Every regenerated, sanctified soul in Jesus Christ is a saint. All references to saints in the Scriptures are saved people; no special class of regenerated people called saints.
Well, we were saved in Christ, we are being saved and we hope to be saved on our final breathe as scripture teaches us. I don’t believe in presumption.
And therein lies the problem. I live in an elderly apartment building and I’m the only Catholic and most of them think they are saved.
I had a baptist, a non-denominational and a Lutheran over for pizza. I made the outrageous statement of calling Jesus, my love, Lord. Well, the non-denom freaked out that I called Jesus Lord...he was just the Son...not God the Father. I looked at the Lutheran and asked if he thought Jesus was God. He say NO...just the son The baptist had no idea...he thought lucifer was a brother of God. The best book he ever read was the divinci code. I had to tell him that was not what baptist taught.
The really sad thing is that this elderly apt building has a church service on tuesdays. Guess what...the service is put on by a gay church and the people that put on the service are homosexuals.
Are they saved? Are they saints? They think they are cause that is what they are taught as you have been taught.
I don’t believe we can call ourselves saints until we have run the race til the end on our last breathe.
It’s a journey my friend...just as the ancient Israelites went from Egypt (sin) through the desert (the world) to the promised land. (heaven) ...we too can fail.
We are given the promise but as we see from the above...many failed.
I’m trying to help you out here. I understand that Baptist have an identity crisis. The truth be told is that Baptist seminaries have rejected this as well as the Southern Baptist convention. It’s a place that you really don’t want to go...because wherever it lands...it is not what Baptist believe now. If it be the Waldensians or the Donatists...they actually believe in most of Catholic theology including Mary and the Eucharist.
As a matter of fact, St Augustine stated in his refute to the Donatists...”Would anyone be so impious (wicked, demonic) not to baptize infants”.
Do you see the problem? It only makes Christianity a laughing stock to the disbelievers. That is why Jesus prayed that they all be one so the world would know him.