The Communion of Saints (1): How Precious!

The expression “the communion of saints” in the Apostles’ Creed is made up of two terms, communion and saints.

Saints

The word “saint” is very common in the New Testament: it means “holy one.” The ultimate saint is God himself, for he is the Holy One. Because God is holy, His people must be—and are—holy. “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1 Pet. 1:16). In the New Testament one of the commonest designations of believers is saints. Read the epistles and you will see that often the address is, “To the saints that are in [...]” (see, for example, Rom. 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:2; Eph. 1:1; Phil. 1:1). Your pastor could address you as, “The saints which are in [...] congregation.” 

The idea of holy is separation from the defilement and filthiness of sin and dedication, devotion, or consecration to God. Christians—all of them—are saints.

Communion

The word translated “communion” in the New Testament appears around twenty times and is often rendered “fellowship.” Its basic meaning is sharing or participation in something or with someone. If, then, there is communion or fellowship between persons, they have something in common, something that unites them and makes them one, something that brings them together. That is why Paul asks, for example, in 2 Corinthians 6:14: “What communion hath light with darkness?” The obvious answer is “none.” Light has no communion with darkness because darkness is the opposite of light, the absence of light, and even the enemy of light. But there is a communion of saints: they do have something in common.

The communion of saints, then, is the fellowship of holy ones. The communion of saints is the sharing/participation of holy ones. The communion of saints is the sharing/participation of people who are separated from sin and devoted to God in the holy things of God. John writes, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship [communion] one with another [the communion of saints walking in holiness in the light], and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). 

The communion of saints is a miracle, a wonderwork of God, because there are no saints and there is no communion by nature. If you are a saint and if you enjoy communion with other saints, that is the work of God, not the work of man. 

Union with Christ

First, the Holy Spirit unites us to Jesus Christ; that is the first and fundamental union or communion; that is where the Heidelberg Catechism begins in its explanation of the phrase "communion of saints":

“All and everyone who believes, being members of Christ” (A 55); and “partakers of him” (A 55). 

The Holy Spirit does not unite everyone to Jesus Christ; the Holy Spirit united Peter to Jesus Christ, but he did not unite Judas Iscariot to Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit does not today unite unbelievers, hypocrites, and impenitent sinners to Jesus Christ. When the Holy Spirit unites a sinner to Jesus Christ, that sinner is no longer an unbeliever, a hypocrite, or impenitent. The Heidelberg Catechism is clear: “All and everyone who believes” (A 55). Believers are those who, to use the language of the Bible, “receive Christ” (see John 1:12) and, to use the language of the Catechism, “hold for truth all that God has revealed in his Word” and who are “[confident that to them] remission of sin, everlasting righteousness, and salvation are freely given by God, merely of grace, only for the sake of Christ’s merits” (A 21); they are those who, to use the language of the Belgic Confession, “embrace Jesus Christ, appropriate him, and seek nothing more besides him” (Art 22). The Holy Spirit unites us to Jesus Christ by creating faith in our hearts so that we believe in Jesus Christ; thus the Belgic Confession speaks of the Spirit kindling faith in us; and the Canons speak of God breathing faith into us (Canons 3-4.14); the result is that “faith is an instrument with which we embrace Jesus Christ” and “faith is an instrument that keeps us in communion with him” (Belgic Confession, Art. 22). 

The Belgic Confession also identifies the marks of Christians:

“With respect to those, who are members of the Church, they may be known by the marks of Christians: namely, by faith; and when they have received Jesus Christ the only Savior, they avoid sin, follow after righteousness, love the true God and their neighbor, neither turn aside to the right or left, and crucify the flesh with the works thereof. But this is not to be understood, as if there did not remain in them great infirmities; but they fight against them through the Spirit, all the days of their life, continually taking their refuge in the blood, death, passion and obedience of our Lord Jesus Christ, in whom they have remission of sins, through faith in him” (Belgic, Art. 29). 

Second, by virtue of union with Christ by faith we are made “partakers of Christ and all his riches and gifts” (A 55). He who receives Christ by faith in Him receives everything that is in Him. The Catechism speaks of Christ’s “riches and gifts.” “Riches” are the blessings that are treasured up in him. Paul calls them “the unsearchable riches of Christ” (Eph. 3:8); he says of Christ that “in [him] are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col. 2:3); and he speaks of “[God’s] riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19). “Gifts” are those things treasured up in Christ which He gives to us. Peter writes, “According as his divine power hath given us all things that pertain unto life and godliness” (2 Pet 1:3). Quite simply: if Christ is rich, and we are united to Him, we are also rich. If He is full of spiritual blessings, we are also filled with those spiritual blessings. In Christ is everlasting righteousness to cover all our sins—we partake of that; in Christ is boundless grace which is sufficient for us—we partake of that; in Christ is holiness to cleanse us—we partake of that; in Christ is wisdom to enlighten us—we partake of it; in Christ is power to strengthen us—we partake of that, by faith, by believing in him we draw from his riches. 

The Creation of Saints

Third, by virtue of that union by faith the Holy Spirit creates saints. We are not saints by nature; by nature we are totally depraved sinners, rebels, enemies of God, and hopelessly corrupt. We start off as those who are unable to do anything good and inclined to all wickedness; we start off as those who hate God and would never, if left to ourselves, repent or believe in Jesus Christ.  

When God determines to make a person a saint, He performs two works: first, He regenerates or He grants the new birth. In regeneration He makes a spiritually dead sinner spiritually alive; in regeneration He plants a holy seed within us which is the source of a holy life, holy thoughts, words, and deeds. Second, He sanctifies; He makes us progressively holy, so that more and more we hate sin, sorrow over it, and flee from it; and so that more and more we delight in righteousness and keep God’s commandments. Behind those two works are election and redemption: God regenerates and sanctifies us because He elected or chose us and because Jesus Christ died for us. Ephesians 1:4: “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy.” And Titus 1:14: “[Jesus Christ] gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto himself a people zealous of good works.”

This article on "The Communion of Saints" is part 1 of 2. Check back next week to read part 2 in this series.

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Martyn McGeown is a pastor in the Protestant Reformed Churches. He is also the editor of the RFPA blog and the author of multiple RFPA publications. Read more of his work by clicking this link or the image below.