Who and What Are the Saints?

Many people think of the saints as the “big names” in the Bible, such as the prophets and apostles. Some think saints are people who have lived exemplary Christian lives of service and have been formally “canonized” by the Roman Catholic Church. Some believe individual saints have a patronage for whom they intercede in particular ways. Once, while taking a taxi to a hotel, I saw a statue on the dashboard—the driver proudly told me it was St. Christopher, who protected him from accidents. There are over 7,000 Catholic saints who have their own patronage and assigned day on the church calendar, according to the National Catholic Register.

Some venerate (that is, regard with reverential respect) the saints and believe saints can be invoked by prayer to intercede on your behalf with God. This idea of special intercessors is reminiscent of the polytheistic pagan religions, which promoted many and various gods to whom believers gave offerings and prayed to for favors.

But what is a saint, and who are really the saints according to the Bible?

Daniel 7:21–27 talks about an end-time leader “making war against the saints,” persecuting those who will ultimately join the Kingdom of God. Romans 16 mentions the names of many members of the Church of God who lived in Rome as saints (vv. 1–15). The Apostle Paul greets the saints in Ephesus in his epistle to them (Ephesians 1:1). Paul gave instructions to the church in Corinth regarding gathering a collection of aid to be carried to Jerusalem for the saints in Judea (1 Corinthians 16:1; Romans 15:22–29). In the dramatic account of Saul’s conversion, the saints in Jerusalem are mentioned, as are the saints in Lydda (Acts 9:13, 32, 41).

The New King James Version has 98 occurrences of the word saint, the American Standard Version has 90, the English Standard Version has 82, and the New American Standard Bible has 68. Why such a difference? Because there are several Hebrew and Greek words in the Bible that may be translated not only as saint, but also as holy, sacred, consecrated thing, anointed, and other such words.

The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia says this regarding the word saints: “While hagioi occurs more frequently in the New Testament than does qadhosh in the Old Testament, yet both are applied with practical uniformity to the company of God’s people rather than to any individual. Perhaps the rendering ‘saints’ cannot be improved, but it is necessary for the ordinary reader constantly to guard against the idea that New Testament saintship was in any way a result of personal character, and consequently that it implied approval of moral attainment already made.”

Easton’s Bible Dictionary states that the word saint “was not used as a distinctive title of the apostles and evangelists and of a ‘spiritual nobility’ till the fourth century. In that sense, it is not a scriptural title.” The Bible never refers to deceased individuals as having received the title of “saint,” as though it were some manner of formality or office. Rather, it uses saint and saints to refer to those who are set apart from the world as God’s people.

Saints are individuals called by God who have dedicated themselves to obeying and serving Him. Members of God’s true Church established by Jesus Christ are saints living on the earth today, as are those of God’s people who have died and are in the grave awaiting resurrection at the return of Jesus Christ—who is the only Intercessor any Christian needs.

True saints, both the living and those who have died, will eventually meet Jesus Christ at His return. Learn more by studying the free booklets Fourteen Signs Announcing Christ’s Return and What Is a True Christian? They can be downloaded right here at TomorrowWorld.org, where you can also request printed copies or listen to them in audiobook form.