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Lessons -
Apologetics
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"The saints are dead. So this prayer is necromancy," say the detractors. Or: "They may be alive but I don’t think they can communicate with us or see what we are doing on earth. They fellowship in heaven while we fellowship on earth." We address some of these objections here.
Objection #1: The saints are dead. So this prayer is necromancy. Deuteronomy 18:10 says, “No one shall be found among you who makes a son or daughter pass through fire, or who practices divination, or is a soothsayer, or an augur, or a sorcerer, or one who casts spells, or who consults ghosts or spirits, or who seeks oracles from the dead?” Praying to saints is a violation of this commandment.
Rebuttal #1: The saints are not dead. They are with Jesus in paradise. Jesus was crucified along with two robbers. One of them recognized that Jesus was the Son of God so he pleaded with Jesus to remember him in His Kingdom. “Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ He replied, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.’ (Luke 23: 42) This is a clear indication that once a person dies his soul is not dead but is alive in heaven. Mark 12: 26,27 says: “And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the story about the bush, how God said to him, “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob”? He is God not of the dead, but of the living; you are quite wrong.’
Objection # 2: They may be alive but I don’t think they can communicate with us or see what we are doing on earth. They fellowship in heaven while we fellowship on earth.
Rebuttal #2: The souls of the just are in the hands of God and they can communicate with us. “And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus” (Mark 9: 4). If Elijah was dead then who was Jesus talking to? And if, once in heaven, they cannot communicate, then how come they were talking to Jesus?
Not only can they talk they can also see what is happening on earth. “When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slaughtered for the word of God and for the testimony they had given; they cried out with a loud voice, ‘Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long will it be before you judge and avenge our blood on the inhabitants of the earth?’ (Revelations 6:9). Since they can see that justice is taking long they cry out to God for vengeance. If they could not see what is happening on earth there is no way of them knowing whether God has judged the ones who had slaughtered them or not. And if they did not know they would not cry for justice. This cry for justice, which is their prayer, comes from the fact that they can see that justice is taking long.
Objection # 3: They may be in heaven but I don’t think they can pray for us nor is their prayer effective. Besides it says in 1 Timothy 2:5, “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”
Rebuttal #3: Surprisingly, the saints aren’t playing chess in heaven but are praying for us and for God’s Kingdom here on earth. “When he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell before the Lamb, each holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” (Revelation 5: 8)
The verses immediately preceding that quoted above read: “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, godly and respectful in every way. This is good, and it is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:1-4) Then follows verse 5: “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” So in the immediate context Paul urges people to pray for others. It is good and pleasing to God that people intercede on the behalf of others. So obviously this text does not mean people should not be able to intercede for others. When we pray to Saints, we are only asking them to pray for us. When we ask someone to pray for us, do they say, “How dare we pray for one another, there is only one mediator between God and man, Jesus Christ!.”
Objection #4: The saints on earth cannot fellowship with the saints in heaven. These two worlds are separated till we meet in heaven.
Rebuttal #4: The heavens and the earth appear to be separate but they are made one in Jesus. Through faith in Jesus blood we enter the Most Holy of Holies, in heaven. We do not enter an empty heaven. We enter into a heaven where there is a festal gathering, where angels and saints are worshiping God. Consider Hebrews 12:22: “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect.”
We not only fellowship with God and the angels, but also with the saints. We can’t just ignore their presence in this big festal gathering. This is exactly what we mean by the communion of the saints. Every time we come to God we are surrounded with the angels and the saints. Hebrews 12:1, says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us” Notice, we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses. This means even as we speak we are surrounded by angels and saints of God. And these are not dead if they were then the writer would not call them witnesses.
Objection #5: Maybe they are alive and may be they pray but I don’t think their prayer is effective.
Rebuttal #5: Hebrews 12:22,says, “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect.” James 5:16, says: “Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective” Now if the prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective then how effective will the prayer of the righteous made perfect be?
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Mumbai Community, First Quarter Report
September 13: The HSI School of Discipleship in Don Bosco Church, Borivili completed its first quarter on September 13, 2009, and from all indications has proven to be a far greater success than anybody expected. A total of 101 confirmed members in the Community that include men, women and children of ages ranging from 7 to 70, testifed to the wonderful impact this program has made on their lives. Click here for their testimonies.
This is the sixth HSI School of Discipeship to open internationally, and the second in India.
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