Being a Christian is not just about being a sinner saved by grace.
Christ came to the earth, not just to save individual sinners, but to set apart for Himself a people. He came to establish a holy nation; and the citizens of that holy nation are called “saints.”
By “saints” we don’t mean super-holy Christians who have performed miracles, or who have died and obtained some special spiritual status in heaven. No, the saints are simply those whom God has set apart from the world. Every Christian is a saint who is called by God to be holy. Simply put, a saint is a child of God.
Now, if you are a child of God, you are not an only child. You are surrounded by brothers and sisters who also call God their Father.
A man once told me that “church” for him was being out on the lake in his kayak, alone in nature with God. Now, it’s true that you might experience closeness to the Lord by yourself in nature, and a Christian certainly does seek the Lord in prayer when alone. But “church” is never being alone. In fact, one of a true Christian’s greatest delights is to be gathered together with other saints. After all, Jesus tells us that He meets with His people in a special way when they are gathered together in His name.
When we recite the Apostles’ Creed, we proclaim this as essential to our faith. We proclaim that being a Christian is to be a part of Christ’s church, and that to commune with the saints of God is among our highest joys and privileges.
