No Better Saints
All saints have this in common.
Today is All Saints’ Day, when Christians still pause to remember fellow believers who have died in the Lord. Their souls now rest in heaven’s glory while their bodies sleep in the grave, waiting for the final resurrection.
Those in heaven aren’t the only saints, however. The Bible urges living, breathing believers on this earth, “Love the Lord, all his saints … be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord” (Psalm 31:23,24). One could make the case Biblically that there really aren’t different categories of saints or degrees of sainthood. All saints have this in common: considered by God as perfect and holy through the death of Jesus Christ.
“Save me in your unfailing love,” the Psalm writer prays to God. “You heard my cry for mercy” (Psalm 31:16,22). Saints aren’t perfect by ourselves. We are perfect in the eyes of a just God who demands holiness because he looks on us with mercy. Unfailing love.
Consider this amusing tale:
There were two evil brothers. They were rich, and used their money to keep their sins from the public eye. They even attended the same church, and appeared to be perfect Christians.
Then their pastor retired, and a new one was called. The new pastor could see right through the brothers’ deception. A fund raising campaign was started to build a new church hall. All of a sudden, one of the brothers died. The remaining brother sought out the new pastor the day before the funeral and handed him a check for the amount needed to finish paying for the new building.
“I have only one condition,” he said. “At his funeral, you must say my brother was a saint.”
The pastor gave his word, and deposited the check. The next day, at the funeral, the pastor did not hold back. “He was an evil man,” the pastor said. “He cheated people, told lies, and stole whenever he had the chance, and …”
After going on in this vein for a while, the pastor concluded with, “But compared to his brother, he was a saint.”1
It’s not that you’re a better saint than he is, or that she’s a better saint than you are, or that some saints have a superior status while others must go to the back of the line. Understanding this prevents undue pride, or unnecessary despair.
“I trust in you, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in your hands” (Psalm 31:14,15).
PRAYER: I am no better than anyone else, Lord, when it comes to my standing before you – but neither am I any worse. Your mercy through the blood of Jesus Christ covers us all. I believe that, and need help remembering it when I am tempted with pride or despair. Deliver me from both. Open my heart and my ears to helpful criticism so that I can grow. Close my mind and my mouth to defensive pride that makes excuses and tries to cover up my fears and inadequacies. Let me find my true worth in you, and not be afraid to be a perfect saint who, on this earth, can always do better. Amen.
1Adapted from www.homileticsonline.com