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By Matthew Sorenson
Guest Columnist

“Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come? . . . These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” Revelation 7:13-14

Today, the church around the world celebrates All Saints’ Day! This festival is a joyful remembrance of God’s faithfulness to the saints who are with Him in heaven but also to the saints in this world. The word “saint” in our Bibles is a translation of the phrase “holy one” in the original languages. A saint is simply someone who is without sin or holy. 

Are you one of God’s saints? When I ask that question people usually say, “I hope so.” That’s probably because many people have a misunderstanding of what it takes to be a saint. Most people think of a saint as a really good person. So when they say, “I hope so” what they’re really saying is that they hope they’ve been good enough to be considered a saint. But God’s Word says that trying to become a saint on our own is hopeless. In Isaiah 64:6 the prophet proclaims, “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.” No matter how hard we try it isn’t good enough to make up for our sins. Weighing our good deeds against our sins certainly doesn’t give us any confidence.

God’s plan is so much better! Listen as King David describes God’s plan in Psalm 32:1-2. “Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.” Listen to Isaiah describe this transformation in 1:18. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.” It turns out that every saint is regular, everyday sinner whose sins have been forgiven by God!

That is the spectacular vision that John sees in Revelation 7. John sees this great throng of saints surrounding God’s throne in heaven and they are dressed in white robes. Robes that have been washed in the blood of the Lamb. God’s promise from 1 John 1:9 is that “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” There is no sin that cannot be washed away by the blood of Jesus Christ. God’s saints rejoice to confess their sins and celebrate their righteousness in Christ! Because the blood of Jesus makes us holy we can know without a doubt that we have an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for us. We can boldly rejoice to be the saints of God!

REV. MATTHEW SORENSON is the pastor at St. John’s Lutheran Church. He can be reached at pastor@st.johnsfarmville.org.