Ephesians: All of Grace (Chapter 1)

"To the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus," (v.1b).

* "saints"! Now there's a word the world has taken to itself and twisted its real meaning! It can be used as a mocking term: "who does she think she is, a saint?" A deceased mother can be described as a "saintly" one. The Roman Catholic Church on occasion declares someone to be a saint, assuming they've met the required criteria. During my early years, the most popular of these was St. Christopher, whose medal was worn, rubbed, and hung from the inside rear view mirror in many cars. It's this superstitious aspect that is the most troubling.... the practice of praying to "saints" long deceased, or venerating them in worshipful ways is decidedly unbiblical.

In the New Testament, "saint" (lit. 'holy one') is simply a designation for a Christian. The ones whose lives were changed by the Lord Jesus, identifying with Him, following Him in faith, were the saints. No, they had no "St." in front of their names, but that artificial prefix would have been shunned if offered. Then, as now, the most important name-related issue was that one's name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life!