Do you pray to Jesus or God? Have you ever thought about the mechanics of your prayers? Maybe you haven’t or you think it doesn’t really matter. To be sure, many Christians today pray to Jesus…and God the Father…and even to the Holy Spirit. This same question was asked and answered by Graham Cole and posted by The Gospel Coalition which begins…
“Many Christians pray to Jesus. But are they right to do so? It’s certainly a good question. I believe there are at least two sound reasons to pray to Jesus—-one theological and one scriptural.”
Cole offers “two sound reasons,”. All too often, doctrinal positions are advanced with a single “what about” passage (Cole uses Acts 77 in this case) and man’s wisdom (Cole’s “theological” reason). Let’s instead consider all that the Bible says which will demonstrate why Acts 7 isn’t a prayer to Jesus.
How Scripture answers "Do we pray to Jesus or God?"
We pray to God1,2,3,4,5,6,8,11,12,13,14,15,16,18,19,21,23,24,25, not to Jesus7,11. Specifically, Scripture gives us several foundational points that effectively preclude anything other than prayers to God the Father being offered:
- Direct Command. When Jesus was asked about prayer, he directly taught that prayers were directed TO God the Father1,2…
- Jesus’ Role. Furthermore, Jesus made it clear what His role in our prayers would be…not as the recipient but the one through which we approach the Father8. He is at His right hand and “He always lives to make intercession“17 in our prayers to the Father. This “prayer structure” (to God, through Jesus) is repeatedly documented as the practice of the early Christians9,12,14,16,17,21,23,25…
- God the Father’s Role. It is God the Father who answers prayer1,2,8,10,14,17,24. There is no passage about Jesus answering prayer. In fact, Jesus tells His apostles that a time would come when “you will ask nothing of me.”8…
- Apostolic Teaching and Example. “To God and through Jesus” was practiced by the early church15,16,23 and instructed by the apostles21,24,25. Paul’s own prayers and instruction about prayer, over and over, is about praying TO God the Father3,4,5,6,9,11,12,13,14,16,18,19,25.
Attempting to make an argument or justification for offering prayer to Jesus is simply outside any authority of Scripture.
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