137. Praying to Saints: Biblical or Unbiblical?

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Prayer stands as one of the most intimate expressions of faith, yet questions about who we should pray to remain deeply relevant for many Christians today. Should believers pray to saints, or is this practice more rooted in tradition than scripture?

The answer begins with understanding what a "saint" actually is according to the Bible. While Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions define saints as exceptionally holy individuals canonized after death, scripture presents a surprisingly different perspective. Throughout the New Testament, Paul addresses entire churches as "saints" – indicating that all believers in Christ hold this sacred designation. This revelation challenges many assumptions about sainthood and immediately reframes our understanding of prayer.

Scripture consistently presents Jesus Christ as our sole mediator before God. The powerful declaration in 1 Timothy 2:5 leaves little room for interpretation: "For there is one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus." This definitive statement, coupled with Jesus's own teaching on prayer directed to God the Father, establishes a clear biblical pattern. Rather than seeking intercession from saints, believers are encouraged to approach "God's throne of grace with confidence" (Hebrews 4:16) through Christ alone.

The Bible also contains explicit warnings against communicating with the dead, raising serious questions about the practice of praying to deceased saints. Instead, we're repeatedly encouraged to bring our prayers, petitions, and thanksgiving directly to God in every situation (Philippians 4:6). This direct access represents not just a theological position but a profound spiritual privilege – one that honors Christ's completed work and deepens our personal relationship with God.

Have you been wrestling with questions about prayer and intercession? Take time to explore what scripture actually teaches, and experience the freedom and confidence that comes from approaching God directly through Jesus Christ. If these reflections resonate with you, I'd love to hear your thoughts on Instagram or through the podcast contact form!

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:32):
Hey everyone and welcome back to the Radiant
Mission Podcast.
My name is Rebecca Toomey andI'm your host here, and we are
continuing our Coffee Talkseries, which is where we're
tackling deep faith topics in ashort, thought-provoking format.
If you are loving this, pleasedo let me know.

(00:55):
Jump on Instagram, or you caneven actually go onto the
podcast and send a text message,I believe.
So send me a message.
Let me know how you are likingthis series so far.
Today's question shouldChristians pray to saints?
It's a good one.

(01:16):
Is this a biblical practice orhas it been introduced through
church tradition rather thanscripture?
Let's explore today togetherwhat the Bible actually says.
Okay, this is a big one.
This is something that comes upquite a bit Obviously.

(01:36):
Last week, we talked about Mary, and there are some faith
practices like Catholicism thatpray to Mary and many that pray
to saints.
So let's dive into this.
What does it mean to pray tosaints, and how does the Bible
define what a saint is?

(01:57):
I think that's a good place forus to start.
So the term saint is usedthroughout the scripture to
refer to all believers in JesusChrist.
It is not a group of canonizedindividuals.

(02:32):
Addresses entire churches assaints, meaning those who have
been sanctified by faith inChrist Jesus.
This is a huge distinction andsomething that, to be honest
with you, I grew up in thechurch, in the faith, right as a
believer, and I didn'tunderstand what the word saint
meant until I was an adult,until I was older.
It's not something that'stalked about frequently, so if
this is new news to you, you canknow it was new news to me too,

(02:57):
not too long ago.
So let's talk about this fromthe Bible, from scripture 1
Corinthians, 1, verse 2.
To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ
Jesus and called to be his holypeople, together with all those
everywhere who call on the nameof our Lord, jesus Christ, their

(03:21):
Lord and ours.
In Ephesians 1.1, paul, anapostle of Christ Jesus by the
will of God, to God's holypeople in Ephesus, the faithful
in Christ Jesus.
In contrast, catholic andEastern Orthodox traditions
define saints as individuals wholived exceptionally holy lives

(03:45):
and were canonized after theirdeaths.
Exceptionally holy lives andwere canonized after their
deaths.
These saints are believed tohave special standing before God
and are often invoked in prayer.
But the biblical definition ofa saint includes all Christians,
all believers, it's not justspecific historical figures.

(04:09):
Every believer is called to beset apart, called to be holy
before God.
And some other references areRomans 1, verse 7, philippians 1
, verse 1.
In some Christian traditions,particularly with Catholicism
and Eastern Orthodoxy, as I wasreferencing before, believers

(04:29):
pray to saints and they ask themto intercede on their behalf
before God.
This practice is based in theidea that saints, as righteous
individuals in heaven, can actas intermediaries.
However, the Bible clearlyteaches that prayer is a form of

(04:51):
worship and that it should bedirected to God alone.
In Exodus 20, verses 3 through5, you shall have no other gods
before me.
You shall not make for yourselfan image in the form of
anything in heaven above or onthe earth beneath or in the
waters below.
You shall not bow down to themor worship them.

