Like some other popular holidays, Halloween has religious origins. October 31 was called “All Hallows’ Eve,” since the night served as a vigil for “All Hallows’ Day,” or “All Saints’ Day,” which is November 1 on many church calendars.

The term “saints” was used in the New Testament to connote believers in Jesus. It occurs 15 times in the book of Revelation, four times in Acts, twice in Hebrews, once in Matthew, and once in Jude. By far, the author who referred to saints most frequently was Paul, who used the term a total of 40 times in 10 of his letters.

In Romans 1:7, Paul wrote to “God’s beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints.” In 1 Corinthians 1:2, Paul wrote, “To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints.” In 2 Corinthians 1:1b, Paul wrote, “To the church of God that is in Corinth, including all the saints through Achaia.” Likewise, Paul referred to saints in Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, and Philemon.

In the Roman Catholic tradition, saints are identified through an elaborate process of sanctification. In the free church tradition, all Christians are saints. In some churches All Saints’ Day is a time to commemorate those who have died, while other churches remember all Christians on All Saints’ Day.

Today, for most Americans, and for people in many other countries, Halloween doesn’t seem like it has any religious connotations at all. It’s mainly about costumes, and decorations, and candy, and fun. As a kid, I came up with a costume every Halloween and went trick-or-treating with my friends. Our kids did the same.

I don’t have a problem with Halloween being a fun time. But increasingly “holy days” are nothing more than holidays. I note in the Introduction to Spelunking Scripture: Christmas, “in some circles, Santa Claus is more popular than Jesus.” Likewise, the Easter Bunny and egg hunts are what Easter is about for many people. In the Introduction to Spelunking Scripture: Easter, I begin, “The resurrection of Jesus is the linchpin of the Christian faith.”

One of the principles of “spelunking scripture” is distinguishing between cultural conditions and God’s eternal truth. In the Introduction to Spelunking Scripture: The Letters of Paul, I note how isolated verses from Paul’s letters have been used to justify slavery, subjugate women, and condemn persons of a different sexual orientation. “Some words from his epistles convey the cultural conditions of the time rather than God’s purposes.”

In the Introduction to Spelunking Scripture: Acts and the General Epistles of the New Testament, I write, “This series…moves beyond the ‘what’ question to the ‘so what’ question. Of course it is important to know ‘what’ the Bible says. But the ‘so what’ question moves biblical interpretation to another level. It asks, ‘So what does this scripture passage say to me?”

Of course, not all cultural conditions are bad. As I said, I don’t have a problem with Halloween being a fun time. But Halloween as we now practice it reflects the culture of our time, not necessarily God’s eternal truth. Frankly, I don’t think God has a problem with kids donning a costume and going doing to door asking for candy and other treats. But maybe Halloween could be more than that. Maybe Halloween could remind us also of the night before All Saints’ Day, and of what being a saint is all about.