Question:
Is it right for Christians to do a 40 day prayer when family members die in remembrance of Jesus' ascension and to have yearly death prayers for them.
Answer:
Thank you so much for your question. There are no Scriptural recommendations regarding praying for the dead for 40 days or having yearly death prayers. Just because Jesus' Ascension happened after 40 days doesn't mean the souls of Christians who die today will have to wait for the same period of time before going to God. Paul clearly said in 2 Cor 5:8, "We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord."
In fact we should never pray for the dead person's soul/spirit because our prayers will have no effect on them. Many people falsely believe that when they pray for the dead they will be taken from the place of torment to heaven. This is totally an unscriptural idea. Our prayers will not determine whether the departed soul will go to heaven or hell. Prayer is a means of getting God's will done on earth. It does not have an effect on the person who has left the earthly realm.
Having said that, there is nothing wrong in remembering the dead person and acknowledging the fact that we miss them. We can thank God for bringing that person into our life and the lessons we have learnt from them. Such a prayer as you see will not affect the eternal destiny of the departed loved one.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
Sin and Punishment
Question: If you don't believe you deserve punishment for your sin are you really saved? Because we were born sinners, i don believe that we deserve it because we cannot change the fact that we are sinners.
Answers:
When we use the word 'we are saved' we have to ask ourselves the question 'What are we saved from?' We can understand the good news of salvation only in light of the bad news. If there is no punishment for sins, then our salvation loses its meaning. When we say 'we are saved' we are stating that we are saved from sin, darkness, and destruction because of Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ died in our place and took the punishment that we deserve for our sins.The Bible says in Rom 3:23,"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,". Again it says in Rom 6:23,"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." So it is obvious from the Scripture that we deserve condemnation for our sins and we have to believe what the Bible says because it is the word of God. It may go against our sentiments and may even offend us but we have to humble ourselves and accept what God has to say in His word.
It is true that the only criteria for salvation is faith in Christ and all we have to do is to trust in Christ alone in order to be saved. But when we believe we need Jesus Christ in order to be saved we are also assuming that a person is lost without Jesus. Otherwise, the choice to follow Jesus Christ does not make sense. If sin does not deserve punishment Jesus would not have left His heavenly kingdom and come into this world as a man and die on the cross.
Even though we are born with a sinful nature, yet we cannot excuse or justify ourselves for the personal sins we commit. We are accountable to God for our actions and without Christ all people are lost. It is in light of this grim and sobering message the light of the gospel emerges and shines so brilliantly. We don't have to die in our sins, we can have life through Jesus Christ.
Answers:
When we use the word 'we are saved' we have to ask ourselves the question 'What are we saved from?' We can understand the good news of salvation only in light of the bad news. If there is no punishment for sins, then our salvation loses its meaning. When we say 'we are saved' we are stating that we are saved from sin, darkness, and destruction because of Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ died in our place and took the punishment that we deserve for our sins.The Bible says in Rom 3:23,"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,". Again it says in Rom 6:23,"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." So it is obvious from the Scripture that we deserve condemnation for our sins and we have to believe what the Bible says because it is the word of God. It may go against our sentiments and may even offend us but we have to humble ourselves and accept what God has to say in His word.
It is true that the only criteria for salvation is faith in Christ and all we have to do is to trust in Christ alone in order to be saved. But when we believe we need Jesus Christ in order to be saved we are also assuming that a person is lost without Jesus. Otherwise, the choice to follow Jesus Christ does not make sense. If sin does not deserve punishment Jesus would not have left His heavenly kingdom and come into this world as a man and die on the cross.
Even though we are born with a sinful nature, yet we cannot excuse or justify ourselves for the personal sins we commit. We are accountable to God for our actions and without Christ all people are lost. It is in light of this grim and sobering message the light of the gospel emerges and shines so brilliantly. We don't have to die in our sins, we can have life through Jesus Christ.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Christian Prize
Question: Can you please explain what Paul means by running a race in order to win the prize in 1 Cor 9:24-27?
Answer:
Paul is talking here about rewards which will be given to all believers in heaven. When the Bible writers use figures of speech we have to be careful not to always interpret it literally. It will lead to major Hermeneutical problems. Usually, the figure of speech highlights certain truths.We have to be careful not to draw anything more than what the writer intended.
Paul compares the Christian life to a race. The prize here is referring to the rewards in store for us. So just as an athlete trains himself, endures hardships and disciplines his body to win the race in the same way Paul expects Christians to work for their rewards. Our salvation is a free gift; we do not earn it. It is freely available to all of us who have trusted in Christ. But the Bible teaches that we have to earn our rewards. On the basis of our life here on earth the Lord will evaluate us and distribute rewards accordingly. If the athlete works so hard for a perishable crown how much more we as Christians need to work in order to earn an imperishable crown! It should motivate us to work for God's kingdom and live a life that honours Him because we will be rewarded accordingly. Every sacrifice we make for God, every good deed or act of kindness is being noticed. While the Bible is not very clear about the nature of rewards we can be sure that God has something special in store for us. So we have to persevere in the race of life with the expectation that we will be rewarded one day!
Answer:
Paul is talking here about rewards which will be given to all believers in heaven. When the Bible writers use figures of speech we have to be careful not to always interpret it literally. It will lead to major Hermeneutical problems. Usually, the figure of speech highlights certain truths.We have to be careful not to draw anything more than what the writer intended.
Paul compares the Christian life to a race. The prize here is referring to the rewards in store for us. So just as an athlete trains himself, endures hardships and disciplines his body to win the race in the same way Paul expects Christians to work for their rewards. Our salvation is a free gift; we do not earn it. It is freely available to all of us who have trusted in Christ. But the Bible teaches that we have to earn our rewards. On the basis of our life here on earth the Lord will evaluate us and distribute rewards accordingly. If the athlete works so hard for a perishable crown how much more we as Christians need to work in order to earn an imperishable crown! It should motivate us to work for God's kingdom and live a life that honours Him because we will be rewarded accordingly. Every sacrifice we make for God, every good deed or act of kindness is being noticed. While the Bible is not very clear about the nature of rewards we can be sure that God has something special in store for us. So we have to persevere in the race of life with the expectation that we will be rewarded one day!
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