why we call ourselves saints

A lot of times people wonder about the name of my church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. They ask why do we call ourselves saints? It seems like kind of an odd name considering the connotations that our society has given to the word saint. Does calling ourselves saints mean that we think we are better than other people or that we are perfect? It does not. The dictionary defines a saint as “a person who is holy or virtuous”, but we, as members of the Church define it a little differently. 1 Corinthians chapter 1 verse 1 helps define what it means to be a saint. In that passage Paul addresses the members of the Church in Corinth, “to them which are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints.” From this we learn that saints are those who are “sanctified in Christ Jesus.” To be sanctified is not to be made perfect, but to be made better, more clean and more holy. To become a saint one must make an effort to become like Christ. In my opinion the definition of saint should be changed from “a person who is holy or virtuous” to “a person who is becoming holy or virtuous through the Savior Jesus Christ.” My church is all about becoming. We focus not on what we are now, but on what we can become through the infinite atonement of our Savior and honest and diligent effort on our part. That is why we call ourselves saints.