Over the last couple of weeks I went to two funerals related to work. The first a husband of the owner of our company, he owned several companies on his own. 62 years old and died from complications from the stomach flu. The family has assets well into the 100's of millions dollars. The man basically never attended church, cared not for Christ. But he did not worry about his eternal state because he was baptised as a baby in the Catholic church.
His funeral was in a giant Catholic church in Columbus, filled with the upper crust of society. The priest let it be known that this man was in heaven (or purgatory) because of his infant baptism. The whole crowd sang almost too joyfully Amazing Grace, as if they were resting in the same hope (infant baptism).
You see this is one of the very reasons that I align with Anabaptist theology. Resting on your infant baptism for eternal bliss and disregarding the Savior is the wide road. Matthew 7:13-14; The Narrow and Wide Gates 13"Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14"For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
What a cruel, wicked thing it is to teach and to reassure people that they can get to heaven by someone sprinkling water on their little head as a baby and getting a certificate to heaven. The moment after this man died he may have been wondering why he is in a place of torment, I sure he has thought it through and he bitterly hates those who assured him that he was saved.
The second funeral, a daughter of one of our district managers. 38 years old with a husband and two young sons died of breast cancer. Her funeral was in a modest funeral home which was packed with 50 or so friends and relatives. The difference, the pastor let everyone know that Jenn is in heaven because she trusted in her Savior the Lord Jesus Christ and nothing else. The pastor laid down the Gospel to everyone there and challenged her husband to raise their two boys by the Bible.
Two lives one with the Lord Jesus Christ and one very likely in eternal torment partly because of good and bad theology.
Luke 16:21-23 (New American Standard Bible)
21and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man's table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores.
22"Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to (A)Abraham's bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried.
23"In (B)Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom.
Darrell
No comments:
Post a Comment