Prayer question

[ChessCastle]

I was speaking to a friend and coworker about prayer, and we got on the subject of mediation. I asked him if he prays directly to the Father, to the Son, or to the Holy Spirit. He thought about it for a while, and then said he prays mostly to the Father in the name of the Son, and that less frequently he prays to the Son, and never to the Holy Spirit.

This made me think of the concept of mediation. Should all of our prayers (Our Father included) be directed through Christ? Does neglecting to pray through Christ ignore His mediation?


I have intentionally left out saints, past and present, to avoid clouding the issue of mediation with unnecessary debate.

[higgs2]

I've heard people say this before, about directing all prayers through Christ, but I don't believe it is necessary. Sometimes I just pray to God, not specifically to one part of the trinity, just God. I imagine God in all three ways at different times.

[erin74]

I thought the idea of "through the son" was that we had access of God because of Christ. So it is 'through' what Christ did that we pray to God. Not so much 'through' Christ to the Father.

In the bible mostly prayer seems to be directed to the Father. Stephen prays to Jesus. There is no record of anyone praying to the Holy Spirit to my knowledge. The Spirit's role is to point to Christ.

I don't think we ignore his mediation by praying to the Father. But I do also pray to Christ at times.

[gtsecc]

I am sure OT Jews prayed to the Father without any understanding or knowledge of Christ.

[QuantaCura]

I've always understood the sole mediation of Christ as His mediation of our salvation--that is we cannot literally come to the Father--i.e. become His adopted sons and then be saved and enter His glory in Heaven--without partaking of the mediation of Jesus Christ, High Priest and Spotless Victim.

His mediation concerns reconciling us to the Father. Atonement, reconcilliation, and salvation must come through Jesus, but prayer is prayer :)

[gtsecc]

But, isn't our access to the Father through Christ because he took on our humanity and assended to heaven with it?

[QuantaCura]

But, isn't our access to the Father through Christ because he took on our humanity and assended to heaven with it?

As you said before, people had access to Him before the Incarnation. :holy:

[gtsecc]

Yeah, it is sort of confusing to me.
Fortuantely, I have access to 2 very learned theologians, so I will post back tommorrow.

[Adammi]

I believe that Jesus said something to the effect that when we pray in his name we are not praying to him, but rather to the Father.

[SumTinWong]

It seems to me if you are talking to one you are talking to all three since all three are one. But i do think that the Holy Spirit tends to get left out of the mix more often than not, why that is I do not know.

[Iosias]

The term Father when used by Christ in prayer is not to the first person on the trinity but refers to God.

[Fairbairn]

Prayer is to the father, through the son, in the power of the holy spirit