Welcome to Sainthood! 😇

“For as he thinks within himself, so is he…”
Proverbs 23:7a The Passion Translation (TPT)

How do you see yourself? Who do you say you are? The way you think determines the way you are. If you see yourself as a failure, you’ll be sure to fail. How do you see yourself? How do you define who you are? While we may know the Bible answers for these questions, we often unknowingly believe something else deep down in our subconscious. What we truly believe is often revealed in moments of frustration and pressure people or circumstances often force what’s inside to come to the surface.

In moments of frustration, when we mess up and make mistakes, we often say things like, “I’m so stupid” or “I can’t do anything right”, “God, please forgive me, I can’t help it”. Statements like these can reveal what we really believe about ourselves.

Be honest and take some time to write a few thoughts of how you see yourself. What is “squeezed out” when you are in pressured situations? How do you finish sentences like, “I’m so…”, “God, I’m sorry I’m so…” Take a moment to think about this and even write it down.

The way you think determines the way you are.

It’s vitally important that we see ourselves as God sees us. Many of us can say what God says about us, but do we really believe what He says about us? We need to believe it. As Jesus said, the evidence is in the fruit (Matthew 7:16). The fruit of your life reveals what you truly believe about yourself.

“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: ² Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Ephesians 1:1-2 English Standard Version (ESV)
 
In the opening of the book of Ephesians, Paul starts off by calling believers saints. A saint is a “holy one” or someone who is blameless. Throughout the New Testament, Christians or believers are called saints. A saint isn’t a special believer who has done something extraordinary. You cannot do anything to become a saint. You’re made a saint the moment you say yes to Jesus and become a Christian. You’re a saint because you’re in Christ. He has made you a holy one.
 
“By God’s will we have been purified and made holy once and for all through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus, the Messiah!”
Hebrews 10:10 The Passion Translation (TPT)
 
You are made holy through faith in what Jesus did for you, not what you do for Him. Your best efforts cannot make you holy. Your good works cannot make you holy. Only faith in His finished work can make you holy (a saint). “Sainthood” or “being holy” isn’t about what you do, but rather it’s an identity. As a Christian, this is who you are: HOLY. Religion tells us to “live holy” or “try harder to be holy” when all along God has already made us holy in Christ. Christianity isn’t about DOing, it’s about BEing; it’s about DONE, not what you should DO. Christianity is rooted in and lived out through grace, not performance.

You have been made holy, once and for all time. You are no longer a sinner. Most Christians see themselves as sinners saved by grace, but that is completely wrong. You cannot be a sinner and a saint (holy) at the same time. You were a sinner but then you got saved by grace, and now you are a saint: a holy one, because of Jesus. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

“For as he thinks within himself, so is he…”
Proverbs 23:7a The Passion Translation (TPT)
 
The way you think determines the way you are.

If you have received Jesus (Romans 10:9) then God sees you as holy – regardless of your past or current performance. The more you see who you really are (as God sees you: holy), the more you will live holy. You shouldn’t be striving or putting a lot of effort into living holy. The more you realize how holy you are in Christ, the more you will start to live a holy life more accidentally than you ever did on purpose. The effort in all of this is changing your way of thinking and realizing your identity. When you start thinking of yourself as holy (realising that it’s your identity and nature now that you are in Christ) you’ll start living holy (seeing it in your actions and fruit).

God sees you as a saint.

Say it out loud: I AM A SAINT, A HOLY ONE, NOT BECAUSE OF MY EFFORTS TO DO RIGHT THINGS BUT BECAUSE OF MY FAITH IN WHAT JESUS HAS DONE FOR ME. I HAVE BEEN MADE HOLY BY WHAT JESUS HAS DONE FOR ME AND BECAUSE I AM HOLY, I CAN LIVE A HOLY LIFE.

Take a moment to think about some of the “right things” that you know that you should do but do not do? Did you realize that because you are now a saint, you are empowered by God to live a holy life?

When you make mistakes and fail (sin) that doesn’t mean you are not a saint. If you act like a dog it does not make you a dog. You could even sew on a dog tail and ears, but you would not be a dog because your nature is human no matter how dog-like you act. If you are born again, you are not a sinner no matter how much you sin. You’re not a saint (holy) because you do holy things, but rather you are enabled to do holy things because you are a saint (holy). Salvation is not the result of your holy living; holiness is the fruit of salvation and your new identity in Christ. You still have the ability and choice to do what is wrong (sin) but you also have the ability and choice to do what is right. The point is that your nature has changed. A sinner can do right things, but that doesn’t change his nature. A saint can make mistakes and sin but that doesn’t change his nature. If you are struggling to do the right things (live holy, witness, give financially into the kingdom etc.) then I can bet that you don’t see yourself as God sees you: a holy one (a saint). Who are you to disagree with God? God sees you as a saint and that means that you’re a saint! When you start to see yourself as God sees you it will unleash a great power from within you to live in victory.

Say it out loud: I AM A SAINT. A HOLY ONE. I AM WITHOUT BLAME BEFORE GOD – HE SEES ME AS FLAWLESS AND COMPLETELY INNOCENT. I CAN DO WHAT IS RIGHT AND LIVE A HOLY LIFE BECAUSE I AM HOLY. I AM RIGHT WITH GOD.