Depending on what area of the country you are from, this may be controversial to you. Where I currently live, this can be a sticky wicket for sure. Give me just a couple minutes to show you  Scripture that will explain to whom we should pray.   

There are two main reasons that I don’t pray to Mary or the saints. I will write on the second reason in the future. The first reason is that you can pray directly to God, through Jesus Christ. While this is found throughout Scripture, the author of the New Testament book of Hebrews specifically addresses this issue.

Hebrews 4:14-5:10 calls Jesus our great High Priest, referring to the duties that the Levitical priests in the Old Testament. Hebrews 4:16 says specifically that since Jesus is our Great High Priest, that we can pray directly to God, through Him. It says, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” 

The whole passage of Hebrews here is about Jesus. He is the one that we pray to God through. The whole point of this passage reveals that Jesus is the greatest priest ever. He is better because He is God eternal. He doesn’t sleep, need a day off, or die. He is eternal, and we can always speak to God because Jesus is the perfect High Priest. 

If we can pray to God through Jesus, we don’t need to pray to Mary or the saints. They are never listed in Scripture as people we pray to God through. Jesus Himself says that when you pray to God, you can pray through Jesus: John 14:13-14, “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.” 

Timothy actually takes a hard stance in I Timothy 2:5: “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” There is only one person who serves as a mediator between us and God, that is Jesus Christ.

This is not to say that others cannot pray for us. In fact, we are called to pray for others and intercede for them. We can even look at the same passage, I Timothy 2:1, where it calls Christians to pray for each other. 

We must understand the difference in praying for others, and being the inter mediator for others. When we are praying for others, we are called to pray to God through Jesus, as the one inter mediator. To pray to saints or Mary, those who are not God like Jesus, is to place them at a place of divinity which they are not – it is to call on someone who does not have the direct line to God. It is to pray in vain.

How do you pray? Do you pray through Jesus Christ, or those who are not divine? How is your prayer life? Are you praying for others through Jesus?

Thanks for taking time to read this Maddening Theology post. If you enjoyed this content you can find Pastor Tim’s sermons at www.cornerstoneforestcity.org. You can also join us at 520 Marion St. Browndale, PA 18421 on Sundays at 10:45 AM. To make following the blog easier you can also register. You can also join us on Facebook at Cornerstone Forest City. Also, don’t forget to download our APP on iTunes  or Googleplay.