"And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight." Then Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name."Acts 9: 12-14

" And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many." Matthew 27: 50-53

" And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name." This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God's commandments and remain faithful to Jesus." Revelation 12: 11-12

Who are saints?

Are you a saint?

What does your church say with regards to who are saints?

Many opinions, many definitions but.....

Who has the right to define who meets the criteria for "sainthood"?

Is it you?

Is it your Church?

Could it possibly be God through His Word, the Holy Bible?

Who do you follow?

Who do you believe?

Man?

God?

If there is a conflict in the information received, who would you believe?

Your church which is run by men?

Or God's Word as documented in the Holy Bible?

Please note that we are not presenting "our opinion", we are merely presenting all information from the biblical viewpoint. You can easily verify what we say by searching the Holy Scriptures for yourself. All we ask is that you verify all that we present, evaluate what you have been taught and "make up your own mind". In all that you do, we encourage you to be a seeker and lover of the truth.

In the the New Testament, saints are never deceased individuals who were canonized by the church and given sainthood. There is no record of canonization in the Holy Bible. As indicated in the scriptures documented herein, saints are those who have dedicated themselves to the worship and service of the one true God as revealed through his Son, Jesus Christ. In other words, saints are all believers in the Almighty God who have accepted and follow Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

In Acts: 9: 12-14, Ananias tells Jesus Christ of Paul's persecution of those who believe and follow Him as their Lord and Savior - "the saints in Jerusalem." In Matthew 27: 50-53, we are told of the believers who had died and were "raised up from the dead" on the night that Jesus Christ was crucified - "the many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised."

Lets delve further into the meaning of the word. The word "saint" is derived from a Greek verb (hagiazo [ aJgiavzw]) whose basic meaning is "to set apart," "sanctify, " or "make holy." As indicated in the history of the Old Testament religion, the idea of holiness or separateness was inherent in the concept of God.

God was unapproachable in the tabernacle or temple by the ordinary individual, being accessible only to the priests and only under carefully specified conditions. His presence (the Shekinah) dwelled in the Holy of Holies or the Most Holy Place, the most remote and inaccessible place in the wilderness tabernacle and later in the Jerusalem temple. Only the high priest was allowed to stand in God's presence in this area, and then only once a year at Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement).

This sacred place was further separated from the ordinary Jewish worshiper by another room called "the Holy Place, " which could be entered only by priests. The intent was to impress upon the people the utter holiness and sacredness of the God they worshiped, as well as the necessity of their being set apart or sanctified as saints in his service. This sense of God's separateness from the sins of the people and from the pagan idols of the lands in which they dwelled was the heart of Jewish monotheism. Its eventual disregard led to the destruction of the temple and the exile of Israel.

This idea of the separateness of God and his people is carried forward in the New Testament, which was written by Jews (except possibly Luke-Acts) who interpreted God's covenant with Israel through the teachings of Christ. Those who were dedicated to the teachings of Christ were frequently called saints by these writers (e.g., Matthew 27:52; Acts 9:13; 26:10; Revelation 14:12). Six of Paul's letters to churches are addressed to saints (Romans, 1-2 Corinthians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians).