What does it mean to be a saint?

Answer 1

The word means "holy" from the Latin "sanctus." Biblically, a saint is someone set aside by God, a holy person. 2Chron 6:41 Now therefore arise, O LORD God, into thy resting place, thou, and the ark of thy strength: let thy priests, O LORD God, be clothed with salvation, and let thy saints rejoice in goodness.

In the New Testament, this is used to refer to all born-again believers in Christ: Christians. Jude 1:3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. See also: Heb. 13:24 and Phile. 1:5, 7. Various Christian organizations have different definitions and criteria for what they call saints. Modern usage in written language sometimes uses the word saint to describe a revered person of a religion other than Christian. Also, in popular culture, the term is sometimes used to describe anyone who has done something very kind, usually by the grateful recipient of the kindness. The Roman Catholic Church has specific procedures for Canonisation, declaring a person a Canonised Saint, or Beatification. They require, for example, a minimum of 3 important miracles to be attributed to the candidate.