I am speaking about the intercession of the saints. Briefly stated, the idea is that the saints who have already gone on to Heaven have the ability to pray for those who have not made it yet. They can “hear” the requests made to them and join the person in prayer for said requests. But where does such an idea come from and what does the Early Church tell us about this?
Two Biblical passages give us some hint at this doctrine. The first is found in Revelation 5:8:
And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and with golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints [RSV]
The other is found in Revelation 8: 3-4:
And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer; and he was given much incense to mingle with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar before the throne; and the smoke of the incense rose with the prayers of the saints from the hand of the angel before God. [RSV]
In each of these passages, we see the saints (24 elders) and the angels presenting prayers of the saints before the throne of God.
My Protestant comrades will then raise two objections—these are the knee-jerk reactions to this doctrine. First, they will say, “But the Scripture teaches that there is only one Mediator between God and man.” The quote from I Timothy 2: 5 is thought to be the deathblow to the intercession of the saints. But let’s consider if that is the case or not.
If this verse excludes the prayers of the saints in heaven then it also excludes the prayers of the saints on earth. If there is only one Mediator, then we shouldn’t be asking our fellow Christians to pray for us at all. Let’s look at this verse in context.
For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, the testimony to which was borne at the proper time. (1Timothy 2:5-6 RSV)
Two things become apparent: 1) The word “only” does not appear before mediator in this passage; and, 2) We can all agree that there is only one Mediator who gave Himself a ransom for all, the Man Christ Jesus. There is a huge difference between the One Mediator and the many intercessors.
The idea that others cannot intercede for us is directly contradicted by the verses that precede those above.
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, godly and respectful in every way. (1Ti 2:1-2 RSV)
Paul could not be telling us that we should do something that it is not permissible for us to do. If we are urged to pray, what would make us think that it is not right for the departed saints to do so?
The second objection is that the saints are dead and cannot hear our prayers. Really? That’s not what Jesus said. Look at what He said.
Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25-26 RSV)
And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God said to him, 'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not God of the dead, but of the living; you are quite wrong." (Mark 12:26-27 RSV)
So while there body is dead, their spirits are very much alive with God. They are still members of the One Body, the Church. As to whether they can hear us or not, there is no passage of Scripture that tells us this. Being in the spiritual realm, it would seem highly likely that they could indeed hear us.
When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne; they cried out with a loud voice, "O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before thou wilt judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell upon the earth?” (Revelation 6:9-10 RSV)
It is apparent from the above verse that the martyrs under the altar in heaven had some knowledge of what was going on in the earth. Why is it so hard to imagine that they can hear the prayers of those who ask for their intercession?
One more thing needs to be clarified. The word prayer confuses some people. They believe that prayer should only be offered to God. But Biblical use of the word does not indicate that. For example, Abraham’s servant prayed to Rebekah to give him water (Genesis 24:17) and Paul prayed to the people on ship with him to eat (Acts 27:34). So praying can simply mean asking, addressing or speaking to someone. It is, therefore, not wrong to pray to someone or to pray someone. In these cases as in the case of prayer to the saints, prayer is in no way construed as worship, only as talking to them and entreating their prayers.
While the very idea of this is immediately repulsive to many, it should be considered with care. because if the saints can hear us and pray for us, would it not be a great blessing to have these prayers? Would it not be a terrible omission for us not to avail ourselves of these powerful prayers of the righteous (James 5:16) if indeed they are available to us?
We will next consider the writings of the Early Fathers to see where they stood on this matter.
