The Bible calls every believer a saint — but most Christians walk through life thinking of themselves as sinners. The Greek word for saint is the same word as holy, and it describes who you actually are the moment you're born again. Part 5 of the Your REAL ID series reveals what changes when you start seeing yourself the way God does.
The Context
In Paul's letters, every believer is addressed as a "saint" — not just a select few canonized after death. Ephesians 1:1 opens "to the saints who are in Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus," and Ephesians 2:19 declares that believers are "fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God." This message confronts the common assumption that "saint" is a title reserved for spiritual heroes and shows from Scripture that it is the actual identity of every born again believer.
The Core Message
Pastor Tim Howe unpacks the Greek word behind "saint" — hagios — which is the exact same word translated "holy" throughout the New Testament. To be a saint means to be holy, set apart, sanctified, and consecrated to God. That language doesn't describe a future status earned by good behavior; it describes the current identity of every person who has been born again through faith in Jesus. The problem is that most believers carry a sin consciousness — constantly aware of their failures and reinforced by the enemy who accuses them day and night — and so they default to the identity of "sinner saved by grace" rather than the saint Scripture says they are. That mismatch in identity directly shapes behavior: when a person feels already dirty, one more sin doesn't seem like a big deal, but when they know they are clean, holy, and set apart, they instinctively avoid the mud puddles of the world.
This raises the practical question — how does a saint actually walk in holiness? Not by white-knuckled effort or constant striving. Scripture says Christ cleanses His church "by the washing of water with the word," and that believers are sanctified progressively as they spend time in God's Word. The cleansing power isn't in our own discipline; it's in the Word doing its work in us. As that washing continues, the desire for sin quietly falls away and the desire for God grows stronger. Sanctification, in other words, is not a one-time event but a daily shower — and the more time spent in Scripture, the more the saint within is revealed in everyday life.
The Application
- Reject Sinner Identity: Stop labeling yourself in your own thoughts as just a sinner saved by grace, because Scripture says your true identity is saint — holy and set apart by God Himself.
- See The Counterfeit: Recognize that the world's offerings are cheapened substitutes for the true joy, peace, and satisfaction that come only through relationship with the Father.
- Run To The Word: When sin shows up in your life, don't try to scrub yourself clean in your own strength — go straight to Scripture, which is where the washing and cleansing actually happen.
- Repent Quickly: Treat sin like a stain on a brand new white shirt: don't ignore it, don't smear it deeper, just go to the Father quickly and let Him help you make it right.
- Shower Daily: Spend time in the Word every day just as you take a shower every day, because sanctification is a progressive process that requires consistent washing, not a one-time event.
- Walk Set Apart: Live like someone wearing white in a muddy world — thoughtful about where you go, what you consume, and what you say, because your true identity is holy and your life is meant to look different from the world.
Conclusion
Take a few minutes to listen to this powerful Part 5 message and begin walking through life with the confidence and freedom of your true identity: a saint.
Here are some of the concepts we'll be touching on in today's message:
I am a saint, Your REAL ID, Saints in Christ, Holy and set apart, Sanctification, Hagios, Ephesians 2:19, Born again believer, True identity in Christ, Sinner vs saint, Washing of the word, Renewing the mind, Righteousness through Christ, Crucified with Christ, Holiness, Progressive sanctification, Word of God, Freedom from besetting sin, Household of God, Counterfeit pleasures
Scripture References:
Ephesians 1:1; Ephesians 2:18-21; Ephesians 4:11-16; Ephesians 5:25-30; Romans 8:26-27; Romans 12:1-2; Romans 1:16-17; 1 John 1:8-2:3; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 2 Corinthians 3:17-18; Galatians 2:17-21; Leviticus 11:44-45; 1 Peter 1:13-2:3; John 17:15-19; John 8:31-36; Psalm 97:10-12
