Sing With All the Saints in Glory!

It was once common to hear people refer to a departed loved one as “my sainted mother” or “my sainted father.”  There is certainly nothing wrong with this expression but it is also important to remember that properly understood all Christians are saints!

     As he often does in his letters, the Apostle Paul calls believers saints.  For example in Ephesians 1:1 he writes, “To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus.”

     A saint is a holy person, a person without sin.  In heaven all believers live in total joy and bliss without sinning.  How wonderful that will be for us!

     But there are also holy people on earth!  You are one of them.  Christian people are holy by virtue of the forgiveness of sins.  When your sins are forgiven in Christ, they are totally removed and taken away from you.  You are a saint!

     In addition, not only did Jesus die on the cross for your sins, He also gives you His perfect holiness and righteousness.  When God looks at you He does not see an unrepentant sinner, He sees the holiness and righteousness of Christ.  You are a saint!

     That is why the creed calls us, “The holy Christian Church, the communion of saints.” The Christian Church is a community of saints.  Look around you.  See your fellow saints.

     To be sure, you are still a sinner!  In this life we will never be totally free of our old sinful self.  Through weakness we daily succumb to the temptations of the sinful world and the devil.  Every day of your life here on earth, you are at the same time justified and at the same time a sinner.  We continue to struggle with sin.  Luther says in the Small Catechism

     What does such baptizing with water indicate?

     It indicates that the Old Adam in us should by daily contrition and repentance be drowned and die with all sins and evil desires, and that a new man should daily emerge and arise to live before God in righteousness and purity forever.

     Where is this written?

     St. Paul writes in Romans chapter six:  “We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”  [Rom. 6:4]

Note:  "Sing With All the Saints in Glory" is a hymn written by William J. Irons.  It is set to various hymn tunes.  The only one that does it justice is a setting by Henry V. Gerike. The music is available at http://store.augsburgfortress.org/store/product/4288/Sing-with-All-the-Saints-in-Glory
Listen to it here