Privileges of Saints

1. Abiding in Christ. Joh 15:4, 5.

2. Partaking of the divine nature. 2 Pe 1:4.

3. Access to God by Christ. Eph 3:12.

4. Being of the household of God. Eph 2:19.

5. Membership with the Church of the first-born. Heb 12:23.

6. Having

a. Christ for their Shepherd. Isa 40:11; Joh 10:14, 16.

b. Christ for their intercessor. Ro 8:34; Heb 7:25; 1 Jo 2:1.

c. The promises of God. 2 Co 7:1; 2 Pe 1:4.

7. The possession of all things. 1 Co 3:21, 22.

8. All things working together for their good. Ro 8:28; 2 Co 4:15–17.

9. Their names written in the book life. Re 13:8; 20:15.

10. Having God for their

a. King. Ps 5:2; 44:4; Isa 44:6.

b. Glory. Ps 3:3; Isa 60:19.

c. Salvation. Ps 18:2; 27:1; Isa 12:2.

d. Father. De 32:6; Isa 63:16; 64:8.

e. Redeemer. Ps 19:14; Isa 43:14.

f. Friend. 2 Ch 20:7; Jas 2:23.

g. Helper. Ps 33:20; Heb 13:6.

h. Keeper. Ps 121:4, 5.

i. Deliverer. 2 Sa 22:2; Ps 18:2.

j. Strength. Ps 18:2; 27:1; 46:1.

k. Refuge. Ps 46:1, 11; Isa 25:4.

l. Shield. Ge 15:1; Ps 84:11.

m. Tower. 2 Sa 22:3; Ps 61:3.

n. Light. Ps 27:1; Isa 60:19; Mic 7:8.

o. Guide. Ps 48:14; Isa 58:11.

p. Law-giver. Ne 9:13, 14; Isa 33:22.

q. Habitation. Ps 90:1; 91:9.

r. Portion. Ps 73:26; La 3:24.

11. Union in God and Christ. Joh 17:21.

12. Committing themselves to God. Ps 31:5; Ac 7:59; 2 Ti 1:12.

13. Calling upon God in trouble. Ps 50:15.

14. Suffering for Christ. Ac 5:41; Php 1:29.

15. Profiting by chastisement. Ps 119:67; Heb 12:10, 11.

16. Secure during public calamities. Job 5:20, 23; Ps 27:1–5; 91:5–10.

17. Interceding for others. Ge 18:23–33; Jas 5:16.

SAINT

The leading idea in the word is separation unto the Lord, holiness. A saint is literally a “holy one.” In the NT the word is always used in a corporate sense, referring to the body of believers. Saints are such by the call of God (Rom. 1:7), and they bear the marks of conformity to His will (Eph. 5:1–3). The term is used of the faithful in Christ Jesus, the brethren (Eph. 1:1; Col. 1:2). All God’s people are saints (Eph. 1:15; 3:8; 3:18; 6:18). The Scripture nowhere countenances the Roman Catholic restriction of sainthood to a few particularly holy people, worthy to be venerated, approved by special supernatural signs, and able to be intermediaries between the petitioning believer and the Lord.

The thought of the holy character of the “saints,” which is now so common as almost completely to obscure the real thought of the NT writers, already lay in their thinking very close to their conception of saintship as consecration by God to be His own.