All Saints’ & All Souls’

ALL SAINTS’ DAY AND ALL SOULS’ DAY

Roman Catholic holy-days. Man made. Not instituted in Scripture. The theology behind these commemorations are the validity of the Church of Rome, the distinction between mortal and venial sin, the existence of Purgatory, the canon of saints of the Roman Catholic Church, and the validity of Roman Catholic worship.

In fact, All Saints’ Day is a Catholic “Holy Day of Obligation,” meaning all Catholics are required to attend the Mass. Those who aren’t communing Roman Catholics even celebrate these days. The customs are hard to shake, and take conviction to resist. Scores of people flock to the cemeteries to visit the remains of their relatives, often to pray for them. Ironically, that blurs the distinction between All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. All Saints’ Day is for those in heaven. All Souls’ Day is for those still in purgatory, for which prayers are made.

Yet, in the Philippines, these days are promoted and practiced by professing Protestants, and even those who claim to be Reformed and Presbyterian. How anyone who claims to be Reformed can be okay with even being associated with such abhorrent false teaching and superstition is beyond me. The theology and practice is in direct opposition with the theology and practice of the Protestant Reformation.

John Calvin’s words, spoken of Christmas day, are just as applicable to any pretended holy-day:

"For no day is superior to another. It matters not whether we recall our Lord’s nativity on a Wednesday, Thursday, or some other day. But when we insist on establishing a service of worship based on our whim, we blaspheme God, and create an idol, though we have done it all in the name of God. And when you worship God in the idleness of a holiday spirit, that is a heavy sin to bear, and one which attracts others about it, until we reach the height of iniquity. Therefore, let us pay attention to what Micah is saying here, that God must not only strip away things that are bad in themselves, but must also eliminate anything that might foster superstition." (https://purelypresbyterian.com/2016/11/21/john-calvin-and-holy-days/)

THE CONFESSIONALLY REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN VIEW

The testimony of our Westminster Standards are abundantly clear when it comes to the sufficiency of God’s Word as the that rule regulates our religious practice.

Below are relevant excerpts from the Directory for the Public Worship of God, the Westminster Confession of Faith, and the Larger Catechism.

DIRECTORY FOR THE PUBLIC WORSHIP OF GOD
"AN APPENDIX, Touching Days and Places for Publick Worship
THERE is no day commanded in scripture to be kept holy under the gospel but the Lord’s day, which is the Christian Sabbath.
Festival days, vulgarly called Holy-days, having no warrant in the word of God, are not to be continued."

God did institute festivals and holy days in the Old Testament, hence the Directory saying the Lord’s day is the only holy day “under the gospel.” The typology and foreshadowing of the sacrificial system pointed to Christ, and was fulfilled in him. Thus, the complex system of worship, with its calendar, served its purpose and was ended after Christ. Hence, under the Gospel, worship is marked by greater simplicity, because we have the clarity of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Rome, however, went back, as it were. Instituting a whole new sacrificial system, complete with calendar. Indeed, the Reformers called the Roman system of worship a “new Judaism.” That is to contradict the New Testament, and the shift that the work of Jesus Christ meant for divine worship.

The argument is simple: Roman Catholic holy-days have no warrant in the Bible, and therefore must not be observed. They should be abolished.

WESTMINSTER CONFESSION OF FAITH
1.6. The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for his own glory, man’s salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture: unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit, or traditions of men.1
(1) 2 Tim 3:16-17; Gal 1:8-9; 2 Thess 2:2

The Roman Catholic lectionary is man-made tradition. To obligate people to worship on these days, or attach worship to these days, is to add to Scripture. Not to mention all the extra-biblical theology that is the foundation of these fake holy-days. All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day assume the Roman Catholic way of salvation through the sacraments of the Church. Only baptized Roman Catholics are remembered, on these days. All Souls’ Day is for those who are in Purgatory to pay for their venial sin (hence, praying for the dead on this day). All Saints’ Day is for those who have made it to heaven, cleansed from venial sin. That is a lot of doctrine that is not found in the Bible.

