What is All Saints' Day?

A "saint" is popularly supposed to be an eminently holy person. The Roman authorities still make saints by a lengthy process called "canonization." If we lived among Roman Catholics and spoke of "going to visit the saints" they would probably imagine we were going to visit some local shrine and ask for help from the spirit world of one of these canonized people. And many who are not Roman Catholics have not quite shaken off these ideas. A saint is not a person of unusual piety, who after death is entitled to be pictured with a halo round his or her head, but the ordinary, simple believer — each one who has been set apart for God by the blood of Christ, and by the possession of the Holy Spirit.

A person can no more become a saint by striving after holiness than he can become Prince of Wales by copying the manners of that exalted person. People become saints by divine call (Rom. 1:6-7). They hear the voice of God speaking to them in the gospel, telling them of their sins and of the Saviour's atoning blood, and they bow believingly to the message... In a moment they are transformed from sinners into saints.

Please do not for a moment suppose that "all the saints" means all the specially holy people, like "Saint Paul" or "Saint Peter," as man — not God — calls them... Paul was a tentmaker by calling: he did not have to try to be a tentmaker... Just so, you are a saint by calling, if you are saved, redeemed with that precious blood.

Every true believer being a saint means that we each are responsible to pursue holiness. Perhaps one reason why the Roman idea lingers so strongly is that it leads people to feel that holiness is no particular concern of theirs, but only of a few. These special ones may pursue holiness; the rest of us can live easy-going lives in the world!

The Saturnalia (a festival of unrestrained joy) and many of the festivals were celebrated in the first days of January. The Nativity (Christmas) was fixed at the same date... To this day the Pantheon (that is, the temple of all the gods) is dedicated to all the saints.

I certainly do remember that our blessed Lord did not institute one holy day, except as His resurrection marked out the Lord's day, the first day of the week. Neither did the apostles observe a single holy day or festival of the church... Nowhere does the Holy Spirit in the Epistles teach the observing of days, and months, and times, and years. On the contrary, he severely condemns the attempt of the Galatian deceivers to introduce them. (Gal. 4:9-10.)

Whoever appeals to a "saint" should direct his prayer to Christ as God, not to the saint but to Christ. Nor does the celebration or festival of a saint achieve anything, except so far as it may tend to the magnifying of Christ... For the Scriptures assure us that Christ is the mediator between God and man.

In the early church they used to pray for the saints, not to them. In the fourth century Christ was the only one they did not pray for.

We are, in the first place, to remember those who have been our leaders, and who have spoken to us the word of God; and, secondly, "considering the outcome of their way of life," we are to "imitate their faith"... To do so in this spirit will remove the danger of human idolatry, and enable us to glorify God in the energy, the courage, the dedication and zeal, which they displayed.

Calvin had forgotten to say anything about the saints, though it was "All Saints' Day," but praised the grace of God as man's only hope of pardon and salvation through the precious sacrifice of Christ.