Do Christians in heaven dislike being given the title “Saint”?

Recently a friend of mine, a solid Christian of whom I have a deep respect for his love of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teachings found in Scripture, brought up the objection that perhaps it is wrong for the Catholic Church to give those past Christians who have lived heroically holy lives, the title “Saint.” His reasoning was that if they were truly humble, they would not want to be given this title. By calling them saints we are actually offending them. I'm guessing that he had in mind such verses as when Jesus said to call no man father, rabbi, or teacher (Mt. 23:8,9), which could at first glance be taken as Jesus condemning the practice of using titles to honor people. Is it wrong for the Catholic Church to declare a dead Christian to be a Saint? Are these Christians who have been given this title offended?

To begin, we need to take a closer look at Jesus teaching on titles. When this passage is read in context it is clear that he is not giving a blanket condemnation of titles, but instead using hyperbole in order to condemn the pride of the pharisees who liked to exalt themselves in their titles. We know this for two reasons. First, because common sense tells us that when a little girl calls her dad “Father” or when she goes to school and calls her instructor “Teacher” she is not violating Jesus teaching. Second, because Paul used titles continually (1 Tim. 2:7; 2 Tim 2:11; 1 Cor. 12:28; Eph 4:11). So, there is nothing wrong with titles, unless one is using them to exalt himself.

Next, is wrong to give the title of “Saint” to past Christians who have lived heroically virtuous lives? In other words is it wrong to honor others with titles such as the Catholic Church does? From the above discussion we know that titles are not wrong unless they are used for prideful and selfish aggrandizement. So, the real question is, is it wrong to honor others whether that be with titles or in other ways? An easy way to answer this is by looking at God's command to children: “Honor your parents.” Have you ever heard a child call his mother or father by first name and this made you wince? Why? Because our parents deserve to be honored. We honor them with titles: Mother, Father, Grandfather, Grandmother. However this is true not only with parents, but also with religious leaders. God told Moses: “Make sacred garments for your brother Aaron [the high priest], to give him dignity and honor” (Ex. 28:2). “Let the elders [priests] who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching” (1 Tim. 5:17). Christ promised special blessings to those who honor religious figures: “He who receives a prophet because he is a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward, and he who receives a righteous man [saint] because he is a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward” (Matt. 10:41). As far as I can tell, there is nothing in Scripture that teaches that it is wrong to honor a person by calling him a saint.