But if you admit that this foundation is false, why do you keep the outward customs?

Chapter 21, Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath Day

1. The light of nature showeth that there is a God, who hath lordship and sovereignty over all, is good, and doth good unto all, and is therefore to be feared, loved, praised, called upon, trusted in, and served, with all the heart, and with all the soul, and with all the might.1 But the acceptable way of worshiping the true God is instituted by himself, and so limited by his own revealed will, that he may not be worshiped according to the imaginations and devices of men, or the suggestions of Satan, under any visible representation, or any other way not prescribed in the Holy Scripture.2 (1) Rom 1:20; Ps 19:1-4; Ps 50:6; Ps 97:6; Ps 145:9-12; Acts 14:17; Ps 104:1-35; Ps 86:8-10; Ps 95:1-6; Ps 89:5-7; Deut 6:4-5 (2) Deut 12:32; Matt 15:9; Acts 17:23-25; Matt 4:9-10; Deut 4:15-20; Exod 20:4-6; John 4:23-24; Col 2:18-23

Only what God has prescribed as worship is acceptable worship. We do not of the right to add or take away from that. True worship is limited by the Word of God. Man-made holy-days are not instituted by God, and thus unlawful (and all practices attached to them).

1. As it is the law of nature, that, in general, a due proportion of time be set apart for the worship of God; so, in his Word, by a positive, moral, and perpetual commandment binding all men in all ages, he hath particularly appointed one day in seven, for a Sabbath, to be kept holy unto him:1 which, from the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ, was the last day of the week; and, from the resurrection of Christ, was changed into the first day of the week,2 which, in Scripture, is called the Lord’s Day,3 and is to be continued to the end of the world, as the Christian Sabbath.4

(1) Exod 20:8-11; Isa 56:2-7 (2) Gen 2:2-3; 1 Cor 16:1-2; Acts 20:7 (3) Rev 1:10 (4) Matt 5:17-18; Mark 2:27-28; Rom 13:8-10; Jas 2:8-12

There is a holy day: the Lord’s Day, the Christian Sabbath. The true church calendar is quite simple: 52 Holy Days every year. Every Sunday is the day of holy rest and worship. And that’s it.

Simply because God instituted a holy day means that we cannot add to that! Only God has the authority to set apart a day as holy, for his special use (worship). The church has no such authority. We have no authority.

WESTMINSTER LARGER CATECHISM
Q. 107. Which is the second commandment?
A. The second commandment is, Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.1
(1) Exod 20:4-6; Deut 5:8-10

Q. 108. What are the duties required in the second commandment?
A. The duties required in the second commandment are, the receiving, observing, and keeping pure and entire, all such religious worship and ordinances as God hath instituted in his Word . . . as also the disapproving, detesting, opposing all false worship;10 and, according to each one’s place and calling, removing it, and all monuments of idolatry.11
(1) Deut 12:32; Deut 32:46-47; Matt 28:20; 1 Tim 6:13-14; Acts 2:42 (2) Phil 4:6; Eph 5:20 (3) Deut 17:18-19; Acts 15:21; 2 Tim 4:2; Jas 1:21-22; Acts 10:33 (4) Matt 28:19; 1 Cor 11:23-30 (5) Matt 18:15-17; Matt 16:19; 1 Cor 12:28 (6) Eph 4:11-12; 1 Tim 5:17-18; 1 Cor 9:7-15 (7) Joel 2:12-13; 1 Cor 7:5 (8) Deut 6:13 (9) Ps 76:11; Isa 19:21; Ps 116:14,18 (10) Acts 17:16-17; Ps 16:4 (11) Deut 7:5; Isa 30:22

The worship and ordinances that God has prescribed in his Word are to be kept pure and entire. No adding or taking away. That is to corrupt divine worship. Notice the negative obligation of the 2nd commandment. We are to disapprove all man-made religious ceremonies, detest them, and oppose them. How opposite are the accommodating “Protestants” today who go so far as to promote these Roman Catholic customs in their churches!

