WHO Are the Saints? AND Are They Worthy of Honor and Celebration?

As we approach "All Saints Day, All Hallows, All Hallows Eve" which many Christians around the world will celebrate, it behooves those of us who profess to be Christians to understand exactly what is being celebrated and why! Is the celebration of saints an invention of the Roman Catholic Church? Did that group designate certain people to be saints? Can Protestant Christians be saints? What is a SAINT? Who are the saints? Are they worthy of honor and celebration? We're going to take a look at what religious scholars and the Christian Canon has to say in our attempt to definitively answer those questions.

First, anyone who is familiar with the King James Version of the Bible, the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church or the Eastern Orthodox Church will recognize the importance of the English word "saint." In the original Hebrew Bible, the word "qados" was originally translated into English as "saint." The word literally denotes something/someone that/who is sacred, holy, set apart, or a saint. In fact, different formulations of this word (depending on the part of speech it is being used to represent) are used to describe the Sabbath and Festivals of Torah. Likewise, the Greek word "hagios" was originally translated into English as "saint." It also denotes something/someone that/who is sacred, holy, worthy of veneration, or a saint. Indeed, we refer to a biography of a saint as being a "hagiography." In fact, the Holy Spirit itself appears as "hagios" and "pneuma" in the original Greek! Moreover, in both Hebrew and Greek, the words are more broadly used to designate that which is holy, has been sanctified, or set apart by God. As we will shortly demonstrate, the definitions here related will be crucial to correctly answering the questions posed in the opening paragraph of this post!

To be thorough, we should note that there is another word which is often translated into English as "saint" in the Old Testament. However, it should be noted that "hasid" carries a different connotation than "qados," as it refers to those who are faithful to God's covenant with Israel - who obey the commandments of Torah. For instance, in the fiftieth Psalm, we read: "Gather my saints <hasid> together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice." (Psalm 50:5, KJV) Likewise, in another Psalm, we read: "He also exalteth the horn of his people, the praise of all his saints <hasid>; even of the children of Israel, a people near unto him. Praise ye the Lord." (Psalm 148:14, KJV) Now, while "qados" is also used to refer to the people of Israel at times, it is more often used in those writings in a prophetic sense - as in those who will or already have received salvation. (See Psalm 89:1-7, Daniel 7:18-27, Zechariah 14:5)

Now, with this background in hand, we are ready to tackle the questions about the identity of the New Covenant saints of God. In the book of Acts, we are informed that Ananias reminded the Lord about how much evil Paul "hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem" when he was commanded to receive him. (Acts 9:13) Later, in that same chapter, we read that "as Peter passed throughout all quarters, he came down also to the saints which dwelt at Lydda." (Acts 9:32) Moreover, when Peter raised the little girl from the dead, we read that he "called the saints and widows, presented her alive." (Acts 9:41) Later, when Paul recounted his history of persecuting Christians to King Agrippa, he said: "many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them." (Acts 26:10)

When Paul penned his letter to the Christians at Rome, he wrote: "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." (Romans 1:7) Later, in the same epistle, Paul explained to them that those who walk after the Spirit are different (or set apart) from those who walk after the flesh. (Romans 8:1-9) He went on to write: "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God." (Romans 8:26-27) Then, toward the end of the epistle, Paul wrote: "But now I go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints. For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem." (Romans 15:26-27) Paul then concluded his letter with these admonitions: "I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea: That ye receive her in the Lord, as becometh saints, and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you: for she hath been a succourer of many, and of myself also." (Romans 16:1-2) and "Salute Philologus, and Julia, Nereus, and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints which are with them." (Romans 16:15)

Are we beginning to discern a pattern in these writings? In both the book of Acts and Romans, we see that the term "saints" simply refers to everyone who was a Christian! Indeed, we will see that this is how that term is used throughout the writings we call the New Testament.

Paul addressed his letter to the Christians of Corinth by writing: "Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both their's and our's..." (I Corinthians 1:2) Later, after reprimanding the Church for tolerating moral depravity in their midst, he wrote: "Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints? Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?" (I Corinthians 6:1-2) Paul went on to say: "For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints." (I Corinthians 14:33) Likewise, in his second letter to the Church there, he wrote: "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia..." (II Corinthians 1:1) Once again, he closed a letter with what was then familiar language: "Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you. Greet one another with an holy kiss. All the saints salute you. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen." (II Corinthians 13:11-14) Notice that Paul's use of the term "saints" is consistent with what we have already observed in the books of Acts and Romans.

Nevertheless, just to nail this down from a Scriptural perspective, we will continue with some of Paul's other epistles. In yet another letter, he wrote: "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ." (Ephesians 1:1-2) Continuing in the same chapter, we read: "Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power..." (Ephesians 1:15-19) Later, in the same epistle, Paul spoke of the traditional well-delineated differences between Jews and Gentiles, and how Jesus had made them both into God's people. (Ephesians 2:11-18) Then, Paul wrote: "Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit." (Ephesians 2:19-22) Clearly, the Apostle Paul believed that ALL Christians were saints!

