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Confirmation - Does It Save?
Open the
Bible Question Form to send your own question.
Q:
My wife is Methodist. They take
confirmation classes when they are
15,she says this to see if the person is ready to accept Jesus or
not, she believes in Jesus she says, but she says she was "confirmed",
which she says is the same as being saved. Please explain
this kind of belief and if its wrong.
A: I
apologize for being so slow getting to your question. We are
reorganizing our correspondence in an attempt to do better.
Confirmation as a religious ceremony is not taught in the scriptures.
Some basic form of the rite appeared in the 4th century after Christ
and
it involved the laying on of hands or anointing with oil. It was
established as one of the seven sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church
during the Middle Ages. Some form of it is practiced by Anglicans,
Lutherans, and some other Protestant churches. The ceremony is supposed
to convey the Holy Spirit to the participant in a renewed or fuller way.
As a sacrament, it is considered to be a means that helps bring about
salvation.
However, since confirmation is not a biblical practice, it cannot be
the means of salvation for anyone. I am not saying that it would impossible
for a person to get saved at the time of confirmation--only that the
confirmation itself cannot save a person. It is a manmade ceremony added
to the practice of many religious groups. How could something added by
man be a way of salvation?
Salvation comes when an individual first recognizes that they are
personally guilty of sins which, if left unchecked, will send them to
hell. Then, they learn that their guilt of sin has been paid for by
Christ in His sufferings on the cross. They believe that Jesus Christ
died on the cross, was buried, and arose from the dead the third day
after His resurrection as taught in the scriptures. Finally, they trust
in Christ for their personal salvation in an act where they consciously,
willingly, and purposefully choose to look to Him as their Lord and
Saviour by calling on His name and seeking His forgiveness for their
sins. That person then accepts by faith that God has kept His word and
has saved them from their sin.
Though salvation is not simply following a formula, the previous
paragraph gives a basic summary of what it is to be saved. It is this
act
of trusting in the Lord as Saviour that saves a lost soul. No other
act--not confirmation, baptism, living a good life, belonging to a
church, or keeping the ten commandments--no other act can save a soul
from hell.
For the sake of space, I have not included scriptures in this answer.
However, there are articles on the site that talk about the way of
salvation. Also, if you have further questions about this, please ask.
This is the most important thing anyone can take care of in their entire
life. "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole
world,
and lose his own soul?" (Mark 8:36).
Thank you for writing,
Till He comes,
Pastor David Reagan
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