by jimwalton » Sun Aug 30, 2015 9:30 am
Uh, sorry, but no. Each person has responsibility to make their own decisions. By our efforts or decisions we cannot make a decision for someone else. If that were true, there would be no reason for evangelism, just prayer meetings. We could say a prayer on someone else's behalf, or get baptized for them by proxy, and, DEAL! There is no Scripture to support those ideas, but there are Scriptures to say that it's each person's own decision.
Salvation is based on a love relationship with God, submitting to his Lordship, and inviting him to do a miracle in you to change your nature from a sin nature to the nature of Jesus. So your situation shows three strikes:
1. Your dad wouldn't have a love relationship with God because you prayed. He has to choose to love and live in that love.
2. Your dad wouldn't submit his life to Christ because you pray for him. That's an action he alone can take.
3. Your dad has to invite Christ into his life. You can't invite Christ into his life for him. It's an action he alone can take.
Uh, sorry, but no. Each person has responsibility to make their own decisions. By our efforts or decisions we cannot make a decision for someone else. If that were true, there would be no reason for evangelism, just prayer meetings. We could say a prayer on someone else's behalf, or get baptized for them by proxy, and, DEAL! There is no Scripture to support those ideas, but there are Scriptures to say that it's each person's own decision.
Salvation is based on a love relationship with God, submitting to his Lordship, and inviting him to do a miracle in you to change your nature from a sin nature to the nature of Jesus. So your situation shows three strikes:
1. Your dad wouldn't have a love relationship with God because you prayed. He has to choose to love and live in that love.
2. Your dad wouldn't submit his life to Christ because you pray for him. That's an action he alone can take.
3. Your dad has to invite Christ into his life. You can't invite Christ into his life for him. It's an action he alone can take.