What is a Prophet? How is it not a saint?
As missionaries we have received many questions. One of those can be fairly summed up in this
question: ''What is the dfference between a Saint and a Prophet?'' I did some reading in The Bible and
here is what I found!
In the Apostle Paul's Epistle to the Romans, he says in 1:7 "To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our
Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ." We understand Paul was, of course speaking to all of the Romans that had then accepted Christ and His Gospel.
What the Apostle Paul describes is that saints are all members of the church. All those who have
accepted Christ and been baptized in his name are called to be saints. They are called to transcend the
basic and live with higher standards, values, and convictions. (see Romans 12) The word saint comes
from a greek word that has also been rendered to mean ''holy.'' The general idea of the word means
simply to be set apart for God. When someone chooses to follow Christ and be baptized they set
themselves apart from the chaos and confusion of the world for God.
Prophets have also been set apart from the world, however they are usually set apart BY God himself for his purposes. Prophets are chosen men that hold the priesthood (or authority) of God to reveal and preach the Lord's Gospel. They have always been the heads of the church on earth and have acted as the Lord's mouthpiece for all the people on earth. They guided and directed the church to keep it from going astray. Without a prophet the church is subject to dwindle in confusion when others begin to introduce ideas that stray from the teachings of the Lord. Knowing this, the Lord gave us a living prophet today, to steer his church in the direction he wants it to go without fail.
In this perspective we can see that all the prophets have surely been saints, but not all saints are
prophets. Perhaps an analogy could help illustrate this idea.
We could say that a ship is the church of Jesus Christ and it's teachings. This ship is setting sail to a
place of joy and peace. Everyone who gets on this boat would be the saints. Those who heard the call of this joyous land and committed to stay on the boat throughout it's journey. They understood there could be roiling and roaring waves but they knew if they stayed in the boat and followed the instructions given they would safely pass through the ocean. The ocean is our life. As storms come and toss the ship to and fro, the saints don't know which direction to go to safely navigate through the danger, but the captain of this ship does. The captain is the prophet. He has experience in the tempests of life. He has a telescope and can see further than the saints can. As a result, he knows where to steer the ship to get it through troubled waters and get the ship to the new land where it's owner (Jesus Christ) is waiting for it. As the saints follow the Prophets instructions they are able to stay safe on the open water and reach their destination.
The destination for the saints--or rather, For US--has always been to return to the presence of our
Heavenly Father. This has always been his goal, and because he wanted us to be able to achieve it he
gave us Prophets to guide us back to him. As a testament to his love, he gave us a Prophet today when "the ocean" is at it's most dangerous. He did this so we would never have to feel lost or alone. Today the Prophet still receives revelation and still guides the Church of Jesus-Christ of Latter-Day Saints and of course, the saints that make up His church.
question: ''What is the dfference between a Saint and a Prophet?'' I did some reading in The Bible and
here is what I found!
In the Apostle Paul's Epistle to the Romans, he says in 1:7 "To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our
Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ." We understand Paul was, of course speaking to all of the Romans that had then accepted Christ and His Gospel.
What the Apostle Paul describes is that saints are all members of the church. All those who have
accepted Christ and been baptized in his name are called to be saints. They are called to transcend the
basic and live with higher standards, values, and convictions. (see Romans 12) The word saint comes
from a greek word that has also been rendered to mean ''holy.'' The general idea of the word means
simply to be set apart for God. When someone chooses to follow Christ and be baptized they set
themselves apart from the chaos and confusion of the world for God.
Prophets have also been set apart from the world, however they are usually set apart BY God himself for his purposes. Prophets are chosen men that hold the priesthood (or authority) of God to reveal and preach the Lord's Gospel. They have always been the heads of the church on earth and have acted as the Lord's mouthpiece for all the people on earth. They guided and directed the church to keep it from going astray. Without a prophet the church is subject to dwindle in confusion when others begin to introduce ideas that stray from the teachings of the Lord. Knowing this, the Lord gave us a living prophet today, to steer his church in the direction he wants it to go without fail.
In this perspective we can see that all the prophets have surely been saints, but not all saints are
prophets. Perhaps an analogy could help illustrate this idea.
We could say that a ship is the church of Jesus Christ and it's teachings. This ship is setting sail to a
place of joy and peace. Everyone who gets on this boat would be the saints. Those who heard the call of this joyous land and committed to stay on the boat throughout it's journey. They understood there could be roiling and roaring waves but they knew if they stayed in the boat and followed the instructions given they would safely pass through the ocean. The ocean is our life. As storms come and toss the ship to and fro, the saints don't know which direction to go to safely navigate through the danger, but the captain of this ship does. The captain is the prophet. He has experience in the tempests of life. He has a telescope and can see further than the saints can. As a result, he knows where to steer the ship to get it through troubled waters and get the ship to the new land where it's owner (Jesus Christ) is waiting for it. As the saints follow the Prophets instructions they are able to stay safe on the open water and reach their destination.
The destination for the saints--or rather, For US--has always been to return to the presence of our
Heavenly Father. This has always been his goal, and because he wanted us to be able to achieve it he
gave us Prophets to guide us back to him. As a testament to his love, he gave us a Prophet today when "the ocean" is at it's most dangerous. He did this so we would never have to feel lost or alone. Today the Prophet still receives revelation and still guides the Church of Jesus-Christ of Latter-Day Saints and of course, the saints that make up His church.
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