Becoming Christians
All Saints Day, Nov. 1, has always been a major celebration of the Church. In the New Testament the word “saint” is used of all the people of God, that is, all who have been made holy by the power of the Spirit in baptism. It does not refer to personal character or to a special class of more distinguished believers, but to all those willing to make themselves available to God for His purposes.
St. Peter tells us, “You are a chosen race, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9) The German theologian, Karl Barth, once said, “Rightly understood, there are no Christians: there is only the eternal opportunity of becoming Christians.” What he was saying is that we are saved for more than simply living out a risk-free, painless faith founded on guaranteed salvation.
We are to be disciples of Christ who express the love of Jesus in every situation we face. It is this willingness to be followers of Christ, to share the love of Jesus in all that we do in spite of our personal flaws, tragedies, or brokenness that validates sainthood to an unbelieving world.
To love others as Jesus loves us is to love unconditionally — no matter what! In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said that He had not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it. To the great commandment of love in the old law Jesus added a new dimension: “I give you a new commandment,” he said, “Love one another as I have loved you.” (John 13:34) The truly marvelous thing about Jesus’ new commandment is that the newness never wears off. Each act of compassion or understanding, healing or forgiveness is a new revelation of what love is all about.
“God is Love,” Scripture tells us (1 John 4:16). When we know this, we are never alone, because we are surrounded with a great cloud of witnesses to God’s power and glory — men and women of every age who have lived their lives in hope, men and women who live by faith in Jesus Christ and share His love toward the people God gives them — Saints. May we all seek to be one too.
