Question Corner

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Jul 21, 1909

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 36, No. 28.

[TO OUR INQUIRERS.— (1) The name and address of all who ask questions must accompany questions, not necessarily for publication, in token of good faith, and that we may reply by letter if thought best. All communications will be considered confidential if so desired, and no name will be published unless requested. But we have no time to give to anonymous or unsigned epistles or articles. (2) Let the questions be to the point. Do not say, “Explain Josh. 7:1-8,” but state the thing upon which help is desired. (3) Questions can not be answered immediately in this department. Sometimes it will mean a month or more of waiting. We can not reply to the same question frequently. Read answers to other questions; you may find reply to yours. (4) Members of the Bible Band will kindly enclose stamp if answer is desired by letter. Others will please enclose ten cents. This does not begin to meet expenses oftentimes. (5) “Foolish . . . questions avoid.”]

2892.—Praying in Meeting.

Is it Biblical to ask any one to pray in meeting? Is it not better to pray according as the Spirit teaches, whereby we are free in the Spirit of the Lord? T. N. A.

The Bible does not give us particular directions regarding all places and times. It deals with great principles. Yet God leaves His children to carry out these principles as the time, and the place, and the need may indicate. We read in Paul's writings again and again: “Pray for us.” In such case would it not be proper in a public meeting to ask some one to pray? The Spirit of God may move the one who is leading the meeting to ask some one to pray just as truly as that same Spirit would lead some one to pray without being asked. There may be times when the matter is overdone; other times, when some one is asked to pray who has no burden of prayer or no particular faith. And yet the very fact that he is asked to pray and does not himself feel in the mood to pray may lead him to consecrate himself to God more fully than before. In such meetings as that, presumably, all are there to pray or to take part and all ought to be in a spirit of prayer, where they certainly could pray for the general and great blessings which every such meeting would need. It is for the Spirit to guide on such occasions. It may guide one in one way, another in another.

2893.—Priests in the New Earth.

What office will priests have in the new earth? Rev. 5:10. A. K.

Just the same office they would have had if sin had never entered. We get a wrong conception of the eternal priesthood by looking at the office solely from the standpoint of sinful conditions. One of the great purposes of priests, according to Mal. 2:7, is teaching. “For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth; for he is the messenger of Jehovah of hosts.” And so God will have a ministering, teaching priesthood to the undeveloped tho sinless in character throughout all eternity. The blessed office of unselfish ministry will go on forever.

2894.—Our Affliction and the Lord.

Had God forsaken Job when he was so afflicted? A. K.

Surely He had not. What reason is there to even intimate that such is the case? “Whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth.” Read the first part of the 12th chapter of Hebrews. God's Son was afflicted, but the Father did not forsake Him during His affliction. He loves His children just as well in their affliction as He does in their brightest prosperity. His eye was upon Job in all his affliction.

2895.—Who Is Melchisedec?

Will you please explain who Melchisedec is, or was? Is he Christ or another person? I am truly puzzled on the third verse of Hebrews 7, last clause. If he be Christ, why do the Scriptures say that he was made “like unto the Son of God”? SUBSCRIBER.

It is one of the great puzzling questions—the Melchisedec priesthood—which has been explained much more fully than we will be able to reply to here, in past numbers of the Signs. Replying, however, to the questions, the Melchisedec who met Abraham was not Christ, and yet Christ is our Melchisedec, that is, our King of Righteousness; and because He is King of Righteousness, He is also King of Salem, or King of peace. The Melchisedec priesthood, or priesthood of king-priests, was an order forever perpetual in each Melchisedec priest, but an order in the sense that in every world of God's creation there is normally a Melchisedec priesthood. These priests are sons of God. Sonship is equivalent to priesthood. Heb. 5:5, 6. The Melchisedec who met Abraham was one of the order of this priesthood, and therefore a perfect figure of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Adam would have been our Melchisedec priest as a “son of God,” Luke 3:38. He, however, failed, and our Lord Jesus Christ became the second Adam—our Melchisedec priest, as well as the Melchisedec priest of the universe. The Melchisedec of Heb. 7:1 could not have been the Son of God, for he was made “like unto the Son of God,” but that there must have been other Melchisedec priests is shown from the fact that an order consists of more than one.

These hints will, we hope, give our inquirer some light in the further study of the question upon which we will have more to say in the future.

2896.—Children and Parents.

Will you explain through the Question Corner 1 Cor. 7:12, 13? Will children that die in infancy be raised if both parents are lost? Does the Bible say that every grave shall be opened? C. D. C.

The aim of God's word is to reveal to His intelligent, responsible creatures the way of life and salvation, not to satisfy our curiosity. The command to obey is given to responsible persons. The exhortation to believe and follow Christ is given to responsible persons. The Lord will care for all irresponsible entirely apart from us. Consequently, He has not revealed to us His dealing with irresponsible creatures, such as children and insane. And yet He has also revealed this, that upon parents to a great extent rests the salvation of their children. They are to do their part in training up children, and He has given us to understand again and again that He regards the prayers and efforts of godly parents, and will work with them.

This seems to be one of the reasons which He uses in strengthening His appeal to husband and wife who are not agreed. “If any brother hath an unbelieving wife, and she is content to dwell with him, let him not leave her. And the woman that hath an unbelieving husband, and he is content to dwell with her, let her not leave her husband.” And then He tells us that “the unbelieving husband is sanctified in the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified in the brother; else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.” That is, two heathen parents would not be very likely to dedicate their children to God or bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, whereas if but one of the parents was truly godly, these children would be given or set apart to the Lord's service.

Children being innocent of all wrong, we see no reason why they should not come up in the resurrection and be taught of God.

Regarding the raising of all the dead, we have a strong, striking expression in John 5:28, 29. “The hour cometh, in which all that are in the tombs shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment.” Again we read in 1 Cor. 15:22, “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.”

2897.—Questions Concerning Sin.

Would one sin unconfessed have the same effect as one commandment trespassed, as to shutting one away from salvation? 2. Give a few instances of what kind of sin needs to be confessed publicly; what kind to our neighbor; and what kind in the family circle. E. R.

The unconfessed sin is cherished, or else pride of heart is so cherished that it leads us to keep the sin rather than confess it. God's means of taking sin from His children is through confession. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9. David said: “I acknowledged my sin unto Thee, and mine iniquity did I not hide: I said, I will confess my transgressions unto Jehovah; and Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.” Ps. 32:5. All sin is transgression of God's law, the transgression of some one or more commandments of that law. Therefore, to commit sin and retain the sin instead of putting it away by confession, is just the same as the transgression of one of the commandments of His law.

Wisdom should be used in the confession of sin as well as thoroughness. The confession should be made as broad as the sin if possible. If the sin, the wrong, is against God alone, we should confess it to God. For instance, if one has cherished hatred in his heart against a neighbor, if he has coveted that which belongs to another, and yet has not offended humanity in thus doing, it would be sufficient to go to God and tell Him of this and pour out the heart before Him. If one's sin has been an open sin before the public, if he has been an open Sabbath-breaker or user of profane language, a covetous man, or a thief, he should make that confession before the public, should take such a stand that the public before whom he had committed these sins would know that he had turned from these sins and was obedient to God.

If he has sinned directly against his neighbor in his language or in his treatment of that neighbor, a sin known to his neighbor, he should certainly confess to his neighbor his sin. So in regard to family matters. There is a homely illustration that the plaster should be made large enough to cover the sore, and so the confession should be made large enough to cover the sin. Satan would be glad to have souls confess before the public secret sins that lie between them and God only or between man and one or two individuals. This the Lord does not demand.