Excuse VII
Beyond Our Control
Question:
Isn’t refusing to allow unbelievers to serve us just another way of imposing our religion on them?
~~~
In an ongoing attempt to justify the practice of seeking out Sabbath-breakers and paying for their services, many COG leaders argue that it is not the duty of God’s people to cram their religion down the throats of unbelievers. They never explain how avoiding their services does that, they simply advance it as a credible argument. One prominent COG attempted to make this point by offering an interesting scenario. According to this body of Biblical thinkers there are times when God's people today should even allow those living in their home to labor on the Sabbath. What they fail to do is take their hypothetical question to its logical end. Notice what they write.
There are even occasions where someone under your roof cannot be forced to keep the Sabbath. An example would be a son or daughter who is older, yet chooses to live at home. Many people today have 25 and 30-year-old children living at home. Should you force them to keep the Sabbath? Can you forbid them from working?
This COG poses some questions. What they are saying in effect is: Can a true believer today require those living in his home to worship the true God? The answer is: Of course not. Why?—because the worship of the true God must be voluntary. It cannot be forced on anyone. However, these COG leaders are missing a far greater point.
Ignoring Your Moral Duty
Here are some questions this prominent church refuses to address. How would you answer the following queries?
Can a true believer prevent those under his roof from offending his God? For example: What if your adult son brought his girlfriend home to sleep with him?
What if he brought drugs into your home? Or cigarettes? Could you as the homeowner prohibit such things?
What if he wanted to put up Christmas lights or bring a tree into the house? Could you say "n
The answer to these questions should be obvious. The believer would not only have the right, but the moral duty to prevent such behaviors. This is not cramming your faith down someone else's throat. It is preserving the spiritual dignity of your home. It is our belief that every true Christian has an obligation to do just that.
What about the Sabbath?
However, there is another hypothetical that is even more applicable to the issue at hand. What if your adult son wanted to wash your car or mow your lawn on the Sabbath? What if he wanted to labor FOR YOUR BENEFIT during this holy time? Should you consent, knowing he doesn't worship your God? Or, once again, should you defend the spiritual integrity of your home and forbid it?
While this COG doctrinal group believes that if you can't control everything you don't have to control anything, we see it much differently. Although God's people can't prevent this world from profaning the Sabbath, they don't have to make reservations and pay for it to be done. Those who think otherwise are just fooling themselves. Furthermore, to argue that God's people cannot prevent restaurant personnel from laboring on the Sabbath leaves one question unanswered. Imagine if God presented this query:
