April 30, 2023 · 1 Corinthians 1:2 (NKJV)

Saints

To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours.

“This is just to help us think of each other differently. Isn't it different if you think of your friend as a saint? Oh. The second thing is — I think that God calls us to embrace our own personal sainthood. In Protestant circles — I think we probably call ourselves sinners more than saints — don't we? I'm a sinner. I'm a sinner. All we talk about is our sinfulness. Okay. Yes. We are sinners saved by grace. Not denying that. That's who we were, I would say. We were sinners saved by grace. Now we're saints — who were made saints by grace. … Right? It's not how Paul calls us. He's, like — what up, sinners? That's not how he talks. That's not how Jesus even talks, right? So — why do we do this? … But do you really believe that you're a saint? … That's why you're a saint. … We need to embrace the saint as part of our identity. And I really think — what happens if we start to think of ourselves this way? We start to redefine ourselves as saints, in our own hearts and minds. I think sometimes we look at scripture — Jesus calls you friends. (John 15:15) We're co-heirs with Christ. (Romans 8:17) We're going to talk about that later. He's not saying you're a sinner. That's not how Jesus is thinking about you.”