Q. 109. What are the sins forbidden in the second commandment?
A. The sins forbidden in the second commandment are, all devising,1 counseling,2 commanding,3 using,4 and anywise approving, any religious worship not instituted by God himself;5 . . . all superstitious devices,11 corrupting the worship of God,12 adding to it, or taking from it,13 whether invented and taken up of ourselves,14 or received by tradition from others,15 though under the title of antiquity,16 custom,17 devotion,18 good intent, or any other pretense whatsoever;19 . . .
(1) Num 15:39 (2) Deut 13:6-8 (3) Hos 5:11; Mic 6:16 (4) 1 Kgs 11:33; 1 Kgs 12:33 (5) Deut 12:30-32; Lev 10:1-2; Jer 19:5
(12) Mal 1:7-8,14 (13) Deut 4:2 (14) Ps 106:39 (15) Matt 15:9 (16) 1 Pet 1:18 (17) Jer 44:17 (18) Isa 65:3-5; Gal 1:13-14 (19) 1 Sam 13:11-12; 1 Sam 15:21

Pastors that promote the observation of these papist holidays certainly fall under the sanction of the 2nd commandment in approving this religious worship not instituted by God, and using their position of authority to do so.

I especially appreciate the excuses mentioned by the Larger Catechism. These are the typical justifications raised for participating in superstitious activities. It’s a very old “Christian” (i.e. Roman Catholic) tradition (though under the title of antiquity). It’s a filipino “custom.” Some even attempt to justify it by thinking of biblical doctrine, not Roman Catholic, while they participate—devotion. And, as always, “good intent” is summoned as the ultimate justification. If we have good intentions, how can it be wrong? Because God tells us what to do as worship.

Q. 110. What are the reasons annexed to the second commandment, the more to enforce it?
A. The reasons annexed to the second commandment, the more to enforce it, contained in these words, For I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments;1 are, besides God’s sovereignty over us, and propriety in us,2 his fervent zeal for his own worship,3 and his revengeful indignation against all false worship, as being a spiritual whoredom;4 accounting the breakers of this commandment such as hate him, and threatening to punish them unto divers generations;5 and esteeming the observers of it such as love him and keep his commandments, and promising mercy to them unto many generations.6
(1) Exod 20:5-6 (2) Ps 45:11; Rev 15:3-4; Ps 95:2-3,6-7; Exod 19:5; Isa 54:5 (3) Exod 34:13-14 (4) 1 Cor 10:20-22; Ezek 16:26-27; Jer 7:18-20; Deut 32:16-20 (5) Hos 2:2-4 (6) Deut 5:29

BELIEF AND BEHAVIOR

Lest any professing Christians agree with everything above, yet still insist on participating in All Souls’ Day and All Saints’ Day (and any other superstitious popish tradition), by the claim that in their heart they are not joining in pagan activity. They don’t mean it, and instead are thinking biblically. They consciously reject the Roman Catholic meaning of these holy-days, and therefore their participation in the traditional activities (i.e. visiting the cemetery) are harmless.

John Calvin dealt with that exact excuse, during the Reformation. And yes, it’s an excuse. He did this in his excellent writing against those he labeled “Nicodemites” (after Nicodemus) who were Protestant, but refused to separate themselves from the Medieval Roman church. In other words, claiming that they don’t believe what the Roman Catholics believe as they are doing these things; they are just outwardly participating, but not inwardly. So that makes it okay. Calvin said that our beliefs and behavior should match:

"There is no room, therefore, for any one to indulge in crafty dissimulation, or to flatter himself with a false idea of piety, pretending that he cherishes it in his heart, though he completely overturns it by his outward behaviour."
—”Shunning the Unlawful Rites of the Ungodly“ (https://www.monergism.com/shunning-unlawful-rites-ungodly)

