John 14:25 &26, 25I have told you this while Im still with you. 26However, lthe helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything. He will remind you of everything that I have ever told you. As today is All Saints day I decided to see what Luther says about saints. The word saint was one of the many terms Luther had to clarify in the light of Scripture, as he does in his exposition of the aforementione verses. The Scriptural Breadth of the Title Saints. Just as we should not deny that we are baptized and Christians, so we should not deny or doubt that we are holy. It would be well to impress this deeply on people and to accustom them not to be shocked at it or hesitate to accept it. Thus I and others were so steeped in our monasticism and unbelief that we were frightened if a man considered himself, or was called, a saint on earth.. For our thoughts about saints were directed only toward the deceased saints or the blessed in heaven, even though Scripture constantly uses this term with reference to the living on earth Thus St. Paul, in nearly all his writings, bids men greet all the saints. Again, he says: All the saints salute you (2Cor 13:12). and 1 Tim. 510 he speaks of the widows who have washed the feet of the saints. Here he plainly calls all Christians by their name: saints. So, when Christendom began,, the custom of calling one another saints continued for a long time. This should still be the practice. FOr when Christians call themselves holy after Christ, this is not arrogance; it is honoring and praising God. For thereby we do not praise the malodorous holiness of our own works, but His Baptism, Word, grace and Spirit, which we do not have of ourselves; He gave them to us.
Posted on: Fri, 01 Nov 2013 19:11:43 +0000
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