The world has the idea that saints come about by virtue of their own moral character – their own good works. Some believe that saints only refer to those who have died and were in this life holy and virtually sinless people. That those saints have powers of intercession and can perform miracles from heaven. Yet in his letters, Paul often refers to his readers as “Saints”. Therefore, saints are not only those whose bodies are at rest or are a special class of people whose merits we can borrow.
We may often hear someone say, “What a saint,” when someone does something nice for us, or say it about someone who bears up under a tragedy with grace and dignity, or when someone is a great encourager and cheerleader within the community. Now, such people are wonderful, gallant, and noble, but are they truly saints because of what they do or who they are? It is true that good works and perseverance is a mark of a believer, but what does the Bible say about what is a saint?
The first reading for this day taken from the Revelation of Jesus Christ to St. John helps to answer that question. By the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, John had a vision of the saints in heaven. There are many saints at rest- more than anyone can number from every race, tribe, and language. One of the elders speaking to John tells John the exact process for making a saint or “holy one” as that is what “saint” means. The elder said, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”
The blood of the Lamb is the blood of Jesus Christ as when John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! The Apostle John wrote, [1 John 1:7] “The blood of Jesus [God’s] Son cleanses us from all sin.” The writer of Hebrews said, “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” Therefore, becoming “holy ones” or saints, comes only from the holiness of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. It comes by the washing of regeneration and sprinkling in Christ’s Blood in the pure waters of baptism as the merits and righteousness of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for sins on the cross are applied to His people by faith.
No one can confer sainthood on themselves, for in this life we have all become like one who is unclean by our sin, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. Instead, sainthood is conferred on us by the perfect life, and the innocent suffering and death of Jesus Christ our Lord and savior. If we were to call ourselves saints according to the world’s idea of sainthood, we would be pointing to our own accomplishments and the world would be right to call us arrogant and self-righteous. On the other hand, if we call ourselves saints according to the Bible, then we are pointing away from ourselves and toward the work and grace of Jesus Christ and are giving Him the glory and praise.
When we say that someone is a saint in the Biblical sense of the word, we are simply saying that the Holy Spirit has worked faith in them – that they believe that the Son of God took on human flesh in the person of Jesus Christ and earned the forgiveness of sins for them with His holy, precious blood and His innocent suffering and death.
All Christians who believe are saints and all saints are Christians. Today’s epistle gives us yet another name for saint: a child of God. “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.” Child of God, saint, Christian – these are all different names for those who have saving faith in Jesus Christ – all different names for those of the great multitude who will stand before the throne of the Lamb at the last and great day.
When we talk of all the saints as one large group of believers, we are really talking about the Holy Christian Church. The Holy Christian Church spans two different realities. Here on this earth, in this life, we are the Church Militant. We continue to struggle with life in this sin soaked world. Even though Jesus has defeated Satan with His death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead, Satan still bites and snaps, trying to wrest the victory from God’s children by tormenting and tempting them from the confession of Christ’s name. This is why we are the church Militant, we are yet in this life upon the battlefield. We would be defeated, except as we often sing in “A Mighty Fortress is our God”: “for us, fights the Valiant One”, that is, Jesus Christ who is that Mighty Fortress. He fights by our side now and continues to give us strength and power by the renewal of that washing in baptism, as He feeds and empowers us through His Word and Sacraments by the forgiveness of our sin, so that we may reach the goal and receive the victory by faith in His name.
Cheering us on, though not able to see our struggles, is the Church Triumphant. The Church Triumphant is made up of all those saints who are already gathered at the throne of the Lamb, who are now at rest from this earth’s labors. They are now without sin, without hunger, without misery, without tears, because the one called the Lamb is their Shepherd – who leads His lambs to living fountains of water. All memory of pain, death, sin, sickness, poverty, hunger, persecution, and hatred are wiped from their eyes along with their tears.
Even though this Church spans two realities, there are not two churches: one here on earth and another in heaven. Rather we “believe in one holy Christian and apostolic church.” The oneness of the Church is not destroyed even by the separation of temporal death of the human body. Christ has overcome death by His resurrection. Now where Jesus is, there are the saints – those here on earth, and those who have “come out of the great tribulation” of life in this world.
The Church on earth and the Church in heaven are united around the throne of God and in the presence of the Lamb through faith in Jesus Christ. When we gather around the altar on Sunday, we know that our deceased relatives and friends who have likewise “washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb” are right there with us. When we sing “Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world,” we sing along with the countless Christians of every age. When we chant “Holy, holy, holy,” we do so with billions of the faithful from every time and place. And when we come before the Body and Blood of the Lord, we are joined with those whom we love but can no longer embrace. We are not only in the presence of Jesus, but are also surrounded by this great cloud of witnesses, this host arrayed in white, those who fall on their faces night and day in worship before the Lord Himself.
So, it is proper on this All Saints Day that we praise God for the men and women of faith who have gone before us. It is appropriate that we honor the work that God has done in their lives to give them the true saving faith. It is also appropriate that we honor the work that God has done through their lives to affect the lives of the people around them. It is appropriate that we honor those who have preceded us into the Church Triumphant.
When we honor the redeemed, we are also honoring the Redeemer. The saints who are holy in God’s eyes testify to the only One who is eternally holy: our Lord Jesus Christ. It is His blood that covers our sin and allows us to stand in His presence. It is being baptized into His death that gives us a white robe. It is His Word and Sacraments that usher us into the throne room where we will never again suffer or be unhappy.
What then shall we do while we wait for our turn to leave the battle of this world and enter the rest our Savior has prepared for us? As we wait for the resurrection of the flesh at the last day?
Yes, life in this world is hard. Although we are saints in God’s eyes through faith in Christ, we still sin. The battle with sin rages around us and in us. We live in the great tribulation but we in repentance and weakness return to Christ’s cross and throne and are renewed. The Savior promises never to leave us or forsake us. We continue to live by grace and the forgiveness of sin given through faith in Jesus Christ. As He feeds and forgives us through His Word we are empowered by His Spirit to confess His name in worship and in our vocations to His glory and as a witness to others.
Though we live in a mortal body decaying with sin, these bodies will be raised and made new forever at Christ’s triumphant final return. Though our worship is imperfect, it will be perfected. Though our voices crack now, they will one day sing in perfect harmony with angels. Though we’re tired and distracted, hungry or bored, we will one day be so alive and filled with joy that we will never grow weary of joining this great crowd in heaven, singing and praising God.
Dear friends, we who believe are already saints. By His death on the cross, the Lord Himself clothes us with His righteousness, and through His resurrection He will one day shepherd us to everlasting life. In that blessed place we will experience the eternal joy of God’s presence along with the rest of the Communion of Saints. Amen.
Pr. Aaron Kangas