God does not only care about the posture of your soul, but the posture of your body. Does not the 2nd Commandment not only forbid you from internally worshipping images, but also bowing down to them? It is the whole person that engages in religious worship. Calvin explains:

"When the Lord, by his Law, forbade Idols to be reverenced or worshipped, he, under that head, comprehended the whole of the external worship which the ungodly are wont to bestow upon their Idols. (Exod. 20:4–6.) Such is the natural force of the terms which he employed—the one, meaning to bow down; the other, to bestow honour: and it is evident that the species of adoration struck at, is that by which Images of wood or stone are worshipped by bodily gestures. The Lord, therefore, by his interdict, does not simply prohibit his people from standing in stupid amazement like the Gentiles before wood or stone, but forbids any imitation of their profane stolidity in any form, by prostrating themselves before Images for the purpose of paying honour to them, or giving any other indication of religious reverence, such as we are accustomed to give by uncovering the head or bending the knee."

“But, is it wrong to visit the graves of my relatives?” Of course not. But that question is incomplete. Why is everyone visiting the cemetery on this same day? And what are they doing there? You see, it’s not a simple matter of just going to a grave and remembering your deceased family. There’s more to it than that.

Besides, professing Christian, I doubt the sincerity of this question. If you want to visit the graves of your family just to remember them, and not because it’s a Roman Catholic holiday, then why don’t you do it on another day? There are 363 other days to remember fellow believers who have died. Why this day, in particular?

Because it’s a “holy-day,” that’s why. Why do Filipinos flock to cemeteries on these days? Because Roman Catholicism is so deeply engrained in the culture. Otherwise no one would do it, and you would have never thought of it.

And when you, professing Reformed Christian, go on this day, all the honest Roman Catholics around see you there. What happens? “Oh, that Protestant, that Presbyterian, is here too! They are just like us. They believe and do the same things.” By joining in, you not only give approval to their superstition, but imply by your actions that you embrace what they believe! How are they supposed to know the inward intentions that you claim to have? What everyone witnesses are your outward actions.

You take on the appearance of a papist, rather than intentionally shunning superstitious practice, and setting yourself apart from the pagan culture. Calvin again:

". . . we are not to say or do anything unworthy of a genuine faith, or inconsistent with the integrity of our Religion. Examples of such confession may be conjectured, partly from the writings of the Apostles and partly from early Christian history, to have been illustriously given in pure primitive and well-managed Churches. For although we read not, that the believers of that age declaimed on their Religion in the streets and public highways, nay, read that they concealed their Christianity from those to whom it would have been perilous to divulge it, we at the same time read that they were most studiously careful not to give any indication adverse to their Religion, or to pretend that they were anything else than Christians. . .

"In regard to this confession, so far as it belongs to the present subject, let it be understood as beyond all controversy, having been clearly established by unequivocal passages of Scripture, that this confession is violated and overthrown not only by the abjuration of the lips, but also by all outward semblance of impious Superstitions and every kind of profanation of true Religion. Wherefore it behoves every man who possesses a pure zeal for piety, not only to refrain his tongue from impious words, but keep every part of his body untainted by any sacrilegious rite."

It’s more than just visiting the cemetery. The superstition of the day is wrapped up with it. It’s a package deal. You know it is.

Therefore, though it’s abundantly clear that these man-made holy-days are unlawful and not to be observed, the practices and theology being additions to God’s Word, even if they were an indifferent matter, they should still not be observed. If something indifferent were to become corrupt with superstition it should be done away with. If it inevitably leads to superstition, get rid of it.

CONCLUSION:

If you claim to be Protestant, even more if you claim to be Reformed or Presbyterian, then you reject Roman Catholic theology, and along with it their system of worship (sacerdotalism), and along with that their church calendar (lectionary). It’s all or nothing. Don’t insult Roman Catholics by pretending to hold views and practices in common, when you don’t. And don’t pretend to be Reformed, when you’re compromising. It’s a fire sale: everything must go.

Be a clear witness.