Gospel Saints

Some few days ago in a mass conducted before well more than a million followers of the Roman Catholic faith gathered in St. Peter’s Square and connecting streets, Pope Benedict XVI beatified former Pope John Paul II. The act of beatification is the third of four steps necessary in that Church to declaring an individual to be canonized. Canonization is the earthly, institutional recognition that the subject is in heaven and is a saint. Importantly, the process of canonization does not make the individual a saint, it is simply a recognition of the belief that the subject has arrived at that station by means of other, non-earthly processes. It is further assumed that all who make it to heaven are saints, however, the Church does not canonize most of them for what should be obvious reasons. Beatification, additionally, places these deceased individuals in a position of interceding on behalf of mortals who pray to them seeking heavenly intervention in the resolution of their personal challenges. In the Protestant Christian world, the term saint is used more generally. Historically, saints in this context were and are the mortal followers of Jesus Christ. Clearly in the complex Christian world of today, the uses and understandings of the term “saint” are confusing and vary widely.

Within the communities of true believers in Jesus Christ from the days of Father Adam to our own there has been and is no confusion as to the meaning and use of the term “saints.” However, for most interested others, our understanding and practice on this matter provides little assistance. It is not uncommon for members of the LDS Church to be confronted with something other than acceptance when they announce that they are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The use of the term "saint" in reference to the general membership of the church is in fact widely unknown and little accepted in the supposedly Christian world of today. In this writing, several references from our standard works, holy scriptures, illustrating the use of the term “saint” down through the ages will be considered.

Approximately six hundred years before the birth of Christ, the Prophet Nephi explained to his brethren the meaning of an important vision that had been given earlier to their father, Lehi. Speaking of the river that figured prominently in the vision, Nephi said “that it was an awful gulf, which separated the wicked from the tree of life, and also from the saints of God,” those in the vision who were seeking to be faithful to the word of God (1 Nephi 15:28). A short time earlier, Nephi, himself, had been shown a vision narrated by an angel that gave Nephi an understanding of future, major events that would occur spanning from his day to ours. In our generation, he saw that there would be only two churches, the church of God and the church of the devil. Nephi reports: “And it came to pass that I beheld the church of the Lamb of God, and its numbers were few, because of the wickedness and abominations of the whore who sat upon many waters; nevertheless, I behold that the church of the Lamb, who were the saints of God, were also upon all the face of the earth; and their dominions upon the face of the earth were small, because of the wickedness of the great whore whom I saw” (1 Nephi 14:12). There was no question in Nephi’s mind concerning the name of the members of Christ’s true Church. They were the Lord’s saints.

Other prophets and writers during Old Testament times were not confused either concerning the appropriate use of the term “saints.” In the Fifth Book of Moses, Moses clearly understands the saints to be all of the true followers of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Deuteronomy 33:2-3). The Psalmist, King David, declared, “Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice” (Psalms 50:5). Daniel saw in vision the great priesthood meeting yet to be held at Adam-Ondi-Ahman (verses 9 to 14 of chapter 7) as well as the saints of God receiving His Kingdom: “But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever. . . . Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. . . . And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him” (Daniel 7:18, 22, 27).

On the subject of saints, the dialogue between the Lord and Ananias in New Testament times is instructive. Paul, blinded by the vision wherein he became acquainted with the Savior, awaits Ananias’ arrival to restore his vision. “And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth, And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight. Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem: And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name. But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake” (Acts 9:11-16). Much later, Paul begins one of his epistles to the Corinthians with these words: “Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:1-3).

In all dispensations from the beginning of this world, the living, faithful followers of Christ were known and are still known as saints. They are they who exhibit faith in Jesus Christ and His gospel, who honestly repent of their sins, who seek forgiveness of their sins and entrance into the Kingdom of God on the earth through the ordinances of baptism by immersion and confirmation by the laying on of hands in order that they may receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost. There is no other way that this may be accomplished other than by and through the authority of the Holy Melchizedek Priesthood.