Likewise, his letters to the Colossians, Philippians, and Thessalonians convey the same sense. Paul wrote: "Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ." (Philippians 1:1-2) He also wrote: "To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints..." (Colossians 1:2-4) In his first epistle to the Church at Thessalonica, Paul wrote: "And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints." (I Thessalonians 3:12-13) In similar fashion, he wrote a second time: "When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day. Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power: That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ." (II Thessalonians 1:10-12) So, we have seen that Paul was very consistent in this respect throughout his writings.

Now, we come at last to the final book of the New Testament Canon: Revelation. John wrote: "And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints." (Revelation 5:4-8) Notice, that the context makes very clear that the prayers of Christians came to God's throne in heaven. Not clear to you? Continuing, we read: "And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand." (Revelation 8:3-4)

In addition to these passages about the prayers of the saints, there are a number of other passages in the book of Revelation which clearly identify the saints as Christians. In the thirteenth chapter of the book, we find that "the beast" was given the power to make war on the saints. (Revelation 13:7) In the very next chapter, we read: "Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." (Revelation 14:12) Likewise, in the seventeenth chapter, we see "the great whore" "drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus." (Revelation 17:6) In the following chapter, the story is about the fall of "Babylon" (Rome). Next, we read that "in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth." (Revelation 18:24) Then, in the following chapter, we read: "And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints." (Revelation 19:6-8) Notice that the bride of the Lamb (the Church - the called out ones) are given clean white linen to wear, and we are explicitly told that these garments represent "the righteousness of saints).

In all of the passages which we have reviewed here, we have seen that the saints are synonymous with those who are known as Christians. In short, saints are those who have been called together by God through their faith in Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ. Saints are those whose sins have been forgiven, and who have received God's Holy Spirit. (Romans 8:9) Saints stand before God whole and clean because of the righteous life and willing sacrifice of Jesus Christ. They have been set apart by God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28:19) Now, although the saints live moral lives of giving and service, they all recognize that they are accounted righteous before God because of what Jesus Christ did for them - NOT because of any inherent holiness or righteousness of their own! THESE ARE THE SAINTS OF GOD!

Having said all of that, we all recognize that certain individual saints have lived exemplary lives - some of them having faced persecution, torture, and death for their faith! In the New Testament, we see numerous instances of where individual saints faced persecution, imprisonment, stoning, and death. We have the stories of Peter, Paul, Stephen, and James. Likewise, from the earliest days of the Christian community, we know that the sacrifices of these people were held up as examples for the saints to strive to emulate. Indeed, many of these individuals were regarded by their brethren as heroes of the faith!

In Clement of Rome's letter to the saints at Corinth, we read: "But not to dwell upon ancient examples, let us come to the most recent spiritual heroes. Let us take the noble examples furnished in our own generation. Through envy and jealousy, the greatest and most righteous pillars [of the Church] have been persecuted and put to death. Let us set before our eyes the illustrious apostles. Peter, through unrighteous envy, endured not one or two, but numerous labours, and when he had finally suffered martyrdom, departed to the place of glory due to him. Owing to envy, Paul also obtained the reward of patient endurance, after being seven times thrown into captivity, compelled to flee, and stoned. After preaching both in the east and west, he gained the illustrious reputation due to his faith, having taught righteousness to the whole world, and come to the extreme limit of the west, and suffered martyrdom under the prefects. Thus was he removed from the world, and went into the holy place, having proved himself a striking example of patience." (Clement of Rome to the Corinthians) Notice how Clement uses Peter's and Paul's martyrdom to inspire greater effort among the saints at Corinth.

Likewise, in his letter to the saints at Rome, Ignatius wrote: "I write to all the Churches, and impress on them all, that I shall willingly die for God, unless ye hinder me. I beseech of you not to show an unseasonable goodwill towards me. Suffer me to become food for the wild beasts, through whose instrumentality it will be granted me to attain to God. I am the wheat of God, and am ground by the teeth of the wild beasts, that I may be found the pure bread of God. Rather entice the wild beasts, that they may become my tomb, and may leave nothing of my body; so that when I have fallen asleep [in death], I may not be found troublesome to any one. Then shall I be a true disciple of Jesus Christ, when the world shall not see so much as my body. Entreat the Lord for me, that by these instruments I may be found a sacrifice to God. I do not, as Peter and Paul, issue commandments unto you. They were apostles of Jesus Christ, but I am the very least [of believers]: they were free, as the servants of God; while I am, even until now, a servant. But when I suffer, I shall be the freedman of Jesus Christ, and shall rise again emancipated in Him. And now, being in bonds for Him, I learn not to desire anything worldly or vain. From Syria even unto Rome I fight with beasts, both by land and sea, both by night and day, being bound to ten leopards, I mean a band of soldiers, who, even when they receive benefits, show themselves all the worse. But I am the more instructed by their injuries [to act as a disciple of Christ]; "yet am I not thereby justified." May I enjoy the wild beasts that are prepared for me; and I pray that they may be found eager to rush upon me, which also I will entice to devour me speedily, and not deal with me as with some, whom, out of fear, they have not touched. But if they be unwilling to assail me, I will compel them to do so. Pardon me [in this] I know what is for my benefit. Now I begin to be a disciple. And let no one, of things visible or invisible, envy me that I should attain to Jesus Christ. Let fire and the cross; let the crowds of wild beasts; let tearings, breakings, and dislocations of bones; let cutting off of members; let shatterings of the whole body; and let all the dreadful torments of the devil come upon me: only let me attain to Jesus Christ." (Ignatius of Antioch to the Romans) Clearly, Ignatius felt that martyrdom for the sake of his faith would assure his place in the Kingdom of God!

