Greeting the Saints

“Salute every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren which are with me greet you. All the saints salute you, chiefly they that are of Caesar’s household.” (Philippians 4:21-22)

There are no second class citizens in the Kingdom of God. Every believer, every Christian, every saved person, every person who has received the New Birth is classed as a “saint.” The word, “saint” comes from the same word as “sanctify” which means, “to be set apart.” Believers are set apart from the world system to the Lord. Paul addresses the Philippian letter in 1:1, “to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi.”

In the closing verses of this letter all the saints back home in Philippi are to be greeted. None are excluded. The brethren with Paul in prison are saints. They send their greeting along with the saints in Caesar’s household. Saints in Caesar’s household would be the slaves, servants, prison guards, cooks, field hands, dignitaries and anyone in Caesar’s employment who had received Christ as their Savior.

One can see God’s hand upon the great imprisoned apostle as, from his cell, he leads one, then another and another to Christ. And those won to Christ tell a fellow servant and he tells another, and he tells another and another and another…

Hard times, difficulties, imprisonments and threats cannot stop the spread of the gospel.