Romans 14:9 tells us Jesus Christ is Lord of both the living and the dead.
Put it this way—
Have you ever asked a friend, a fellow churchgoer, or total stranger to “pray for” you or someone you feel is in need of prayers?
Then stop!
The difference between everyday people you ask to pray for you, and the saints, is that they haven’t yet died and gone to Heaven. So if you think asking for the prayers of saints in Heaven— actual humans who once lived for Christ among us, and now look upon the face of Christ Himself— is so awful, then asking for the prayers of the living who are still among us, breathing & farting & gossiping is surely a mortal sin that will cast you into the fire!
So, by all means, stop!
Do I need a /sarc tag?
While we’re at it, get rid of all your framed family photos, photo albums, Facebook, TV and computers, monuments of military heroes and statues of patrons of the arts...
Anything that serves as a reminder of persons, living or dead. Stop praying for our President or hanging portraits of past presidents.
Graven images. Idolatry. All of it.
But wait. Those things are just part of life that don’t bother you?
It’s only the paintings & statuary that remind you of saints who LIVED exemplary lives of holiness & DIED (often horrifically martyred) in Christ — - which send you into paroxysms of rage?
Oh dear.
We’ll pray for you.
All the admonitions to pray for each other in the NT are directed to people still alive on earth. That is the Biblical position. We pray for other believers here on earth.
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The difference between everyday people you ask to pray for you, and the saints, is that they haven’t yet died and gone to Heaven. So if you think asking for the prayers of saints in Heaven— actual humans who once lived for Christ among us, and now look upon the face of Christ Himself— is so awful, then asking for the prayers of the living who are still among us, breathing & farting & gossiping is surely a mortal sin that will cast you into the fire! So, by all means, stop!
The Roman Catholic makes the error in presuming proximity to Christ means those prayers are in some way more valuable than the prayers of those of us still here on earth.
That's not a biblical position and in fact denies the biblical position.
Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16 NASB
in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him. Ephesians 3:12 NASB
For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Ephesians 2:18 NASB
4Such confidence we have through Christ toward God. 5Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, 6who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 2 Corinthians 3:4-6 NASB
13These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. 14This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him. 1 John 5:13-15 NASB
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While we’re at it, get rid of all your framed family photos, photo albums, Facebook, TV and computers, monuments of military heroes and statues of patrons of the arts... Anything that serves as a reminder of persons, living or dead. Stop praying for our President or hanging portraits of past presidents.
Ah yes, the catholic answers apologetic...weak as it is.
Here's the difference between NT Christianity and Roman Catholicism....and it is significant.
I am not praying TO the picture of mom and dad, I don't burn incense before those pictures, I don't kneel before those pictures, I do not attribute special powers to those pictures or the people they represent and I am not relying upon those pictures or the people represented in those pictures for anything as they are now deceased and no longer on this planet.