Expert: Dr Eddy Cheong - 6/17/2011

Question
QUESTION: It is seen as a common practice many Christians testify & praise God amidst gatherings
–   For Salvation received – When their Fruits attest they are not.
–   Blessings & prosperity / Guidance of Holy Spirit / Saved God from an imminent accident for their faith etc. – When they are not even true believers.
.Doesn’t this amount to culpable sin? & How Bible says to deal with such situations?

ANSWER: I will answer your question with two verses, viz
Gal 1:8-9
if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! 9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!
NIV

In other words if anyone preaches a False Gospel he or she is eternally condemned. There is no greater spiritual punishment than this on earth!

As for the preaching of falsehoods, these people could be classified as liars...

Rev 21:8
8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars — their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."
NIV

Liars are classified with murdereres and sexually immoral people. They are not Christians for one can only be a Christian or a Liar not both!

The genuinely ignorant ones I really do not know where they will end up in. Hopefully God will forgive them if and when they come to the knowledge of the truth and repent.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: May God give wisdom to answer this question  

Why do some worshipers fall backwards when Pastors lay hands on them? Often this has been a recurring event without any Healing / outcome. I have seen worshipers get attracted to such pastors . To my knowledge Bible too does not support this act.

Blessings

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Answer
There is no scriptural basis for falling backwards upon the laying of hands. The usual Scripture quoted by proponents of this experience is the following:

John 18:5-6

5 "Jesus of Nazareth," they replied.

"I am he," Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) 6 When Jesus said, "I am he," they drew back and fell to the ground.
NIV

But if you examine the above verse in detail, you will find that in verse 6 the Scripture says " they drew back and fell". Drawing back is a voluntary act perhaps out of awe and the falling down is a consequence of their drawing back. Nowhere else in the New Testament has this experience been repeated.
One may conjecture that the "falling down" often witnessed in charismatic meetings could be the result of an emotional or psychological response. Sometimes over enthusiastic preachers do push members of the congregation down. Having said all this, let me just issue a word of caution. Laying of hands is a Scriptural phenomenon (Hebrews 6:2) and perversion of any Scriptural process is fraught with real dangers, the foremost of which is spiritual deception from some evil source. Amen