With the recent untimely passing of two fellow followers of Jesus (Chad Canipe and Mark Palmer) I’ve been reflecting on our connection with our brothers & sisters in Christ who have gone before us. We profess in the Apostles’ Creed that “we believe in the communion of saints”, but I have found few outside the Catholic or Orthodox camps that have a deep understanding of this term. Several years ago I out together a small group teaching about the communion of saints using Hebrews 11 & 12 as a foundation this article is a result of that study.
The eleventh chapter of Hebrews is known by some as the “Hall of Faith” due the litany of Old Testament heroes mentioned in it. The author of Hebrews starts with Abel and moves through Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to Moses, Rahab, Gideon and Samson to David, Samuel and the Prophets. It celebrates all of their accomplishments made possible by their faith. It goes on to recount the stories of other unnamed witnesses and martyrs. The chapter ends in a rather peculiar manner with the following verses:
39And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect. (NIV)
We’re told that all of these giants and heroes of the faith did not receive their promise because God had something better for us. Even more radical is the thought that the fulfillment of their promise of being made perfect is somehow tied up in our story as well. Somehow, I have some part to play in Abraham or Moses getting to see their promises fulfilled. The key to understanding how this happens is laid down in the first few verses of chapter twelve:
1Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (NIV)
When looking at this passage it is important to remember that the original author did not create chapter and verse breaks in the letter. While chapter and verse numbers are helpful they can often prevent us from seeing what is intended to be a single flow of thought. This is the case between Hebrews 11& 12. The “therefore” should be read as a bridge from chapter eleven to chapter twelve, connecting the two segments as a single thought process. Taking this approach we can see that the reason it is important for us to “run the race” is so that those heroes of the faith in chapter eleven can receive the blessing of the promises made to them through their connection with us. They are the “great cloud of witnesses”.
So how is this supposed to help me understand the communion of saints? I believe the key word in this passage of scripture is “surrounding” in the first segment of Hebrews 12:1. For so many years I’ve heard teachings and sermons making reference to this cloud of witnesses as the saints cheering us on from the heavenly grandstands. They rooting for us and encouraging us. This paints a picture of those who have gone before us, those who have “made it” kicking back and passively encouraging us from a distance.
When I actually broke down this passage for study and looked at the Greek term that we have translated as “surrounding” I gained a whole new understanding of this piece of scripture and a new appreciation for the communion of saints. The Greek word used here is περικειμαι (perikeimai). It literally means “to be encompassed with”. It is a word used only four other times in the New Testament and those other usages provide a better insight to its meaning. I’ve printed these other passages below and highlighted the way perikeimai is translated.
Mark 9:42 "And whoever causes one of these little ones who believe to stumble, it would be better for him if, with a heavy millstone hung around his neck, he had been cast into the sea.”
Luke 17:2 "It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble.”
Acts 28:20 “For this reason I have asked to see you and talk with you. It is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain."
Heb 5:2 “…he can deal gently with the ignorant and misguided, since he himself also is beset with weakness…”
Looking at these passages it becomes apparent that the cloud of witnesses is not cheering us on from the grandstands—they’re bound to us. It’s almost as if we’re running a divine three-legged race with those who have met the Lord before us, and with those who will come after us. We are inseparably united with them for the sole purpose of seeing this whole thing through to the end so that we all get the prize that is awaiting us. That is the communion of saints. That is koinonia, fellowship, intimacy, community. That is the Kingdom of God. In some mystical way I am now more intimately connected and bound to Palmer and Chad than I ever was in this life when I only e-knew them through blogs and shared values/vision.
 Tom Ponchak and his wife, Lisa, pastor Matthew’s House, a simple faith community in Lakeland, FL. Tom is a former, but not disgruntled, Catholic.
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Thanks for the comment. You're right, I wasn't trying to make a case for praying to saints, but since you brought it up, this is an understanding of the communion of the saints that provides some of the theological basis for asking for their intercession. As you pointed out yourself, there really is no difference between asking your pastor or friend or St. Peter to pray for you, other than the dimension of reality you’re sharing with that person. It was actually a very common practice in the early church to call upon the intercession of the saints--not to replace Christ, but to join with us in going to him. Certainly there are those who abuse this practice--mostly as a result of poor teaching--and that can lead to idolatry or superstition. The Old Testament includes warnings against communicating with the dead, but these were within the context of soothsaying or divining the future. There are not any specific prohibitions in the New Testament. In fact, if you really want to mess with your head try to figure out what Paul was talking about when he discussed the practice of being baptized for the dead in 1 Cor. 15. Finally, don't be afraid of the "mystical" for we serve a God of mystery (Colossians 1:26-27).