Why praying to the saints is not like asking for prayer from friends
As the online world of Roman Catholic apologetics continues to grow, so do attempts to soften Protestant criticisms of what are considered some of their most anti-Biblical and strange practices. One such practice is praying to Mary and the "saints" (by saints we mean those no longer alive on earth and who have been canonized as saints by the Roman Catholic Church). The most popular response to the evangelical criticism of praying to other mediators besides Christ is expressed as follows:
"Don't you ask your friends and family to pray for you? Since we are united with Christ and all who have believed in him, is it really so different to ask our brothers and sisters in Christ who have already passed into his presence to pray for us?"
The answer is a simple yes. Not only is it very different, but it is also completely unnecessary and even strictly forbidden by God's Word. Here's why.
Because Jesus Christ is our only Mediator
The apostle Paul told the young pastor Timothy that "there is only one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 2:5). Such an explicit statement leaves no room for saints or Mary to mediate on behalf of believers. Likewise, Hebrews 7:25 reminds the Christian that it is Jesus Christ who intercedes for us before the Father, and that He alone is able to save those who approach God through Him. Why, then, should we ask any other mediator on the other side of eternity to mediate or intercede for us? Scripture commands us to approach the throne of grace with confidence (Hebrews 4:16). How can we do this? Exclusively through Christ, who said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6).
"Well, okay, but don't we ask our Christian friends and family members to pray for us?" Yes, of course we do, as we should. Paul asked churches to pray regularly for him and others, but the saints he was writing to were still alive on this side of eternity. However, Scripture never teaches us to pray to those who no longer live with us.
Because Scripture forbids contact with the dead
God's people were strictly forbidden to communicate with the dead. Those who did so were considered an abomination to the Lord, even if they did so for spiritual reasons. Deuteronomy 18:10-12 says, "Let no one be found among you ... who inquires of the dead… for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD." The prophet Isaiah says there is no need for other mediators: " And when they say to you, ‘Inquire of the mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter,’ should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living?" (Isaiah 8:19).
In the New Testament we see that the rich man who wakes up in hell and wishes to warn his living brothers and sisters is unable to do so (Luke 16:26). Why? Because a great chasm has been fixed between the land of the living and the afterlife, emphasizing the finality of one's eternal state after death and the inability to converse between the living and the dead.
Because praying to the saints risks idolatry
One need not venture far into Rome to see the dividing lines between veneration and worship. Exodus 20:3-5 prohibits creating and bowing to any image of any creature. Yet, Rome is full of statues of Mary and saints before which people bow, pray and ask for mercy. This prohibition from the Old Testament is reiterated in the last book of the Bible (Revelation 19:10) , when John bows before an angel who promptly replies to him, " You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to ithe testimony of Jesus. Worship God!" Yet, the city of Rome (and every Roman Catholic church I’ve ever visited) is full of statues and images that have been worn down in certain places because of the masses who bow before them, touch them and pray to them for things that only God can provide.
Because there is a complete lack of biblical support
Not only does Scripture forbid praying to the dead, but there is no support for praying to the saints, nor to Mary. Jesus himself commands God's people to pray directly to the Father (Matt. 6:9-13). Scripture reveals that it is not a dead saint that helps us pray, but the very presence of the Holy Spirit that helps Christians pray in the name of the Son (John 14:26; Romans 8:26-27; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 6:18; Jude 1:20). As St. Paul wrote, "All Scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Praying is a good work, and Scripture not only teaches us how to pray and who to pray to, it forbids communicating with the dead.
Do you know who prayed to the dead? The pagan nations did. God's people were markedly different from everyone else in not doing so. The ancient Romans prayed to their deceased relatives or a variety of deities for various kinds of needs. Does this sound familiar? It should. Now, instead of praying to Aesculapius for healing, as the ancient Romans did, Roman Catholics pray to St. Luke, the physician, or St. Raphael the Archangel. In the past, Romans prayed to Fortuna for financial assistance and material needs; now Roman Catholics are asked to pray to St. Anthony of Padua. The examples never end!
Because Mary and the saints probably cannot hear us
I realize that this is probably the most polemical of reasons against praying to the saints and Mary, but Scripture seems to support it. Neither Mary nor the saints are omnipresent, omniscient, or omnipotent. This means that the saints, nor Mary, can know our thoughts, hear our prayers or have the power to grant us spiritual protections, graces and peace (all of which are explicity asked of Mary and Saints in the countless Roman prayers offered to them). But this should not cause fear or anxiety in the hearts of those who have approached them in an attempt to get closer to God. Why? Because we do not need their mediation. We can approach God the Father, with the strength and help of God the Spirit, in the name of God the Son, Jesus, the only Mediator who knows our situation and our every thought, and who hears our every word. Jesus intercedes on our behalf and has the power to answer our prayers.
Let us not be like the very religious people to whom Christ said, “You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men” (Mark 7.8 ESV). Instead, as Scripture teaches us, let us invoke the name of Jesus by faith. Being the name that is above every other name (Philippians 2:9), why would we invoke any other?
