Tony Railton Supporter

The difference is that saints are ALL born again believers, not just beatified dead people by Roman Catholic Popes. 
Sanctified is what the Holy Spirit, Jesus, and the Father God make a person when they become a Christian so that they become set apart, and holy to be used for their work in the person’s life.

May 01 2021 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Tim Maas Supporter Retired Quality Assurance Specialist with the U.S. Army

I would say that, although the terms "saint" and "sanctification" are commonly thought of as related to the idea of being without sin, they also refer to the process of being "set apart".

All Christians on earth (even though they will remain sinners throughout their earthly lives) are already saints in the sense that they are set apart from the sinful world order by their saving faith in Christ so that they can be employed by God for His service and purposes.

Those Christians should also then actively seek and strive throughout their earthly lives to be progressively more sanctified (in the sense of being made sinless) through the work of God the Holy Spirit who dwells within them, so that they become continually more like Christ (who is the model whom they should all seek to emulate) in their thoughts, words, and actions.

January 29 2021 • 1 response • Vote Up • Share • Report

Grant Abbott Supporter Child of Father, Follower of Son, Student of Spirit

Saint refers to all people who have faith in God, all Old Testament believers and all Christians. Sanctification is the work of the Holy Spirit to build the character and image of Jesus Christ into our lives.

The word Saint is used many times in the King James Version (also NKJV) in both Old and New Testaments, and always refers to believers, the people of God. Interestingly, I couldn't find a single reference to Saint in the NIV version.

Believers are all Saints because our sins are all forgiven and we have a right standing before God, as a gift from God in response to our faith.

Throughout church history the term Saint took on a new meaning. Individuals whose lives exemplified the life of Christ became known as Saints. People who were fearless in preaching the gospel, who were kind and generous to the poor, who healed sicknesses and diseases, were portrayed as models or examples for other believers to aspire to. Regrettably, the teaching became corrupted when the status of these Saints was elevated to near godhead. Believers were encouraged to pray to these saints instead of to God. They were encouraged to look to patron saints to meet their needs in life instead of looking to God.

The term Saint as used in the bible (both Old & New Testaments) refers to all believers, not to a small group of super-spiritual or holy people.

Sanctification is the process of "putting-off" and "putting-on" that moves us toward a state of holiness and perfection. We will always sin in this life but we strive toward the goal of being like Christ by the power and wisdom of the Holy Spirit living in us. Here are some scripture references that speak to this process.

Romans chapter 6
v2 we are those who died to sin, how can we live in it any longer
v3-5 all of us were baptized into Christ Jesus, buried with him in death, and raised from the dead to live a new life
v6 for we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin - because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.
v11 count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus
v13 do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, rather offer every part of yourself to God as an instrument of righteousness
v17-19 - you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance, you have become slaves to righteousness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness
v22 - now that you have been set free from sin, the benefit you reap leads to holiness.

Ephesians chapter 4
v19-24 - Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed. That, however, is not the way of life you learned when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
v25 - put off falsehood and speak truthfully
v26 - in your anger do not sin
v28 - steal no longer but do something useful
v29 - no unwholesome talk, only what is helpful for building others up
v31 - get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, brawling, slander and malice, instead be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other

We partner with the Holy Spirit in this process of sanctification. The Spirit provides the wisdom and power to display righteousness and holiness in our lives. Our job is to listen to His voice, walk with the Holy Spirit and obey what He tells us to do, every day.

January 30 2021 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report