Questions You Wanted to Ask - Two

by Monica Hernandez

This question came while doing a study of the Apostles Creed...

Question:
What is meant by “the communion of saints?”

Answer:
There is a common bond between believers in Christ whether in heaven or on earth. This term “communion of saints” refers to the brotherly communion we on earth have among ourselves and with those who have gone on before in Christ. Whether in heaven or still on earth, we are all awaiting that day of the Lord when He comes to take us up to Himself in the Rapture...we are all one family.

When we look at a gathering in a church service or any other form of Christian fellowship, we are looking at a communion of saints.

As I write about the above question today, I am reminded of an incident involving a young Portuguese woman I know, whose name is Émilia. I wish you could have seen Émilia on the day she went for her Canadian citizenship. She was excited, grateful and well-dressed for that special occasion. She had struggled to gain landed immigrant status and finally after some years, she qualified for Canadian citizenship.

On the day of her declared Canadian citizenship, Émilia said to me and some friends: "I am proud to be a Canadian..." She was also proud that her children would be educated in Canada and would grow up in this beautiful country. She also said: "Now, I feel I belong here..."

As I look back, I can see how important it was to Émilia to belong to Canada. It brings home to me the importance of the sense of belonging to someone, a family, a country, and most of all, as we are discussing here today: the household of God. We all seem to appreciate a sense of belonging-—it is part of our human nature.

This brings to mind Paul’s address to the Ephesians, (and all Christians) telling them they were no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God (Ephesians 2:19). What does this mean? It means that each of us is an integral part of the company of heaven. We live here on earth but we belong to heaven. We have citizenship there. And as citizens, we are joint-heirs with Christ, entitled to all that heaven has to offer, particularly eternal life.

How do people gain citizenship in heaven? By receiving the resurrected life of Jesus, the anointed One, into their lives so they can have a new birth: a spiritual rebirth. When we receive Christ into our lives, our heavenly citizenship is declared.

The angels rejoice and we too, like Émilia, should feel not only a sense of belonging to the most profound company there is and ever will be: the household of God, but blessed as well.

Suggested Readings: Luke 10:20, Luke 22:30, John 14:2, Ephesians 2:13-14,19.