Thus, it is clear that the people of the early Church admired the work of the apostles, and those who had been willing to die for their faith. Let's be completely unambiguous on this point: There is NOTHING wrong with that kind of admiration! Remember, Paul told the saints at Rome: "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." and "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us." (Romans 8:18 and 35-37) Likewise, Peter wrote: "Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf." (I Peter 4:16) Clearly, the saints of the early Christian Church considered it an honor to suffer for the sake of their faith! Hence, they thought that saints who lived exemplary lives of service and/or suffered for their faith were worthy of honor and celebration.

Nevertheless, all of this is somewhat different from what the Roman Catholic Church teaches about sainthood. In The Catholic Encyclopedia Online, we read: "The Catholic Church canonizes or beatifies only those whose lives have been marked by the exercise of heroic virtue, and only after this has been proved by common repute for sanctity and by conclusive arguments. The chief difference, however, lies in the meaning of the term canonization, the Church seeing in the saints nothing more than friends and servants of God whose holy lives have made them worthy of His special love. She does not pretend to make gods. The true origin of canonization and beatification must be sought in the Catholic doctrine of the worship (cultus), invocation, and intercession of the saints. As was taught by St. Augustine, Catholics, while giving to God alone adoration strictly so-called, honour the saints because of the Divine supernatural gifts which have earned them eternal life, and through which they reign with God in the heavenly fatherland as His chosen friends and faithful servants. In other words, Catholics honour God in His saints as the loving distributor of supernatural gifts." As we have seen, it is perfectly fine for the saints to single out some individual saint for praise or honor, but it is God alone who designates someone as a saint!

Similarly, in The Catechism of the Catholic Church, we read: "It is not merely by the title of example that we cherish the memory of those in heaven; we seek, rather, that by this devotion to the exercise of fraternal charity the union of the whole Church in the Spirit may be strengthened. Exactly as Christian communion among our fellow pilgrims brings us closer to Christ, so our communion with the saints joins us to Christ, from whom as from its fountain and head issues all grace, and the life of the People of God itself”: We worship Christ as God’s Son; we love the martyrs as the Lord’s disciples and imitators, and rightly so because of their matchless devotion towards their king and master. May we also be their companions and fellow disciples! By canonizing some of the faithful, i.e., by solemnly proclaiming that they practiced heroic virtue and lived in fidelity to God’s grace, the Church recognizes the power of the Spirit of holiness within her and sustains the hope of believers by proposing the saints to them as models and intercessors. “The saints have always been the source and origin of renewal in the most difficult moments in the Church’s history.” Indeed, “holiness is the hidden source and infallible measure of her apostolic activity and missionary zeal.” The patriarchs, prophets, and certain other Old Testament figures have been and always will be honored as saints in all the Church’s liturgical traditions." Once again, we see in this a mixture of spiritual truth and error. Saints are Christians, and it is perfectly acceptable to hold some of them up as examples of spiritual greatness. Even so, our prayers and worship should be addressed to Almighty God - period!

In the same source, we also read: "It is in the Church, in communion with all the baptized, that the Christian fulfills his vocation. From the Church he receives the Word of God containing the teachings of “the law of Christ.” From the Church he receives the grace of the sacraments that sustains him on the “way.” From the Church he learns the example of holiness and recognizes its model and source in the all-holy Virgin Mary; he discerns it in the authentic witness of those who live it; he discovers it in the spiritual tradition and long history of the saints who have gone before him and whom the liturgy celebrates in the rhythms of the sanctoral cycle." Now there is nothing wrong with this statement if it is understood within the context of the scriptural passages we have already studied. Moreover, the "Catholic" (Universal) "ekklesia" (Church) must be understood to include ALL of the saints, NOT just those who belong to the Roman or Eastern Orthodox Churches. We must never forget that the Church is the assembly of those called together by Almighty God - those who have placed their faith in Jesus of Nazareth as their Savior!

So, let's celebrate the saints and honor the God who sanctified them. Paul said that Jesus Christ called him to a ministry of sanctification. Notice his own account of what Christ said to him: "I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'" (Acts 26:15-18, ESV) Like Paul, I believe that Jesus Christ makes us holy ones or saints. What about you?