Sinless Perfection Q. Does Matthew 5:48 teach sin less perfection in this life? A. Matthew 5:48 reads as follows: “ Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” The word “ perfect” here and in other similar New Testa ment passages means the mature and complete Christian experience. It means that “ the babe in Christ” should “ grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,” giving an ever-in creasing evidence to the world of His saving and keeping power. No where in the Bible are we taught that we can become sinless in this life. Yet we are constantly exhorted to grow more and more like Him who is “ altogether lovely.” Only when we get to heaven shall we be freed from the very presence of sin. Who Owns the World? Q. Does the world belong to God or to Satan? A. The world and all it contains belongs to God. “ The earth is the L ord ’ s , and the fulness thereof . . . ” (Psa. 24 :1 ). But the devil and his people possess much of it. There is a difference, h o w e v e r , between ownership and possession. Christ will one day come and take posses sion and Satan’s rule and influence will be over. “ He shall have domin ion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth (Psa. 72:8). Modernism Q. Just what is meant by “modern ism” ? And what is a “modernist preacher” ? A. Modernism is the substitution of human philosophy for the reve lation of the Word of God. Actual
ly, there is nothing new about modernism. It began in the Garden of Eden when Satan questioned the validity of the Word of God. Mod ernist ministers, in this sense, are those who deny the Virgin birth of Christ, His resurrection, His atone ment, and believe that man is saved by his own good works. A. Yes, fretting and worrying indi cate a lack of faith in an all-wise and loving Father in heaven. And that is a sin. 1 Peter 5:7 is reassur ing if only we would heed it, “ cast ing all” our “ cares upon him,” re membering that “ he careth” for us. Many other passages tell us not to worry, among which some of the most definite are Matthew 6:25-34; Philippians 4:6, 7,19. Are Children Saved? Q. Are infants and young children who die saved? A. Yes, all infants, including still born babies and young children who have not reached the age of accountability at death, go imme diately into the presence of God. Christ died for the world and His atonement provides for these. “ Of such is th e k in g d om o f God” (Mark 10:14). Second Death Q. What is “ the second death” ? A. There are several references in the Book of Revelation to “ the sec ond death.” They tell us that it is “ the lake of fire” (Rev. 2:11; 20:6, 14). The term is used in the sense of eternal punishment, separation from God, remorse, suffering and sorrow; not in the sense of physical death, as the whole body o f Scrip Worry Q. Is worry a sin?
ture makes plain. You must bear in mind that death in the Bible never means cessation of existence. It means separation. The prodigal son was separated from his father and from his father’s house. Conse quently, the father said, “ For this my son was dead, and is alive again . . .” (Luke 15:24). The fa ther did not mean that his son had ceased to exist but that he was sep arated from him and in the far country. Paul has the same thought in mind in Ephesians 2:1 where he says, “ And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins.” Before their conversion these Ephesians were “ dead” because they were alienated from God. All these things need to be borne in mind because of the teaching of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, Seventh- day Adventists, and other annihila- tionists who claim that death means absolute non-existence. The “ sec ond death” of Revelation is separa tion of both body and spirit from God forever. Priestly Absolution Q. Do these passages teach “ priest ly absolution” as held by the Rom an Catholic Church: Matthew 16: 19; 18:18; John 20:23? What did Christ mean when He said, “ Whose soever sins ye remit, they are re mitted unto them; and whose so ever sins ye retain, they are re tained” ? A. There is no such thing in Chris tianity as priestly absolution. There was priestly absolution in Judaism, as in Leviticus, but this does not be long to the Christian Church or to Christianity. In this age of grace all of God’s children are priests — women as well as men (see 1 Pet. 2:9; Rev. 1:6). And no other priest hood exists in Christianity.
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