Defining a Saint

So what exactly is a Saint anyway?

There are many definitions, but when most think of the word saint images come to mind of the semi-mystical and apparently near-perfect beings canonized by the Roman Catholic church, who are somehow able to step in for God and answer our prayers on his behalf.

Apart from that, the word saint usually denotes a really great person who is incapable of doing any wrong. From this definition we derive common phrases such as "He's no saint", inferring that the person in question is an immoral or somehow "bad" person.

So what is the real definition of the word saint? And what does a person need to do in order to be considered one of these?

First we'll look at the dictionary (or more precisely dictionary.com), which defines 'saint' as:

Abbr. St. or S. Christianity. A person officially recognized, especially by canonization, as being entitled to public veneration and capable of interceding for people on earth.

or

a person who has died and has been declared a saint by canonization 2: person of exceptional holiness [syn: holy man, holy person, angel] 3: model of excellence or perfection of a kind; one having no equal .

Wikipedia.com (like a dictionary but with more emphasis on cultural relevence) seems to back this up by saying that:

In general, the term Saint refers to someone who is exceptionally virtuous and holy. It can be applied to both the living and the dead and is an acceptable term in most of the world's popular religions. The Saint is held up by the community as an example of how we all should act, and his or her life story is usually recorded for the edification of future generations.

Wow.. those are some large shoes to fill. You may ask "Ryan - how can you dare to call yourself a Saint given the meaning of the word?". Well, rest assured there is more to say on the subject.

I like Wikipedia because it not only gives a definition of things but also goes into detail about where it came from and how it has been used historically. Wikipedia had this to say about the origin of "saint":

The term Saint is derived from the Latin Sanctus meaning “Holy”. This is a direct translation from the Greek word "hagios" also meaning “Holy”. In its original scriptural usage it simply means “Holy” or “Sanctified”. In this form it can be applied to a “Holy” person, a place (The Holy Mountain), a thing, such as Scripture itself (Holy Writing), or even God (The Holy Spirit). But very soon the early Christians began to make the distinction of using the term “Saint” to refer to a specific, exemplary individual.

Aha! So it was not originally used in the Roman Catholic context but was adapted from the real scriptural definition, apparently used frequently by the Apostle Paul. I definately like what Wikipedia goes on to say about "Christianity in General":

In many Protestant churches, the word is used more generally to refer to anyone who is a Christian. This is similar in usage to St. Paul's numerous references. In this sense, anyone who is within the Body of Christ is “Holy” because of their relationship with Jesus.

Similarly, Dictionary.com states something similar in the bottom parts of the its definition:

one separated from the world and consecrated to God; one holy by profession andby covenant; a believer in Christ

So the truth comes out. From putting all of this together it seems that the word "saint" was used frequently by Paul and that the Protestant interpretation of the word is the closest we have to the actual scriptural meaning. I wanted to find at least one or two actual Bible passages to back this up, so I did a search at Biblegateway.com for "saint". I used the King James Version as I figured it was the most likely to actually contain the word "saint" and found this passage, that I think sums up perfectly what a saint is:

Philippians 4:21
21Salute every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren which are with me greet you.

"Salute EVERY saint in Christ Jesus" .. is that perfect or what?

Conclusions: Everyone who is with Christ is a saint. The godlike figures popularized by the Roman Catholic church were just ordinary, sinful, imperfect people, just like me and just like you - they deserve the title "Saint" inasmuch as they are with Jesus Christ and for no other reason. Being a Saint doesn't mean being perfect - in fact it doesn't really mean we have to be particularly "good" people.. it just means that we have accepted the gift of our Creator and become his children and his servants.

While writing fantasy stories I have envisioned armies of ordinary and yet extraordinary Saints, all fighting, however imperfectly, in the name of their God - all possessed of gifts that no one but God himself can bestow - all following the leadership and guidance of God through his ultimate messenger, Jesus Christ.

Such an army would be unstoppable in any fantasy setting. It would be unstoppable in the real world too.