Thursday, September 19, 2013

Pray to Jesus or to God the Father?


“It is interesting to observe that the Bible, speaking generally, teaches us to address our prayers to God the Father.

“I pause to make this point for one reason only, namely, that I have sometimes gained the impression that many Christians seem to think that the hallmark of spirituality is to pray to the Lord Jesus Christ.  But when we turn to the Scriptures we discover that that is not really so, and that, as here [Eph.1:15-17], prayers are normally offered to the Father.  The Lord Jesus Christ is the Mediator, not the end; He is the One who brings us to the Father.  We go to the Father by Him; He is the great High Priest; He is our representative.  Normally we do not pray to Him, but to the Father, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, through the Lord Jesus Christ, relying upon the Lord Jesus Christ.  As the Apostle Peter reminds us, all He has done is designed to bring us to God, not to Himself.  We must not attach too much importance to this, yet it is important that we should observe it, because there is an enemy at hand who is always ready to mislead us; and to persuade us to false emphasis in certain matters.

“I have sometimes thought that perhaps the greatest danger confronting evangelicals at the present time is (and I speak with reverence) so to emphasize the Person of the Son as to forget the Father.  We fail to realize that the Son came to glorify the Father and to bring us to Him.”
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, God’s Ultimate Promise: An Exposition of Ephesians 1, p.328

See Col. 3:17, for example.
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3 comments:

  1. JoeSeptember 19, 2013 at 9:38 PM

    I have always thought that the model prayer's format is what we should follow when we pray. Not that we should parrot it out, but that we follow its principles.

    Our Father
    Praise
    Submission
    Petition
    Humility
    Seeking guidance
    Praise, praise and more praise.

    The prayer should be in Jesus' name, not as a trite expression, but as a recognition of His mediation on our behalf.

    You got it quite right.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousSeptember 20, 2013 at 7:05 AM

    Interesting post. Much to think about. LLoyd-Jones has an interesting observation. Personally, in our home, we pray as Scripture says, and Lloyd-Jones reiterates, to the Father, in Jesus name.

    Also, praying "in Jesus' name" isn't just a tag line. Praying in our Savior's name is the very real means by which we approach the Father.

    No one comes to the Father but through Christ.

    -carolyn

    ReplyDelete
  3. aliSeptember 20, 2013 at 11:12 AM

    When our LORD taught the disciples to pray, He began with "Our Father..."

    We should conform to His image and do the same.

    Jesus is our advocate to the Father not a replacement.

    ReplyDelete

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