Salvation is a personal race and everyone shall be judged according to their own personal record, the idea of interceding on behalf of a dead one shouldn’t be taken seriously, you can’t help your friends or family be righteous. They have to strive to do it themselves, it’s just like learning how to walk
If the child doesn’t get up and learn, no amount of prayers would make him work. So we are commended by our own efforts and shall be save according to the goodworks we have done here on earth. Let’s look at
Ezekiel 14:20 as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, even if Noah, Daniel and Job were in it, they could save neither son nor daughter. They would save only themselves by their righteousness.
We can see that only our righteousness can deliver us from the wrath of God, if we don’t make effort to do whatever is right and follow in the path God has created for us, we would run the risk of eternal damnation. Even those saints in the eyes of God cannot save those closest to them, except their friends really want a change then they would start following the ways of Christ. We will answer to God individually. It is by our righteousness that we would be saved not by another's. No amount of prayer can push someone that is dead into the kingdom of God.
Ezekiel 18:20 The one who sins is the one who will die. The child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child. The righteousness of the righteous will be credited to them, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against them.
As mentioned earlier, you can only run your race personal, you can’t help someone else run theirs. The only thing you can do is to introduce them and pray the Holy Spirit teaches them so they can grow in Christ. No one can add to anyone's righteousness and no one can remove from the righteousness that they have done after they have gone. We are judged by the way we live so novena as practiced by most pastors cannot help anyone except they put in effort.
Revelation 20:12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.
No amount of prayer can amend what a man who died without doing the will of God or knowing God has done.
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