The Saints in Christ Jesus

“Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi” (Philippians 1:1)

In the Old Testament, many things were set apart for God’s own purpose. The tabernacle (Exodus 25:8), and later the temple (1 Kings 6:13), were set apart to serve as a place where God would dwell among His people, where sacrifices were offered, foreshadowing the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The tribe of Levi were set apart to serve God in the tabernacle and later the temple, “thus you shall separate the Levites from among the children of Israel, and the Levites shall be mine” (Numbers 8:14). The nation of Israel was set apart as God’s chosen people, “the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth” (Deuteronomy 7:6). Likewise, tithes and offerings were set apart as a means for God’s people to demonstrate their love towards the Lord and support the temple ministries, “bring all the tithes into the storehouse” (Malachi 3:10).

In the New Testament, the word ‘saint’ is often referred to. Those who are familiar with Greek will tell us, that the Greek word often used for ‘saint,’ refers to those who are set apart, distinct and holy.    

Who are the Saints?

The Apostle Paul, imprisoned in Rome for preaching the Gospel, wrote to the Church in Philippi. There is no doubt that he wrote to them as, though Rome and Philippi are a great distance apart, his heart was very close to them. At the beginning of his letter, he specifically greeted and addressed, “all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi” (Verse 1). That raises the question, who are the saints in Christ Jesus?

In the Roman Catholic system, the saints are said to be a particular number of exemplary believers who have been officially canonized or declared to be a saint after their death. Matthew Henry, in commenting on Philippians 1:1 stated, “those who are not really saints on earth will never be saints in heaven.” Rome has no authority to make someone a saint and this teaching is found nowhere in Scripture. In reality, the title of saint is bestowed by Jesus Christ upon the righteous, all whom He has called unto salvation. This is why we read, “for He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

When the Apostle Paul wrote to all the saints in Philippi, he wasn’t writing to a few outstanding Christians who had earned the reputation of being saints, he was writing to every Christian in Philippi. Matthew Henry, in commenting on Philippians 1:1 stated, “It is directed to all the saints, one as well as another, even the meanest, the poorest, and those of the least gifts. Christ makes no difference; the rich and the poor meet together in him.”

Similarly, Paul wrote to the saints in Rome, “to all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints” (Romans 1:7), Ephesus, “to the saints who are in Ephesus and faithful in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 1:1) and Corinth, “to the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints” (1 Corinthians 1:2). In each case, as he wrote to the saints, he was referring to the whole Church, every believer in Christ Jesus in that vicinity.

The following might serve to illustrate our point. A Canadian minister named Harry Ironside once spoke of his experience travelling on a train with he found himself in conversation with four nuns. He asked them, “have you ever seen a saint?” “No” they replied. “Would you like to see one?” he asked. “Oh yes,” the nuns replied. He pointed at himself and said, “I am a saint.” He then proceeded to explain the Scriptures which teach that every true believer in Christ Jesus is a saint.

Therefore the saints are not some sort of spiritual giants, elevated beyond the rest of us. We may not consider ourselves to be saints, but if we are in Christ Jesus, the Scriptures are clear that we are saints and we ought to view ourselves as saints in Christ. This is not because we have somehow earned this status or because we consider ourselves to be better than others. We are saints because Christ died for us, paid the price for our sin and His righteousness has been accounted to us. In fact, if we are Christians, it would be wrong not to view ourselves as saints in Christ.

How Should the Saints Conduct Themselves?

It is worth noting that in both Romans 1:7 and 1 Corinthians 1:2, the phrase ‘called to be saints’, is written with “to be” in italics. This indicates that the words “to be” are not in the original Greek but were introduced by the translators to give what they deemed to be the sense in English. Some may misunderstand such a rendering, as if a Christian might only in some future sense become a saint and, as we have demonstrated, that is not what the Scriptures teach. Yet on the other hand, if we are called saints, we are rightly called to be saints, in relation to our conduct. That raises the question, how should the saints conduct themselves?

James Montgomery Boice, in his commentary on Philippians, noted that in antiquity, there were three ways a person could become a slave: by conquest, by birth, or because of debt. He went on to state that we all are slaves of sin by the same three causes. Sin has conquered us, so that we are not free to do what we know is right. We are sinners by birth, being born with a nature that is hostile toward God and oriented toward pleasing self. We are sinners by debt, having run up an unpayable debt toward God who states that, “the wages of our sin is death” (Romans 6:23).

Many people are totally unaware of their condition as slaves of sin, much like the Jews who argued with Christ that they have never been enslaved, “we are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?” (John 8:33) Jesus responded, “most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin” (John 8:34). Therefore, whether we recognise it or not, anyone who is outside of Christ is a slave to sin.

In his greeting to the Church in Phillippi, Paul’s speaks of himself and Timothy as ‘bondservants of Christ’. This is not the service of forced bondage, but of willing and wholehearted obedience to a new master. They were no longer slaves of sin but slaves of Christ, “bought with a price” (1 Corinthians 6:20) and therefore bound to and servants of Jesus Christ. This is a statement that is full of humility. Paul could have said that he was a preacher, an evangelist and a Church planter, yet he lowers and identifies himself as a servant and gives Christ the pre-eminence. This is much like John the Baptist who said of Christ, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).

In addition to that, we might ask the question, why did Paul mention Timothy in the greeting, “Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Jesus Christ?” John Lightfoot noted, “Paul associates Timothy with himself in the greeting, because he is a co-labourer not because he is a co-author of the epistle, for from Philippians 1:3 onward he writes in the first person singular.” The Philippian Church would have been familiar with Timothy, as he had accompanied Paul on his visits there (Acts 16:1-12, 20:4). Though Paul was the older and more experienced man, again in humility, Paul gave honour to Timothy, his fellow though younger labourer in the Gospel.

There is a great deal more that could be said about the conduct of the saints. Yet were we, by God’s grace, to genuinely seek to serve the Lord in all humility, how much more Christlike we would be, both individually and as a Church? Our service to others ought to be to the glory of God, “therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). Jerry Bridges emphasised that, “we all know people, even unbelievers, who seem to be natural servants. They are always serving others one way or another. But God does not get the glory; they do. It is their reputation that is enhanced. But when we, natural servants or not, serve in dependence upon the grace of God with the strength He supplies, God is glorified.”

That leaves us to ask the question, are we slaves of sin or saints and slaves of Christ? There is no middle ground.