Today I received an e-mail from BiblicalTraining (dot) org, where Dr. Bill Mounce blogs on spiritual formation and on Biblical Greek. I am proud to say that I have his book "Greek For The Rest Of Us"
in my personal library, given to me by my loving wife, Dory, on our
27th Wedding Anniversary in 2004. The e-mail I received today titled "Every Baptist Should Go to a Catholic Funeral" made me think and also brought back several memories.
One was the funeral service of a young friend, a Roman Catholic wife and mother, only 36 years old, who had been taken from her family by cancer. Our son, Duane, had taken one of our Baptist pastor friends to talk with her just weeks before her death, and she had prayed to receive Christ as Lord and Savior. Out of respect, our pastor friend came to the funeral service, stayed for the first portion of the memorial service, but left before the mass began. Although Dory and I stayed for the full service, I did not fault our pastor friend for leaving at that part of the service.
Another incident happened about that same time, give or take a year or two. The beautiful, inside and outside, mother of Christian brothers in our Fil-Am Church of Corona (now CICF) was taken by cancer. She had been Roman Catholic but a year before her death she received Christ in our Baptist fellowship and was active in our services and Bible studies. When she was taken from us, most of her children were of the Baptist faith, but some were still in the Roman Catholic church. So out of respect for all the family, the memorial service was held in a local Roman Catholic church and at the Graveside Interment Service the Roman Catholic priest spoke first and then left. After he left, the pastor from our Fil-Am Church of Corona came and gave a Graveside Interment message.
What put a smile on my face was that when the priest spoke, he told us that she was now in purgatory. After his message, he left - and a few minutes later our pastor came and gave the message we had been waiting to hear - that the moment this beautiful Christian sister left her mortal body, she was immediately in heaven, in the eternal presence of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I could not help turning to Dory and remarking, "Never have two messages about the same event, been so far apart." Yes, we knew then that she was already celebrating her eternal life in the presence of Jesus Christ in heaven, so we just smiled.
Now, let me assure my Roman Catholic friends and family members, this is not a slam against you or your faith. I have long said that salvation does not come from any one church or group of churches - but it comes when a person truly believes in Jesus Christ and receives Him as personal Lord and Savior. And that is more or less why this song has long been one of my favorite Gospel songs, you might call it my "Salvation Anthem."
For over 32 years I have lived in faith knowing that the words of this song are true - and I will go into eternity still believing that truth.
Am I saying that folks who die in the Roman Catholic church are lost eternally? No! For just as this song teaches, Jesus Christ looks at what is in your heart - not which church you attend.
Are there people in both the Baptist and the Roman Catholic churches which have a saving faith and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ which assures them eternal life in and with Christ? Yes, absolutely! But I will offer a qualifier. I would say that, because the Roman Catholic church is a works-based church which puts salvation emphasis on your faithfulness to that church, more than to Jesus Christ, as the provider of eternal life - many very dedicated Roman Catholics are erroneously depending upon the church to save them. Whereas, Jesus Christ tells us, in John 14:6, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. NO ONE comes to the Father except through Me."
Because of that, the percentage of people in the Baptist churches which have a saving relationship with Jesus Christ is higher than those people who spend their lives in the Roman Catholic church. Why do I say this? It is well known that the Roman Catholic church is a works-based religion, i.e, a person is saved based upon his relationship with and faithfulness to the Roman Catholic church - whereas in the Baptist church we know we are saved only based upon our direct relationship with Jesus Christ.
With that introduction, let me share Dr. Bill Mounce's blog with you:
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Every Baptist Should Go to a Catholic Funeral
By Dr. Bill Mounce, BiblicalTraining blog:
I understand there is a long history of disagreement, even hatred, between the Protestant and Catholic churches, and so I write this blog with a little hesitancy, but I recently attended a Catholic funeral of the father of my son's friend. It was enlightening and interesting.
To be clear, I would not say it was a Christian funeral. There was no mention of the true Gospel, and the assurances that were given were false. It reminded me of an Episcopalian funeral I went to years ago. My neighbor thought he could fly, but the cocaine did not break his fall. The widow was assured her husband was in heaven because he had been baptized as an infant, the implication clearly stated that the sum total of his life had no relationship to his final destiny.
Likewise, the priest at the Catholic funeral assured us repeatedly that the man was in heaven because he had been baptized and was given last rites. I shudder to think of the surprise and fear the man experienced when he first stepped into eternity to discover that something his parents did to him as an infant made no difference whatsoever.
But on to the interesting stuff.
The funeral was very formal, the result I would think of years of experience. There were no off-the-cuff remarks, no verbal pauses while the priest tried to figure out what to say as if he had not prepared. The formality was honoring, and it made me realize that in death we are not just individuals but are part of something much larger.
The service was highly participatory. The congregation constantly was responding to the words of the priest - and before you dismiss this as meaningless, rote memory - think about how many times the Lord’s Prayer has been repeated in Baptist churches by people thinking about anything other than what they were saying. But just because some (many?) people responded with rote memory without thinking about what they were saying, I suspect there were some who were thinking about what they said, and meant it Likewise, I trust there are some Baptists who actually do mean the Lord’s Prayer, even though many around them are thinking about where to eat lunch after church. There was also a physical response, hands outstretched and standing or sitting together. It was a corporate experience, and a helpful one to those thinking through what the actions meant.
Perhaps the greatest thing that impacted me was the silence. The priest and people had no concern for long stretches of silence. These times added to the solemnity of the event and gave me time to think through my own mortality. There were long breaks of silence between the different parts of the service, marking the end of one part and the beginning of the next. Sometimes it feels in our own services that we are as frightened of silence as is a radio station.
Communion was also interesting. There was a clear statement of transubstantiation and the very clear admonition to the church that non-Catholics should not participate. There was nothing arrogant or demeaning about how it was stated, but it was clear. I compared that to how so many Protestant churches fail to examine themselves (1 Cor 11:28) and fail to let visitors know what was happening and whether or not they should participate.
I like to read business books, and one of the things I have read repeatedly is that business leaders have much to learn from people who are not in the business, store managers learning from photographers. The encouragement is to read a wide variety of books. I am glad for my experience at the Catholic funeral, but I am mostly glad that I don’t live under works-based righteousness and my assurance of living eternally with my Lord is based on his accomplished work on the cross and not on what my parents may or may not have done when I was born.
Incidentally, I was born in a Catholic hospital, and my mom, at that time still a young Christian, had to threaten the hospital with a lawsuit if they tried to baptize me. The water never hit my head.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I pray that all my FRANs (Friends, Relatives, Associates, Neighbors) take this blog in the manner in which it is intended - to assure us all that, regardless of which church we attend - our eternal salvation is based upon one thing only - our one-on-one saving relationship with Jesus Christ. Just as my favorite Gospel song tells us, "It's not what's over the door Of the church that you attend, . . .Can't you see that's what's in your heart, And not what's over the door."
The important point I want to make is that it is of eternal consequences that you "do walk through the door of that church on a regular basis" and live a life based upon His User's Manual, the Bible.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
One was the funeral service of a young friend, a Roman Catholic wife and mother, only 36 years old, who had been taken from her family by cancer. Our son, Duane, had taken one of our Baptist pastor friends to talk with her just weeks before her death, and she had prayed to receive Christ as Lord and Savior. Out of respect, our pastor friend came to the funeral service, stayed for the first portion of the memorial service, but left before the mass began. Although Dory and I stayed for the full service, I did not fault our pastor friend for leaving at that part of the service.
Another incident happened about that same time, give or take a year or two. The beautiful, inside and outside, mother of Christian brothers in our Fil-Am Church of Corona (now CICF) was taken by cancer. She had been Roman Catholic but a year before her death she received Christ in our Baptist fellowship and was active in our services and Bible studies. When she was taken from us, most of her children were of the Baptist faith, but some were still in the Roman Catholic church. So out of respect for all the family, the memorial service was held in a local Roman Catholic church and at the Graveside Interment Service the Roman Catholic priest spoke first and then left. After he left, the pastor from our Fil-Am Church of Corona came and gave a Graveside Interment message.
What put a smile on my face was that when the priest spoke, he told us that she was now in purgatory. After his message, he left - and a few minutes later our pastor came and gave the message we had been waiting to hear - that the moment this beautiful Christian sister left her mortal body, she was immediately in heaven, in the eternal presence of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I could not help turning to Dory and remarking, "Never have two messages about the same event, been so far apart." Yes, we knew then that she was already celebrating her eternal life in the presence of Jesus Christ in heaven, so we just smiled.
Now, let me assure my Roman Catholic friends and family members, this is not a slam against you or your faith. I have long said that salvation does not come from any one church or group of churches - but it comes when a person truly believes in Jesus Christ and receives Him as personal Lord and Savior. And that is more or less why this song has long been one of my favorite Gospel songs, you might call it my "Salvation Anthem."
It's Not What's Over The Door
Some people think today, If heaven you would see, You must belong to their one church, Or be lost eternally. But according to God's word, What He's still looking for, Is what He finds within your heart, And not what's over the door.
It's not what's over the door Of the church that you attend, That makes you a child of God, And a heavenly citizen. As the eyes of the Lord look this world o'er, There's just one thing He's lookin' for Can't you see that's what's in your heart, And not what's over the door.
For over 32 years I have lived in faith knowing that the words of this song are true - and I will go into eternity still believing that truth.
Am I saying that folks who die in the Roman Catholic church are lost eternally? No! For just as this song teaches, Jesus Christ looks at what is in your heart - not which church you attend.
