Many people think of saints as those who have been canonised by the Catholic Church in recognition of their pious life.  But what does the Bible say about who are the saints?

The word saint or saints appears in both the Old and New Testaments.  There are various words which are translated into English as saint, but they all have the basic meaning of sacred, holy, or set apart.

Saints are men and women of godly character.  For example, Aaron, the brother of Moses, was a saint.

Psa 106:16  When they envied Moses in the camp, And Aaron the saint of the LORD,

Ungodly living is not fitting for a saint.

Eph 5:3  But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints;

And it is the saints who will receive the kingdom of God.

Dan 7:18  But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.’

In the New Testament, the word “saints” is used to refer to the body of Christ, that is Christians or the church.  For example:

Eph 1:1  Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus:

Eph 4:11  And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,
Eph 4:12  for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,

Php 4:21  Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren who are with me greet you.

Christians are in fact called to be saints.

1Co 1:2  To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:

Who are the saints?  Those, both past and present, of godly character, collectively known as the church or the body of Christ.