentence even to state that your holiness is equal to the holiness of Jesus Christ. And the holiness of Jesus Christ is as holy as that of God the Father.

Now that’s an awful lot. Well, Gene, did the first-century Christians believe that? Here’s an example of what one of them believes. Now, here is the great paradox of our faith and our standing with Jesus Christ, and I think this is a pretty good example. Somebody in Corinth had a falling out with another holy one. One holy one took another holy one to court, and Paul blew his top. He is indignant and says, “You’re going to judge the world.” Can you not find somebody in the church to act as a judge between you? You will judge the world system. You will judge…you will pass…your opinion will be the opinion of God. You, holy ones, will judge the world. That’s how high a standard God has given you, that He has left it to the holy ones, those who were made holy in Jesus Christ and through Jesus Christ and by Jesus Christ, to judge the world.

Now the Scripture is never kind to us. I can point to a verse that says that it is Christ who has made us holy. I can point you to another scripture that says it’s God who’s made us holy. And I can point you to another one that says, “It is the work of the Holy Spirit that made you holy.” Well, why don’t you embrace all three? I have been made holy by the Father. I have been made holy by the Son. I have been made holy by the Spirit. I’ve got the entire Trinity making me holy. Praise the Lord.

Well, saints, I gave you one illustration of just how marvelous our state is in Christ. You have been made holy. Well, I would give you what I said a few months ago is perhaps one of the most startling passages of Scripture in all of God’s word, and that one is the one that will be read in Ephesians. And by the way, I’ll let you know right now that I have literally heard this passage read and explained the very opposite of what it says, so that the teeth are taken out, because the human mind cannot grasp this. Jim, read to us Ephesians 1:18. And listen to this very carefully, saints.

Audience: I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints.”

Okay, now we change one word. Would you read it again? Change one word.

Audience: Pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the holy ones.

Now, we read that, and it says that the holy ones will inherit Jesus Christ, and that’s rich and wonderful. There’s the height, the depth, and the width of its unsearchable riches. We have inherited the riches of Jesus Christ. What it says is that Jesus Christ is excited about inheriting the unsearchable riches and the holy ones. You must not, you must not let this go. I am not a preacher, and this is not Sunday morning.

Well, you have a number of pages there. In fact, I think there are 12. Is that right? 12, of nothing but the proper translation of what must be close to 100 passages of the New Testament that most of us had never even seen because we passed over that big, long word called sanctification. Now, the last page…by the way, it’s numbered 3, it should be numbered 12…when you get home tonight, be sure you get your pen and number these pages. The first page says, “Each of you is a holy one.” And those are all passages mostly out of the epistles, but with John and Matthew.