Schaff's Bible Dictionary
SAINTS, the title given by the sacred writers to believers in Christ, Heb 6:10, or the people of God. Ps 16:3; Rom 1:7; Ezr 8:27. A saint is one who is separated from the world and consecrated to the service of God. It does not necessarily imply entire personal holiness, but that believers are called to holiness and are to strive after it. The special application of the term to apostles and evangelists and a select number of men who constitute as it were a spiritual nobility is not biblical, but dates from the fourth century.
✦ Scripture References 4 references