No Celebration Of Life - Acts 4:12

  
Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. - Acts 4:12

    Yesterday, I attended a memorial for a friend. Actually, he’d been a classmate of mine over 46 years ago. As I milled around with the mourners, I was taken aback by the dichotomy between those who wept for his eternal soul and those who were spiritually disconnected from anything remotely resembling a concern for his soul now that he was gone. I know there is a long-standing, albeit erroneous, axiom that we never discuss politics or religion in polite company but where, if not at a funeral or memorial, are we to discuss the spiritual aspects of the afterlife?
    For most, the event was what is commonly mislabeled today as a “Celebration of Life.” I have always questioned the thoughtlessness that accompanies such a title given that I’m not especially sure that every life lives deserves a “celebration.” This should be even more evident when the life we are talking about was lived in acknowledged sin, wanton excess and self-abuse which in no doubt lead inevitably to his passing. I would direct those who are overcome in their grief halt the histrionics for just one moment and ask yourselves that question you keep trying to avoid - “Do I really want to celebrate a life deliberately lived perilously close to a darkened grave?” Perspective, beloved, perspective! A life that comes at the expense of our eternal souls is not a life to be celebrated. “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” - Mark 8:36.
    So as I wafted between conversations I hoped to hear at least a smattering of prayerful hopes that my deceased friend had accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior. After all, none of us can accurately determine what is in a man’s heart at the time of his passing. “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the hearts.” - Proverbs 21:2.
    Mind you: the mere agreement that there is indeed a God is no guarantee of salvation. “You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!” - James 2:19.
    I would be remiss if I did not mention that I heard that oft-quoted and patently fallacious quip of reassurance - “Well, he’s in a better place now.” I’m happy to assure you all that I did not damage my neck as my head snapped in disbelief that real people still make such callously uneducated remarks in regard to the recent dead. Nor did I stutter out, “What?! Where?! Are you absolutely certain of what you just told this poor soul’s surviving family members?” My mother once told me that sometimes it’s just better to just remain quiet than to allow something inane to spill out of our mouths. I believe this “better place” remark was on her list.
    As the event neared its end I was feeling hopeful that I wouldn’t hear any further “nuggets of wisdom” from this basically unchurched crowd. Unfortunately, it was not to be. I overheard someone saying something about praying the “Hail Mary.” A wave of ice water seemed to flow down my spine, nearly paralyzing me in my place. I then remembered another adage my mother used to use, and quite frequently - “It is better to be merely thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.” Why on earth would a Christian think to pray to anyone but Jesus Christ? “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time . . .” - 1 Timothy 2:5-6. As usual, I answered my own question when I realized that few Christians read their Bibles anymore. So “who” they pray to these days should come as no surprise. Now, while this may come across as taking a hard line, might I remind you all that we are instructed in both the Old and the New Testaments to avoid adding to or taking anything away from the Holy Scriptures. And in addition, adoration of and praying to saints for any reason directly violates the 2nd Commandment. Perspective, beloved, perspective!
    The message we Reformed Christians must try to disseminate to all in our spheres of influence should be this, for both the living and the dead - “yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.” - 1 Corinthians 8:6. We simply have to remind others in this life, before death, of what Jesus Himself said - “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” - John 14:6. Prayers for the dead do nothing; their sojourn is over. Their eternity has been decided by God. We must now pray for the living. We must now pray for ourselves.
    There is no celebration of life like that which we will enjoy knowing our eternal salvation lies in our faith in Jesus Christ and the assurance that only He can provide.