There is no indication in any of scripture that saints is not a term to describe all those in the church or that only some people go to heaven when they die and everyone else has to wait.
toldailytopic: Saint Valentine? Is it a churches responsibility to determine who is,
- Thread starter Nathon Detroit
- Start date
There is no indication in any of scripture that saints is not a term to describe all those in the church or that only some people go to heaven when they die and everyone else has to wait.
All believers are saints.
Yes its also the churches responsibility to determine who is and isn't a saint for the purposes of getting the gospel to the non saints and ensuring that the saints are really saints instead of wolves. (not to canonize them)
Yes its also the churches responsibility to determine who is and isn't a saint for the purposes of getting the gospel to the non saints and ensuring that the saints are really saints instead of wolves. (not to canonize them)
I agree. On topic, I would say that a church can make whatever rules seem good to it.
From what I have always gathered from Scripture, there are an elect that go to Heaven immediately after death while everyone else remains in the grave until the Second Coming.
Depending on how one looks at Scripture, it could be said that those that are not of that elect never actually go to Heaven, but are rather restored to a New Earth after Jesus returns.
But to entertain the thread topic, I believe in sainthood. I don't believe in praying to them but I do believe they are a special elect nonetheless, determined by God alone. The Catholic Church claims itself the only authority in Christendom, so of course she tries to distinguish who and who isn't so.
