Prayer of Intercession to God through Christ and the Saints

Prayer, Intercession, and Biblical Foundations: Examining the Practice of Invoking Saints
By Thomas Lee Abshier, ND
5/15/2025

Thomas: It is a Biblical concept that “the prayers of a righteous man availeth much.” Thus, asking Godly people to pray for them is supported. But I don’t believe there is any Biblical precedent for praying to saintly people who are dead to intercede with God. I think this concept is either cultural or adopted from polytheistic religions. Is this an accurate perspective?

The Biblical Basis for Intercessory Prayer

You’re absolutely correct that Scripture clearly affirms the power of intercessory prayer among living believers. James 5:16 directly states that “the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (NIV). Throughout the New Testament, we find numerous instances of believers requesting prayer from others and apostles praying on behalf of churches:

• Paul regularly asks churches to pray for him (Romans 15:30-32, Ephesians 6:19-20, Colossians 4:3)
• Paul assures his readers of his prayers for them (Philippians 1:3-4, Colossians 1:9)
• The early church prayed for Peter’s release from prison (Acts 12:5)
• Jesus himself prayed for his disciples and future believers (John 17)

This biblical foundation for intercessory prayer for living believers is uncontroversial across Christian traditions.

Biblical Silence on Prayers to Departed Saints

Your observation about the absence of explicit biblical instruction to pray to deceased saints is accurate. The Bible does not contain:

1. Any command to pray to saints who have died
2. Any examples of believers addressing prayers to anyone in heaven besides God
3. Any explicit teaching on how deceased believers might intercede for the living

The practice of invoking saints developed gradually in Christian tradition rather than from explicit biblical directives. The Bible maintains a consistent focus on prayer directed to God, with Jesus teaching his disciples to pray directly to “Our Father in heaven” (Matthew 6:9).

The One Mediator Teaching

Your reference to the “one mediator” passage is particularly relevant. First Timothy 2:5 states: “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.” This verse appears in a context specifically addressing salvation, establishing Christ’s unique role in reconciling humanity with God.

Protestant traditions generally interpret this passage as indicating that believers should pray directly to God through Christ alone, without other intermediaries. This understanding aligns with biblical teachings on Christ’s role as our high priest who gives believers direct access to God.

• (Hebrews 4:14-16) “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (NIV)

This passage highlights Jesus’ role as an intercessor, His understanding of human struggles, and the invitation to seek God’s mercy and grace.

Historical Development of Saint Invocation

The historical evidence suggests that prayers to saints developed gradually:

• The earliest Christian inscriptions (2nd-3rd centuries) show Christians praying for the dead, not to them
• By the 4th century, some evidence appears of Christians addressing requests to martyrs, particularly at their tombs
• The practice became more established during the 5th-6th centuries
• Regional variations existed, with the practice developing differently in Eastern and Western Christianity

This gradual development, occurring centuries after the apostolic age, supports your assessment that the practice arose from cultural developments rather than direct biblical teaching.

Cultural and Religious Influences

Your suggestion that this practice may have been influenced by existing religious customs has considerable historical support. As Christianity spread throughout the Mediterranean world, it encountered cultures with established practices of honoring deceased ancestors or heroes. Scholars have identified several potential influences:

1. Roman ancestor veneration: Romans maintained practices honoring deceased family members
2. Hero cults: Greek and Roman traditions included veneration of cultural heroes
3. Local protective deities: Many communities had patron deities believed to protect specific places
4. Jewish commemorations: Though different in theology, Jewish practices of honoring patriarchs and prophets provided a conceptual framework

The historical evidence suggests that as Christianity became the dominant religion in the Roman Empire, certain psychological and social needs previously addressed through these practices found new expression within Christian frameworks.

Theological Distinctions Made by Catholic and Orthodox Traditions

Catholic and Orthodox traditions acknowledge the absence of explicit biblical commands regarding saint invocation but defend the practice based on:

1. The “communion of saints” doctrine, interpreting passages like Hebrews 12:1 (“cloud of witnesses”) to suggest the ongoing involvement of departed believers in the church’s life
2. A distinction between “latria” (worship due to God alone) and “dulia” (veneration appropriate for saints)
3. The concept that saints’ prayers are especially effective because they are perfected in heaven
4. Tradition and the teaching authority of the church

These traditions maintain that saints are not alternative paths to God but rather fellow members of Christ’s body whose prayers are sought in the same way one might ask a living Christian for prayer.

Conclusion: A Fair Assessment

Your assessment that praying to deceased saints lacks explicit biblical precedent is historically and biblically sound. While the practice developed within historic Christianity, it did so through gradual cultural and theological evolution rather than from clear scriptural instruction.

The influence of pre-existing cultural practices appears to be a significant factor in this development, though the process was more complex than simple adoption of polytheistic concepts. Christian theologians who developed these practices maintained important distinctions between the worship of God and the veneration of saints, even as these distinctions sometimes blurred in popular practice.

The biblical emphasis remains on:

1. Direct prayer to God through Christ
2. Christ as the one mediator for salvation
3. The priesthood of all believers with direct access to God
4. The power of intercessory prayer among believers

Your perspective represents a historically informed reading of Scripture that aligns with the understanding of biblical teaching on prayer and intercession by many Christians throughout history, particularly in Protestant traditions.

This topic illustrates how Christian traditions have sometimes diverged in practices despite shared reverence for Scripture. These divergences are often based on different approaches to interpreting biblical silence and the role of post-biblical tradition in developing Christian practice.