Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a [living] righteous man avails much.So are you claiming that the prayers of the Saints are actually Jesus's prayers, since their righteousness is actually Jesus righteousness?
Do you realise you are actually arguing for the intercessory prayers of the Saints?
Where did Jesus say the thief on the cross would be that day? In the grave? Where are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? Are they dead? What does Jesus say?
Do you not understand that it is out of humility that we ask the Saints to pray? Certainly we can ask Christ directly but you seem to forget that God loves the humble. There are many Christians who consider their own prayers to be worthless and so seek the prayers of those whom God has revealed to be righteous. This is obviously pleasing to God as He has blessed such intercessory prayer abundantly throughout the history of the Church.
As I have already stated.
funny that you felt the need to insert "living" into the verse. It has been my argument all along that they are in fact alive. Anyone who is in Christ has already passed through death and is alive in Christ, regardless of whether their body is in the grave or not.Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a [living] righteous man avails much.
No one is suggesting you do.How can we confess our sins to the dead?
Jesus Christ isNo, Jesus is not used to pray for us because he is God himself. We don't go to Jesus to have a better chance to sway the father. You are implying that the Father has greater authority on what the results of prayer are than the Son or Spirit. They are equal.
A good example of Mary being used for intercession is in the first miracle. Jesus denied the request from the couple at first, because "it was not his time", however he eventually did it because Mary eventually requested it on their behalf.
Mary was sinless. There is no way God would allow his Son to remain and get nurtured in a sinful womb for 9 months. He didn't even want the Arc of the Covenant to be touched by human hands because his Word made Stone was in it, you think he wouldn't care even more about a free sin environment when his Word made Flesh would be contained and biologically formed in there?
The Bible does not say if she was or she was not, but it is my understanding since countless churches claim Jesus Christ is the only person who lived who knew no sin. Regardless, she is not made a distinct enough person in the Bible to tell us how she died, or anything else about her really. I think many have filled in their own blanks where Mary is concerned. The Bible is pretty silent about her, to be honest. I wish it gave us more to go on, but it doesn't. We do know she did not die a virgin, but that is understandable because the woman was married.The reasoning is flawed.
Why would he instruct to pray to Mary and his disciples when they where all physically alive still?
Why would he say pray to Moses or xyz prophet, he didn't die on the cross yet therefore they weren't in heaven yet.
We see that when he was on the cross and yelled "Eli eli", people passing by thought he was calling to Elijah (the prophet written to be taken to heaven) which shows it was a common practice to invoke saints. The Bible has always advised christians to pray for each other, and it has also said that christians are able to attain eternal life after death, keyword: life, meaning they are still forever alive spirituality and still part of the church. Their service to God does not end after the physical death.
Mary was a virgin when she conceived The Son of God, but she still needed a savior.Mary was sinless
funny that you felt the need to insert "living" into the verse. It has been my argument all along that they are in fact alive. Anyone who is in Christ has already passed through death and is alive in Christ, regardless of whether their body is in the grave or not.
No one is suggesting you do.
The Bible does not say if she was or she was not, but it is my understanding since countless churches claim Jesus Christ is the only person who lived who knew no sin. Regardless, she is not made a distinct enough person in the Bible to tell us how she died, or anything else about her really. I think many have filled in their own blanks where Mary is concerned. The Bible is pretty silent about her, to be honest.
In asking him to pray for us? Of course, why would we not?The Apostle John, the son of Zebedee, and he who Jesus loved. Do we love John? Do we pray to John?
I rather think that our Lord asked His mother to pray for Him, don't you? So why would we not ask her to pray for us? "Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners".If we are to model ourselves after Jesus Christ and imitate His life by doing what He did while He was alive, would praying to Mary be something we would do?
In Revelation 5:8, John sees “twenty-four elders,” along with the “four living creatures,” prostrating themselves “before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and with golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” If they are offering the prayers of the Christians on earth, then it’s reasonable to infer that they had knowledge of those prayers.Because scripture doesn’t support that notion.
Of course they have knowledge. But nothing is said that they acquired the knowledge because someone prayed to them.In Revelation 5:8, John sees “twenty-four elders,” along with the “four living creatures,” prostrating themselves “before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and with golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” If they are offering the prayers of the Christians on earth, then it’s reasonable to infer that they had knowledge of those prayers.
But you do accept as fact that at least some departed saints are alive and have knowledge of prayers made by earthbound saints. That makes for a decent statting point, IMO.Of course they have knowledge. But nothing is said that they acquired the knowledge because someone prayed to them.
Of course they have knowledge that people pray. I doubt they thought that people stopped praying after they themselves died.But you do accept as fact that at least some departed saints are alive and have knowledge of prayers made by earthbound saints. That makes for a decent statting point, IMO.
However, it is a great leap to think that they hear all of the innumerable prayers addressed to them simultaneously. In order to do that, they would need to be gods or, at the very least, demi-gods.Of course they have knowledge that people pray. I doubt they thought that people stopped praying after they themselves died.