Ancestor worship opposes God’s Word
As followers of Jesus Christ, we worship the living Saviour who conquered death by His resurrection from the grave. Chinese traditions, however, call on Chinese people to revere our ancestors and their graves. Such practices directly oppose God’s Word and can be a source of conflict with non-believing family members, particularly during Qingming festival. Chinese believers who refuse to venerate their ancestors can be considered disrespectful, ungrateful traitors. Most times, we feel pressured to attend the rituals simply to appease our relatives or give our parents “face”. By doing so, we invite God’s judgment, rather than His pleasure. Here is why.
(See Chinese versions: 繁體中文 > 祭祖違背了神的說話 | 简体中文 > 祭祖违背了神的话语)
A corruption of the Ten Commandments
God has placed the Ten Commandments on every heart. Every human being instinctively knows that it is not good to murder, commit adultery, steal, lie, and covet (the sixth to tenth commandments). We also know that we ought to honour our parents (the fifth commandment).
Ephesians 6:2-3 ESV “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.”
Without knowing the Author of all life and Conqueror of death, however, pagan cultures have turned this instinct into veneration for their ancestors as a source of spiritual power and destiny – effectively making their ancestors their “lords”.
1 Corinthians 8:5-6 NLT There may be so-called gods both in heaven and on earth, and some people actually worship many gods and many lords. But for us, There is one God, the Father, by whom all things were created, and for whom we live. And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things were created, and through whom we live.
God’s first two commandments, however, call us to worship God alone and not to bow down to or serve any image of any creature or human being – including that of our ancestors.
Exodus 20:4-6 ESV “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
The ungodly doctrines behind Chinese ancestor worship
Chinese ancestor worship can be traced back thousands of years before Jesus Christ. It is founded on the belief that the living must sustain their ancestors and in return, the dead will bring their descendents good fortune from the afterlife by influencing the spirit “gods” of death or hell. Some ancestors are even worshipped with their own temples, shrines, altars, and tablets. Failure to worship them properly can result in an ancestor returning as a “ghost” to punish the living.
Such teachings focus on mysticism (connection with the afterlife), duty (filial piety), fear (punishment), and slavery (control over every member of the family). There is no love and certainly, no God of the Bible.
1 John 4:16,18 ESV So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.
Galatians 5:1 ESV For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
Here are some other teachings behind ancestor worship, compared to God’s Word.
1 Thessalonians 2:13 ESV And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.
Teachings from ancestor worship |
Eternal truths from the Bible |
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Source of life | We owe our existence and life to our ancestors and we must revere and honour them. |
We all owe our existence to God, the Father, who gives us our breath | Job 33:4 ESV The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life. |
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Knowledge | Ancestor spirits monitor the living and know what is happening in our lives. |
The dead know nothing | Ecclesiastes 9:5 ESV For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing… |
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Guardians and helpers | Ancestors can help us through the spiritual world. |
It is God’s Spirit who helps us | John 14:26 ESV But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. |
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Retribution | Ancestral spirits will bring retribution and punishment if we neglect them. |
It is Jesus Christ who will judge and punish both the living and the dead | 2 Timothy 4:1 ESV … Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: |
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Burnt offerings| We must burn incense, joss paper, spirit money, and papier-mâché objects to send to our ancestors in the afterlife. |
God has done away with burnt offerings, He calls us to offer a broken and repentant heart instead | Leviticus 15:15 ESV And the priest shall use them, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. And the priest shall make atonement for him before the LORD for his discharge. Psalm 51:16-17 ESV For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. |
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Ghosts | Ancestral spirits can return as ghosts to haunt us. |
There are no such things as “ghosts”, they are simply demonic spirits disguised as familiar people (known as familiar spirits) | Deuteronomy 18:10-11 BSB Let no one be found among you who … consults a medium or familiar spirit, or inquires of the dead. |
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Communication through mediums | We can communicate with deceased family members through a medium. |
God strictly forbids consulting spirits of the dead, this is demonic | Leviticus 20:-7 NLT “I will also turn against those who commit spiritual prostitution by putting their trust in mediums or in those who consult the spirits of the dead… So set yourselves apart to be holy, for I am the Lord your God. |
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Home altars | We need to set up home altars with food offerings for ancestral spirits. |
The dead cannot return to any earthly residence | Job 14:12 NLT people are laid to rest and do not rise again. Until the heavens are no more, they will not wake up nor be roused from their sleep. |
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Shrines and temples | One should build large family graves (shrines), as well as ancestral halls (temples) in honour of one’s ancestors. |
We are temples of God’s Spirit and He calls us not to associate with idolatrous temples or we will become defiled spiritually | 2 Corinthians 6:16-17 ESV What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, |
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Eldest son | The firstborn son in the family is appointed to perform ancestral rites. |
Traditionally, all firstborn sons have been dedicated to God. | Exodus 13:2 NLT “Dedicate to me every firstborn among the Israelites. The first offspring to be born, of both humans and animals, belongs to me.” |
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Honoured at weddings | Ancestral spirits must be informed before any descendent’s wedding day and should be toasted at the event. |
It is God who created man and woman for matrimonial union, He is the One who should be honoured | Matthew 19:4-6 ESV He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” |
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Annual festivals | One must clean ancestors’ graves (shrines) and offer them food and drinks, especially on Tomb Sweeping Day (also known as Grave Sweeping Day or Qingming Festival), Hungry Ghost Day, and Chinese New Year. |
We uphold communion to honour Jesus, other festivals are idolatrous | Matthew 26:26-28 ESV Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. |
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Stage performances (Chinese opera) | For good fortune, stage elaborate performances and meals to appease ancestral spirits that return as “ghosts” on specific days of the year. Reserve seats in the front for ancestral spirits. The living must sit behind them. |
Our bodies are meant to be instruments of worship for God, not the dead | Romans 6:13 BSB Do not present the parts of your body to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and present the parts of your body to Him as instruments of righteousness. |
For more, please see:
Interacting with the “dead” is demonic
Deciphering our spiritual heritage of food, drink and incense sacrifices
A biblical understanding of death and funeral rites
Stay away from ancestor worship
Ancestor worship glorifies the “power” of the dead, which is the exact opposite of what Jesus came to do – to overcome the power of death and give us eternal life. By choosing ancestor worship, we can unknowingly spurn and reject what Jesus has done for us and glorify the devil instead.
Hebrews 2:14-15 ESV … through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.
1 Timothy 4:1 ESV Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,
It can feel harsh to stand up to our own family and respectfully refuse to be part of their ancestor worship. Yet God calls us to step away from those who refuse Him and separate ourselves from their activities.
2 Corinthians 6:14-18 ESV Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”
Romans 12:1 ESV I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
If we have ever participated in ancestor worship, let us ensure that we:
- Repent to our Father God for taking part in all rituals associated with ancestor worship, including bowing before tombstones, burning incense, sweeping graves, eating food offered to ancestral spirits, participating in festivities related to “hungry ghost day”, and so forth, in Jesus’ name
- Pray to cut ungodly spiritual ties to family members who revere and honour spirits of the dead and any mediums we have been associated with
- Ask for God to cleanse us of our sins and give us the wisdom to gently and respectfully turn down any future request from our family members to honour our ancestors
Following Jesus comes with a cost and God has forewarned us to be prepared. It can even cost us our relationships with our parents, wives, and closest relatives. At the same time, He promises to reward us a hundred times as much in return if we follow Him. He is a good God who has gone to extremes to lay down the life of His Son for us, will we lay down ours for Him?
Luke 14:26-29 NLT “If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him,
Matthew 19:29 ESV And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.
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