Our Short Life
When I read the obituaries, I feel sadness for those who have passed on from this life and for their families. I'm sure your reaction is the same. The obituary column is in every edition of the newspaper. The names and pictures are different every week, but the column is always there. Have you considered that one day your name will be in the obituaries?
"For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away." (James 4:14). Life is short. It passes quickly. We can't put our trust into the idea of longevity.
Moses teaches us about the brevity of life in Psalm 90. He asked God to "teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom" (Psalm 90:12). Moses wanted us to be reminded that our days on this earth are few. Why? Because if we keep in mind that our days are counting down, we will learn to act wisely in the time we have. A person who proudly thinks "I have all the time in the world" will behave differently than one who understand "this day could be my last." It is the difference between foolishness and wisdom. Moses was aware his body was fragile and temporary, and this awareness kept him humble in life. We remember him as a great servant of God.
The fact that we will die reminds us of our accountability before God. Consider these passages: "And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment." (Hebrews 9:27). "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad." (2 Corinthians 5:10).
“We can't put our trust into the idea of longevity.”
"Fear God and keep His commandments for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether it is good or whether it is evil." (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). Regardless of how we feel about this, we will all be judged by God in the end. That time is coming. Remembering this gives us the spiritual focus we need to make preparation.
The good news of the Gospel is that, though death is inevitable for us, salvation through Jesus Christ is made available to all. The way to everlasting life is only through Him: "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6). Obedience to the Lord is absolutely necessary. Confession of faith, repentance, and baptism starts our new life in Christ (John 20:31; Acts 11:18; Romans 6:4; Galatians 2:20). Are you sufficiently prepared for death and judgment?
Those who use their short life in faithful devotion to the Lord have the promise of Heaven: "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying; and there shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." (Revelation 21:4)
(Printed by permission, evidenceforfaith.org
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Answering The Atheist
Complaint:
If a husband believes, is his wife saved also? Both (1 Corinthians 7:14 and Acts 16:31 says the whole family is saved by his belief, but 1 Corinthians 7:16 leaves us in doubt. Is there a contradiction?
Response:
Hebrews 11:6 says "...without faith it is impossible to please Him..." One cannot be an unbeliever and at the same time be pleasing to God. Only those who are pleasing to the Lord are saved and have the hope of heaven (Romans 8:1, 5-9). An individual's faith does not extend the blessing of salvation automatically to unbelieving relatives.
The context of 1 Corinthians 7 differentiates between the believer and unbeliever. Unbelievers are not made believers because of the faith of a spouse. The questioner referenced verse 16, as casting doubt on what the end result is. It reads:
For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife?
Unbelievers are not automatically saved because of a believing spouse, but a great opportunity to learn the gospel is present. Peter wrote:
Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear. (1 Peter 3:1-2
Let us then consider Paul's statement:
...the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband... (1 Corinthians 7:14)
The Lord desires married couples to be together, even if one spouse is an unbeliever. One might object, "won't I be unclean before God, being joined to an unbeliever?" No, the believer's presence brings a sanctifying influence on the home. It is a "Christian home" as some might call it, not that all in the home of believers, but that the principles of Christianity have a foothold in the home. The Christian's character will affect decisions made by both the spouse and their children.
There is no contradiction.
This article is in response to Skeptic's Annotated Bible.