Are there people in both the Baptist and the Roman Catholic churches which have a saving faith and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ which assures them eternal life in and with Christ? Yes, absolutely! But I will offer a qualifier. I would say that, because the Roman Catholic church is a works-based church which puts salvation emphasis on your faithfulness to that church, more than to Jesus Christ, as the provider of eternal life - many very dedicated Roman Catholics are erroneously depending upon the church to save them. Whereas, Jesus Christ tells us, in John 14:6, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. NO ONE comes to the Father except through Me."
Because of that, the percentage of people in the Baptist churches which have a saving relationship with Jesus Christ is higher than those people who spend their lives in the Roman Catholic church. Why do I say this? It is well known that the Roman Catholic church is a works-based religion, i.e, a person is saved based upon his relationship with and faithfulness to the Roman Catholic church - whereas in the Baptist church we know we are saved only based upon our direct relationship with Jesus Christ.
With that introduction, let me share Dr. Bill Mounce's blog with you:
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Every Baptist Should Go to a Catholic Funeral
By Dr. Bill Mounce, BiblicalTraining blog:
I understand there is a long history of disagreement, even hatred, between the Protestant and Catholic churches, and so I write this blog with a little hesitancy, but I recently attended a Catholic funeral of the father of my son's friend. It was enlightening and interesting.
To be clear, I would not say it was a Christian funeral. There was no mention of the true Gospel, and the assurances that were given were false. It reminded me of an Episcopalian funeral I went to years ago. My neighbor thought he could fly, but the cocaine did not break his fall. The widow was assured her husband was in heaven because he had been baptized as an infant, the implication clearly stated that the sum total of his life had no relationship to his final destiny.
Likewise, the priest at the Catholic funeral assured us repeatedly that the man was in heaven because he had been baptized and was given last rites. I shudder to think of the surprise and fear the man experienced when he first stepped into eternity to discover that something his parents did to him as an infant made no difference whatsoever.
But on to the interesting stuff.
The funeral was very formal, the result I would think of years of experience. There were no off-the-cuff remarks, no verbal pauses while the priest tried to figure out what to say as if he had not prepared. The formality was honoring, and it made me realize that in death we are not just individuals but are part of something much larger.
The service was highly participatory. The congregation constantly was responding to the words of the priest - and before you dismiss this as meaningless, rote memory - think about how many times the Lord’s Prayer has been repeated in Baptist churches by people thinking about anything other than what they were saying. But just because some (many?) people responded with rote memory without thinking about what they were saying, I suspect there were some who were thinking about what they said, and meant it Likewise, I trust there are some Baptists who actually do mean the Lord’s Prayer, even though many around them are thinking about where to eat lunch after church. There was also a physical response, hands outstretched and standing or sitting together. It was a corporate experience, and a helpful one to those thinking through what the actions meant.
Perhaps the greatest thing that impacted me was the silence. The priest and people had no concern for long stretches of silence. These times added to the solemnity of the event and gave me time to think through my own mortality. There were long breaks of silence between the different parts of the service, marking the end of one part and the beginning of the next. Sometimes it feels in our own services that we are as frightened of silence as is a radio station.
Communion was also interesting. There was a clear statement of transubstantiation and the very clear admonition to the church that non-Catholics should not participate. There was nothing arrogant or demeaning about how it was stated, but it was clear. I compared that to how so many Protestant churches fail to examine themselves (1 Cor 11:28) and fail to let visitors know what was happening and whether or not they should participate.
I like to read business books, and one of the things I have read repeatedly is that business leaders have much to learn from people who are not in the business, store managers learning from photographers. The encouragement is to read a wide variety of books. I am glad for my experience at the Catholic funeral, but I am mostly glad that I don’t live under works-based righteousness and my assurance of living eternally with my Lord is based on his accomplished work on the cross and not on what my parents may or may not have done when I was born.
Incidentally, I was born in a Catholic hospital, and my mom, at that time still a young Christian, had to threaten the hospital with a lawsuit if they tried to baptize me. The water never hit my head.
Dr. Bill Mounce, with a BA from Bethel College, Western Kentucky University - an MA from Fuller Theological Seminary - and a PhD from the University of Aberdeen, is the founder and President of BiblicalTraining.org.
He serves on the Committee for Bible Translation (which is responsible for the NIV translation of the Bible), and has written the best-selling biblical Greek textbook, Basics of Biblical Greek, and many other Greek resources. He blogs regularly on Greek and issues of spiritual growth.
He has also been a preaching pastor, a professor of New Testament and director of the Greek Language Program at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and a professor at Azusa Pacific University.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I pray that all my FRANs (Friends, Relatives, Associates, Neighbors) take this blog in the manner in which it is intended - to assure us all that, regardless of which church we attend - our eternal salvation is based upon one thing only - our one-on-one saving relationship with Jesus Christ. Just as my favorite Gospel song tells us, "It's not what's over the door Of the church that you attend, . . .Can't you see that's what's in your heart, And not what's over the door."
The important point I want to make is that it is of eternal consequences that you "do walk through the door of that church on a regular basis" and live a life based upon His User's Manual, the Bible.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
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