Pastor Kory’s Page for Sun, Nov. 2, 2005

            What is a Christian saint? Are the saints limited just to Jesus’ disciples, or to Christians from long ago, or only to deceased Christians? Do you need to make extraordinary sacrifices, like leaving home and serving as an overseas missionary, to become a saint? 

            Biblically speaking, a saint is a “holy one” of God. The Greek term for saint, hagios, occurs more than 40 times in the New Testament, especially in St. Paul’s Epistles and the book of Revelation. It occurs as a general greeting at the beginning of several letters, such as in Philippians 1:1, “To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons.” In this instance, “saints” refers to all the Christians in the city of Philippi. They didn’t have to be “super Christians” or already be deceased to receive the title of “saint.” In Romans 1:7, Paul also writes, “To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” This passage likewise describes all the believers in Rome as saints. Additionally, it is God’s love and God’s call which make us His saints, His holy people – not our personal decision or devotion.

            This means that ALL who believe and are baptized in the Christian faith can rightly be described as saints in Christ! This also means that you are just as much of a saint as the faithful men and women whom we read about in the Bible and in the records of the early church. You are already a saint now in this life even as you look forward to experiencing the fullness of the resurrection life which Christ has won for you by His death and resurrection!

            As we think specifically, though, about prominent saints through the history of the church, how should we remember them? The early Lutherans wrote in the Augsburg Confession, “Our churches teach that the history of saints may be set before us so that we may follow the example of their faith and good works, according to our calling. … But the Scriptures to not teach that we are to call on the saints or to ask the saints for help.” (AC 21) In other words, it’s important for the saints in any age to learn church history and find inspiration from the lives of faithful men and women who have gone before us. 

However, praying to the saints is both unbiblical and unnecessary. The Augsburg Confession continues, “Scripture sets before us the one Christ as the Mediator, Atoning Sacrifice, High Priest, and Intercessor [1 Timothy 2:5-6]. He is to be prayed to. He has promised that He will hear our prayer [John 14:13]. This is the worship that He approves above all other worship, that He be called upon in all afflictions. ‘If anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father’ (1 John 2:1).” As saints in Christ, we have full access to God’s throne of grace through Jesus. Like the saints from ages past, we turn to Jesus Himself with all our needs, sins, and intercessions. We can and should remember the saints, but we need not pray to them.

            The first pages of the Lutheran Service Book hymnal (xi-xiii) include a list of traditional Christian feast days, festivals, and the commemorations of other saints. These remembrances span from the Old Testament patriarchs to figures in the Lutheran Reformation and even in nineteenth century American Lutheranism. An introduction in the hymnal says, “In every case, the purpose of our remembrance is not that we honor these saints for their own sake, but as examples of those in whom the saving work of Jesus Christ has been made manifest to the glory of His holy name and to the praise of His grace and mercy” (LSB p. xii).

            If you’d like to learn more about these saints through the centuries, I recommend a book called Celebrating the Saints by William Weedon. Pastor Weedon includes a short devotional message related to each saint whom Lutherans commemorate in the church year.

            Lastly, I invite all of you saints in Christ to join us on Sun, Nov. 2 as we observe “All Saints Day” and remember saints both known to us and known only to the Lord, those who surround us today and those who have already joined the great cloud of witnesses (Heb. 12:1).

            Grace & Peace,

                        Pastor Kory Janneke