 |
I want to make clear that I respect the
thoughts of others and I am not here to cause animosity nor do I
want any in this church. However, there are some unclear ideas,
which are at times, passed around in conversation; and I want to
begin addressing the different notions/truths about Mary, the
mother of Jesus.
Keep in mind I am not bashing anyone, or
stepping on toes. My intent is to give you the truth through
love and concern toward your spiritual well being; and my desire
is that the following will help clear up any questions in, at
least what is biblical.
|
|
The Intercessor.
The issue of some religions/denominations/people praying to saints,
is one that is full of confusion. It is the official
position of some churches that they do not pray TO saints or Mary, but rather that
they can ask saints or Mary to pray FOR them, but
nonetheless, it is still praying. The official
position of one church in particular, is that asking saints for their prayers is no different than asking someone here on earth to pray for us. However, the practice of many
of those folks diverges from official teaching. Many
of this religion/church do in fact pray directly to saints and/or Mary, asking them for help – instead of asking the saints and/or Mary to intercede with God for help. Whatever the case, whether a saint or Mary is being prayed to, or asked to pray, neither practice
has any biblical basis.
The Bible nowhere instructs believers in Christ to pray to anyone other than God. The Bible nowhere encourages, or even mentions, believers asking individuals in heaven for their prayers. Why, then, do many
so-called Christians with different backgrounds pray to Mary and/or the saints, or request their prayers?
Because they've been taught to view Mary and the saints as "intercessors" before God. They believe that a saint, who is glorified in Heaven, has more "direct access" to God than we do. Therefore, if a saint delivers a prayer to God, it is more effective than us praying to God directly. This concept is
blatantly unbiblical. Hebrews 4:16 tells us that we, believers here on earth, can "approach the throne of grace with confidence."
First Timothy 2:5 declares, "For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." There is no one else that can mediate with God for us. If Jesus is the ONLY mediator, that indicates Mary and the saints cannot be mediators. They cannot mediate our prayer requests to God. Further, the Bible tells us that Jesus Christ Himself is interceding for us before the Father: "Therefore He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them" (Hebrews 7:25). With Jesus Himself interceding for us, why would we need Mary or the saints to intercede for us? Whom would God listen to more closely than His Son? Romans 8:26-27 describes the Holy Spirit interceding for us. With the 2nd and 3rd members of the Trinity already interceding for us before the Father in heaven, what possible need could there be to have Mary or the saints interceding for us?
Some argue that praying to Mary and the saints is no different than asking someone here on earth to pray for us. Let us examine that claim. (1) The Apostle Paul asks other Christians to pray for him in Ephesians 6:19. Many Scriptures describe believers praying for one another (2 Corinthians 1:11; Ephesians 1:16; Philippians 1:19; 2 Timothy 1:3). The Bible nowhere mentions anyone asking for someone in heaven to pray for him. The Bible nowhere describes anyone in heaven praying for anyone on earth. (2) The Bible gives absolutely no indication that Mary or the saints can hear our prayers. Mary and the saints are not omniscient. Even glorified in heaven, they are still finite beings with limitations. How could they possibly hear the prayers of millions of people?
Now this becomes very, very important because whenever the Bible mentions praying to or speaking with the dead, it is in the context of sorcery, witchcraft, necromancy, and divination,
these are activities the Bible strongly condemns (Leviticus 20:27; Deuteronomy 18:10-13). It is clear that praying to Mary or the saints is completely different from asking someone here on earth to pray for us.
Thus, one direction has a strong biblical basis; the other has no biblical basis whatsoever.
In addition to the above,
God does not answer prayers based on who is praying. God answers prayers based on whether they are asked according to His will (1 John 5:14-15). There is absolutely no basis or need to pray to anyone other than God alone. There is no basis for asking those who are in heaven to pray for us. Only God can hear our prayers. Only God can answer our prayers. No one in heaven has any greater access to God's throne than we do through prayer
as Christians (Hebrews 4:16).
Recommended Resource:
The Gospel According to Rome: Comparing Catholic Tradition and The Word of God by James McCarthy.
|
