Today is All Saints Day. As Anglicans, we use this day to stop and remember all those believers who have walked faithfully before us. This was an early holiday in the church and was first set aside to commemorate those who had been martyred. Later, as more specific days grew, like St. Peter’s Day, St. Andrew’s Day, etc., the day became one that encompassed all saints. So I guess the first question to ask is, “what is a saint?”

In the New Testament, which was written in Greek, the word for saint is “hagios.” It is literally translated as “holy one.” So according to the Scriptures, a saint is a holy one. Also significant is that all Christians in the New Testament Epistles are called saints. Paul starts almost all his letters with the same greeting. To the Philippians he says:

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons: (ESV)

So the most basic definition of a saint is a holy one. The next question, “is what makes us holy?” The answer to that is God the Father through His Son Jesus Christ. The New Testament is clear that anyone who believes in Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection for the forgiveness of his or her sin is a Christian. Again Paul says in Romans 5:1:

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (ESV)

To be justified is to be “declared righteous” by God. That means we can be called holy. All of this relates to yesterday and Martin Luther who insisted upon this doctrine of Justification by Faith Alone. This is extremely important for us to get if we want to walk faithfully with God and experience His love and goodness to the fullest extent.

So back to All Saints Day. It is a day for us to give thanks to God for salvation to humanity. It is a day to celebrate that work of salvation in the lives of those who have gone before us. They might be big, well known names like Martin Luther, or they might be somebody dear to us, somebody that God used in our lives to help us along our journey.

Read Hebrews 11 today. I’ll leave with the next verses in Hebrews.

12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. 4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. (ESV)

We are surrounded by those saints who have gone on before. They are encouraging to keep following Jesus.

Shane+