Philippians 4. 21-23 (ESV)
21 Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me greet you. 22 All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar’s household. 23 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
Philippians 4. 21-23 (NIV)
21 Greet all God’s people in Christ Jesus. The brothers and sisters who are with me send greetings. 22 All God’s people here send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar’s household. 23 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.
Sermon Quotes and References:
Saint is one of the most widely misunderstood words in our Christian vocabulary. At some point in church history, people began to call the original apostles “saints”, contrary to the plain meaning of the word as used in the New Testament. So now we hear of Saint Paul, Saint Peter, Saint Andrew, and the like. In the Roman Catholic tradition, people of unusual achievement are sometimes designated as saints. Among evangelicals we often think of saints as exceptionally godly and holy people. The truth is, though, every believer is a saint. Sainthood is not a spiritual attainment, or even a recognition of such attainment. It is rather a state or status into which God brings every believer.
Jerry Bridges, Who Am I? Identity in Christ
One of our greatest allies at present is the Church itself … When the new believer gets to church & looks round him, make sure his mind flits to & fro between expressions like “the body of Christ” & “brothers & sisters” and the actual faces around him & in the next row. It matters very little, of course, what kind of people that row really contains. Provided that any of these new “family members” sing out of tune, or have shoes that squeak, or double chins, or odd clothes, or difficult personalities, he will quite easily begin to believe that this whole church “family” thing must somehow be quite ridiculous.
CS Lewis, The Screwtape Letters