Tuesday, May 06, 2008

  • Protestant Prayer to the Saints

    Currently Listening
    August and Everything After
    By Counting Crows
    see related
    The Catholic Church teaches that death does not separate the church of God from itself. We are members of one another and this solidarity continues even after we have been taken from this world. This is why they pray to the deceased. It’s not that they’re worshipping the dead, they just believe death is not strong enough to rend them from one another.

     

    Though Protestants are often scared by such a thought, I wonder if there’s biblical precedent for it. Paul’s discussion of the “Heavenly Realms” throughout Ephesians provides us with one foundation. In this realized eschatological terminology, Paul sees the “living” ecclesia participating in worship with the “dead” ecclesia in the presence of Christ who is at the right hand of God. In other words, though we are “living” and they are “dead,” we are together!

     

    Furthermore, the author of Hebrews tells us that we run our race with a crowd of deceased saints around us. They are not removed from us, they are encouraging us to run our race in perseverance. We participate in the narrative of redemptive history together with the saints.

     

    So, if the church of God is not separated by death, then it is a far stretch for us to consider the possibility that the deceased saints intercede for the living saints? Why would they not pray for the perseverance of their loved ones still living? If they can cry out for justice below the throne of God (See Revelation), why can they not cry out for perseverance?

     

    But if this is possible – if they are in our midst and still interacting enough to pray for us, is it possible that we can communicate with them? I don’t mean this in some “Ghost Whisperer” sort of way. I simply mean, if a brother or sister in the Lord dies, but, say, we had unforgiveness in our hearts toward them, is it possible for us to apologize to them? Must we just be restricted to asking for God's forgiveness? Certainly, unforgiveness is a sin against God. But do you think its possible to reconcile with a believer who has in fact passed on?

     

    I don’t know. Just brainstorming here. Thinking about dead people. Maybe being morbid. I’m not coming down on this….I’m just thinking out loud.

Comments (3)

  • freethinker777

    scripture says there won't be marriage in heaven.  so would there be "loved ones" as you put it?  or would all relational and familial ties be broken for something greater?  not sure if that answers anything.  but perhaps further down the rabbit hole.
  • anonymous

    I hope so, and I don't see why not.
  • theotica

    i don't think you're being morbid.  these are good questions.


    the problem, for me, with the catholic belief in the community of/with the dead is the insertion of the doctrine of purgatory.  while "saints" are before God, the majority of people are in purgatory, becoming cleansed of venial sins.  this is a significant portion of the catholic practice of "praying for the dead."  i don't think i'm comfortable with the soteriological implications there.
    counting crows... a mainstay.
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