(05:15):
And then, in Psalm 115, fourthrough six their idols are
silver and gold made by humanhands.
They have mouths but cannotspeak, eyes but cannot see.
They have ears but they cannothear, noses but cannot smell.
So just some context behind theLord, letting us know that he

(05:38):
alone should be worshiped andthat we should be praying to God
alone.
So this brings us to thequestion is there biblical
evidence for praying to saints.
One of the primaryjustifications for praying to
saints comes from Revelation 5,verse 8, which describes the

(06:01):
saints in heaven offeringprayers before God.
So in Revelation 5, 8, it sayseach one had a harp and they
were holding golden bowls fullof incense, which are the
prayers of God's people.
Now, while this verse isdescribing saints in heaven
presenting prayers, it doesn'tsuggest that the prayers are

(06:24):
directed to them, in particularto the saints.
Instead, it's showing thatprayers are ultimately lifted to
God and not to the saintsthemselves.
As well, the Bible makes itclear that there is only one
mediator between God and man andwe talked about this last week,

(06:45):
about Mary.
1 Timothy 2, verse 5, for thereis one mediator and one
mediator between God and mankindthe man, jesus Christ.
So, circling back to that one,jesus is the only one who stands
between us and God.
The Bible does not instructbelievers to seek intercession

(07:07):
from anyone.
Next, let's talk about what didJesus teach us about prayer?
Throughout his ministry, jesusprovided a model for prayer, and
it was always directed to God,the Father, in Matthew 6, 9
through 13,.
This, then, is how you shouldpray Our Father in heaven,

(07:31):
hallowed be your name, and ofcourse, that goes on to then the
Lord's Prayer.
Jesus never instructed hisfollowers to pray to saints or
angels.
Instead, he emphasized thatbelievers should bring their
prayers directly to God.
In John 14, verses 13 through14,.

(07:53):
And I will do whatever you askin my name so that the Father
may be glorified in the Son.
And you may ask me for anythingin my name and I will do it.
Prayers are to be offered inJesus' name, not the name of
saints, which is why we say inJesus' name, amen.

(08:14):
Right, but what about the dead?
Can the dead intercede for us?
A common argument for praying tosaints is the belief that they
can intercede for the living.
However, scripture does notsupport this idea either.

(08:34):
In fact, the Bible warnsagainst attempts to communicate
with the dead.
Against attempts to communicatewith the dead.
Deuteronomy 18, 10 through 12,.
Let no one be found among youwho consults the dead.
Anyone who does these things isdetestable to the Lord.
That's a pretty big one.

(08:55):
Nowhere in scripture do we seeexamples of believers praying to
the dead.
Instead, the Bible again callsus to direct our prayers to God
alone.
Hebrews 4.16,.
Let us then approach God'sthrone of grace with confidence,
so that we may receive mercyand find grace to help us in our

(09:18):
time of need.
We have access, you guys.
We have access to God's thronethrough Jesus Christ.
No saint or angel is needed asintermediary.
We have Jesus.
So what should Christians doinstead?
What do believers do instead,rather than praying to saints?

(09:39):
Believers said rather thanpraying to saints, believers be
encouraged to pray directly toGod.
Seek Christ's intercession onyour behalf.
In Philippians 4, 6, we aretold do not be anxious about
anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition with
thanksgiving, present yourrequests to God.

(10:01):
So let's talk about some keytakeaways for today.
By prayer and petition withthanksgiving, present your
requests to God.
So let's talk about some keytakeaways for today.
Prayer is always an act ofworship and it should be
directed to God alone.
Jesus is our only mediator andwe do not need other

(10:22):
intercessors.
There is no biblical evidencesupporting prayer to saints, and
believers should confidentlyapproach God in Jesus's name.
So, as you are sipping yourcoffee today, take a moment to
reflect on this conversation.
Have you ever been taught topray to saints and, if so, how

(10:46):
does scripture challenge oraffirm that practice?
How does knowing that Jesus isyour mediator change your
approach to prayer and whatsteps can you take to deepen
your prayer life directly withGod?
I hope you find these helpfuland if this episode got you

(11:06):
thinking, I would love to hearfrom you.
Join the conversation onInstagram at the Radiant Mission
, facebook at the RadiantMission Podcast, and if you
prefer watching instead oflistening, be sure to check out
the YouTube version by searchingfor my Name, rebecca Toomey.
I have been doing some extrafun captions and visuals and all

(11:27):
of the Bible verses as visualsin that YouTube version, so be
sure to check it out.
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(11:48):
to find this show and theseconversations Today.
I'm going to close with 1 Peter2.
He himself bore our sins in hisbody on the tree so that we
might die to sins and live forrighteousness.
By his wounds you have beenhealed.
I'm wishing you a radiant weekand I'll see you next time.

(12:11):
Bye, everyone.