When Paul writes, “to the saints and faithful in Christ,” he isn’t giving special titles to a few spiritual heroes. He’s talking to ordinary believers, people who struggle, doubt, and fall short. He’s speaking to you and to me. And he’s calling us something we often wouldn’t dare call ourselves: saints. Faithful.

Being a saint isn’t about behavior at all. It’s about being set apart, claimed, and cherished by God. Saints are people who belong to God, not because they do right or always get it right, but because they are united with Jesus. Saint is what God your Savior calls you. Your deepest, truest identity is not “sinner,” “failure,” or “outsider.” In Christ, you are God’s child. You are beloved. You are set apart. Holiness isn’t something you work for; it’s a gift you receive. A name God calls you because you are His.

There’s a freedom in finally believing that. You’re not holy because you’ve climbed high enough. You’re holy because Jesus is, and you’re His. God doesn’t see you through the lens of your past or your performance. He sees you through His Son.

To be called “faithful” isn’t about always feeling strong or steady. It isn’t a badge you earn after years of effort. It’s God’s verdict over everyone who is in Christ. You are faithful because you are joined to the Faithful One, even on the days when your faith feels weak and your grip slips; His hold on you is firm and sure. Your faithfulness is rooted in His. Just as a marriage is anchored in the promise and the covenant, not in the ups and downs of feelings, your faithfulness is anchored in Christ’s finished work.

When that old voice of shame comes to whisper, “You’re not enough,” let yourself remember, “I am who God says I am, faithful in Christ.”

This identity is a total transfer, a new name, a new family, a new home. You are born again, predestined to be adopted, recognized publicly for who you are in Christ. You belong, not because you proved yourself, but because you were chosen and loved. It’s like a child who receives a new last name not because they earned it, but because someone loved them enough to call them family.

Or picture a lamp: it doesn’t shine because it tries hard, but simply because it stays connected to the source of power. You don’t have to strive to be “bright enough,” just stay close to Jesus, the one who gives you life.

You are now in Christ, a new spiritual location, a living relationship, and a new identity. You have been blessed, chosen, forgiven, and loved not just someday, but right now. You’re no longer defined by your failures or by your past, but by what Jesus has done.

You have a new passport. You belong. You have a new citizenship, new rights, and a new story. No one can take that from you.

How did you get here? Not by climbing up a ladder of good deeds, but by receiving a gift. Grace from start to finish. The Christian life is not about qualifying, but about receiving. God gives you everything you need not because you’ve earned it, but because He loves you.

Don’t let your emotions or your circumstances write your story. Build your life on what God says. When you fail, when you feel far away, when you wonder if you’ve lost your place, run to Him. Rest in Him. Nothing can separate you from His love.

You are a saint. You are faithful. You are in Christ. Saint and faithful is who you are, not by your own effort, but by His finished work and His relentless love. Rest in it. Let yourself breathe. Let yourself believe what God says, even when your feelings or your past try to argue.

Every day, remind your heart: I am who God says I am. I am His, and nothing can ever change that.

Let that truth settle the question in your heart, once and for all.