“Ye that love the LORD, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.” (Psalm 97:10)
Ye that love the LORD … his saints. The saints of the earth are mentioned all throughout the Bible. Saints are addressed and prayed for; those that were here on earth. Contrary to what some have been taught, saints are not dead people that have been named as such by any formal or informal process.
The Apostle Paul wrote to “... all that be in Rome … called to be saints …” He said that the Spirit would help them to pray intercessory prayers for the saints (Rom 8:27). He encouraged the Romans to be kindly affectioned, distributing to the necessity of the saints (Rom 12:10-13). He went to Jerusalem to minister to the saints (Rom 15:25). He asked the saints to receive Phebe and to help her with whatever she needed (Rom 16:1-2). Paul wrote to the church at Corinth “to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints” (1 Cor 1:2). He said that saints shall judge the world in 1 Cor 6:2. Paul also wrote to “the saints which are at Ephesus” (Eph 1:1). Paul talked about gifts that were given by Christ “ For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:” (Eph 4:12). Paul even asked the saints to pray for him, that he might boldly make known the mystery of the gospel. (Eph 6:18-20).
This pattern of addressing the “saints” is repeated over and over again in Paul’s epistles. Paul wrote these letters (epistles) to the churches; those churches who believed that Jesus is the Christ. We can easily understand that “saint” is simply a synonym for believer as we study the Bible. This is confirmed in the Book of Revelation when John writes: “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” (Rev 14:12) A saint is one who has the “faith of Jesus”.
In today’s verse, Psalm 97:10, the Psalmist talks of the preservation of the souls of the saints and the delivery from the hand of the wicked. How wonderful it is to see our salvation in the Old Testament. The soul of the saint (believer) is protected and sealed until the day of redemption. That day that our Redeemer, Jesus the Christ comes back to claim his purchased possession (Eph 1:12-14; 4:30). The soul of the saint is delivered from the hand of the wicked, the certain death (Rom 3:23; 6:23) that awaits those that do not believe in what Jesus did for all the world.
Believe that Christ died for YOUR sins and rose from the dead (1 Cor 15:3-4). This will guarantee your special delivery into the holy of holies, which we know as Heaven, when you die.
