Surrogate Christianity
07-05-02

Medieval society so valued constant prayer that many people made substantial donations to monasteries so that monks and nuns who were largely freed from manual labor could become "professional" pray-ers on behalf of the rest of society. Individuals would designate their responsibilities to others. Things haven’t changed so much today. The use of surrogates has been perfected in our generation. When parents cannot or will not fulfill their responsibility, we turn to Big Brothers and Big Sisters – surrogate dads and moms. When a couple cannot produce children, we turn to artificial insemination, in vitro insemination, or women who will carry a child in their womb and give birth to it for another – surrogate biological parenting. We can hire someone to shop for us, read a book for us, and even care for our aged parents – surrogates.

Wouldn’t it to be great if you could pay someone else to live a life faithful to God for them? Wouldn’t it be great to send a surrogate to suffer through those sometimes boring sermons on Sunday or to have someone else drag themselves out of bed on Sunday morning and God would still bless you? You could hire a surrogate to study the Bible for you or be baptized for you and still reap the blessings associated with these responsibilities? Many would line up in order to have a religious surrogate. We would all go to heaven. I remember my brother telling our mother that he was not interested in Christianity because he wanted to have some fun in life before he grew old. But what if was a surrogate was an option for my brother? Then he could live pursuing pleasure and still look forward to heaven.

The Scriptures are clear. The salvation of our soul and the faithful Christian life are burdens that each of us must bear as an individual. Paul writing to the Galatians penned, "For each shall bear his own load" (Galatians 6:5). No one can have faith for us, repent for us, confess Christ for us, or be baptized for us. Peter and the apostles told those gathered in Jerusalem on the first Pentecost after the resurrection, "Save yourselves from this untoward generation" (Acts 2:40 KJV). Paul told the Philippians, "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" (Phil. 2:12). Each of us will answer for what we have done – not what our surrogate has done for us. ". . . Every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour" (1 Corinthians 3:8 KJV). We may have the option to use surrogates for many things in this life but never when it comes to spiritual matters. Jesus said, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me" (Luke 9:23 NKJV).