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Dear Ernie,
I have a set of questions for you.
1. Is it wrong for a member of the lords church to celebrate Christmas. If yes why?
2. Is it sinful for a member of the lords church to visit a place of idols especially a temple.
3. Suppose there is a person in a remote place of the world where nobody is a christian. Assume He has read the bible and has got faith in the lord, can he baptize himself and take part in the lords supper? Will he be saved when the lord comes?
Regards,
Praywin
~~~~1. Is it wrong for a member of the lords church to celebrate Christmas. If yes why?~~~~
I believe it is wrong to celebrate in the religious sense. We do not have authorization to do so in scripture (Col. 3:17). Our day of celebration is every first day of the week when we celebrate the death of Christ by taking the Lord's Supper.
However, I do not believe there is anything wrong with celebrating Christmas from a secular standpoint, any more than celebrating birthdays, July 4th (here in the States), or Thanksgiving. I won't sing "Christmas" carols if they are religiously oriented (Joy to the World, What Child is This, Silent Night, etc.) specifically as "Christmas" carols (though singing them in regular worship year round is okay if the content of the song itself is scriptural). But I sing Jingle Bells, Rudolph, White Christmas, etc. We have a tree, talk about Santa, and open presents. I just view it as a secular winter holiday for getting together with family and friends. I'm a high school teacher so I get two weeks off at that time.
~~~2. Is it sinful for a member of the lords church to visit a place of idols especially a temple.~~~~
No, so long as you aren't participating in the worship of idols. Paul specifically covers this in 1 Corinthians 8 (especially vs. 10).
~~~~3. Suppose there is a person in a remote place of the world where nobody is a christian. Assume He has read the bible and has got faith in the lord, can he baptize himself and take part in the lords supper? Will he be saved when the lord comes?~~~~
Yes. Paul makes it clear in 1 Cor. 1 that who immerses you is irrelevant. If there are no Christians around, it would be safer to have a non-Christians immerse you to keep you from slipping and falling. Who immersed the first Christian? A non-Christian of course! It is the person being immersed that is obeying the gospel and it is what they believe and do that is important, not who holds you so you don't fall. Ultimately 1 Cor. 12:13 says it is the Holy Spirit that immerses us into the Body of Christ. What other humans are involved doesn't matter so long as the person being immersed is following the NT pattern.
In Truth and Love,
Ernie
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Answers by Expert:
Ernie Laurence, Jr.
Expertise
I am capable of answering any questions concerning doctrines of the church of Christ. I specialize in Creation vs. Evolution topics, the book of Revelation and other Biblical prophecies, and other apologetics related topics such as distinctions from denominational doctrines.
Experience
My experience in this area includes: having been raised by members of the church of Christ from infancy, having been immersed into the church of Christ at age ten, having taken an active role in worship/service leadership (song leading, teaching, preaching, youth ministry) since age fourteen through the present, and participating in numerous formal debates, research projects, and online discussions.
Organizations
The church of Christ
Publications
Local congregations.
Education/Credentials
I hold a bachelor's degree in computer information systems (CIS) from Tarleton State University which focuses on business communication and management. This provided training for how to deal professionally with individuals and organizations if not direct training in the field of religion. See experience section for informal education experience.
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