The Intercession of the Saints

I. The Body of Christ
As baptized Christians, we share in, and are part of, the mystical Body of Christ. Paul describes the body in literal terms, with the head (Col 1:18) who is Christ Jesus. In Matthew 13 the parables of the weeds among the wheat, mustard seed, yeast, treasure buried in a field all point to a continuity and a communion of the earthly kingdom of God and the heavenly kingdom - the parables describing growth, weed pulling, yeast’s effect on rising bread cannot simply be referring to heaven, because in heaven all things are perfectly realized.

“For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.” (Rom 12:4-5)

“That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.” (1 Cor 12:25-27)

“To the saints who are also faithful in Christ Jesus:... which he lavished upon us. For he has made known to us in all wisdom and insight the mystery of his will, according to his purpose which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fulness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth..... So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,...” (Eph 1:1,8-10,2:19)

“what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us.” (1 Jn 1:3)

“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named” (Eph 3:14-15)

Jesus also speaks of this Body in terms of a vine and its branches:

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.” (Jn 15:1-8)

With Jesus as the head of the body, but no longer physically present as the human Jesus, it becomes obvious that this body of Christ is not limited to human beings on earth. This communion of saints bound together by love (Eph 4:16), are united both in this world and the world to come (Eph 1:20, Heb 12:22) and are “though many, are one body in Christ and individually part of one another” (Rom 12:5), sharing in the same blessings (1 Cor 12:13, 1 Cor 12:25) and prayers (Eph 6:18). In fact, nowhere in Scripture can it be found that those who have "died" are no longer part of this mystical body of Christ - on the contrary, they are active and aware of what happens here. They are “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4), they have abilities beyond our comprehension - indeed, beyond what “eye has seen [or] ear heard” (1 Cor 2:9) 1 John 3:2 tells us, ” Beloved, we are God's children now; it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

II. On the Nature of the Saints
Those who have been indoctrinated into the highly individualistic, Americanized version of Christianity, i.e., “me and Jesus Christ only”, find the notion of the intercession of saints to be odd. They suggest that the Bible condemns this practice, because necromancy is condemned in Scripture (Deut 18:10-12). It is quite true that necromancy is condemned; however, the objection does not apply, because prayer with saints is not necromancy, because saints are not dead! Rather, they are very much alive, as Jesus told the disbelieving Sadduccees:

“And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err.” (Mark 12:26-27)

Paul echoes this sentiment, saying:

“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” (1 Cor 15:22)

We are all part of the love in Christ, and we cannot be separated from each other as Paul affirms:

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written,"For thy sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom 8:35-39)

Not only are the saints very much alive, they are united with God (1 John 3:2) and aware of our doings, as seen during the Transfiguration:

“And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with them. “ (Mt 17:2-3)

This is the "cloud of witness" that Heb 12 refers to:

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us, while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith.” (Heb 12:1-2)

This same cloud shechena is the cloud of glory that Moses ascended Mount Sinai and the same one when Jesus ascended before his apostles. This cloud is a visible manifestation of being "in the Spirit" like John in Revelation and this cloud is full of those Christians who have gone on who are, like John, "in the Spirit". This cloud of witnesses represents for us a sort of theological "home field advantage", where saints are aware and pray to God for us. Some have even come back to earth (1 Sam 28:12-15) - Moses and Elijah (Mt 17:1-3), and "many saints" (Mt 27:52-3).

III. Intercessory Prayer
The same Christians who think prayer with saints in necromancy think nothing of asking a fellow believer to pray for them, mainly because it is quite scriptural, as Paul wrote:

“First of all, then, I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgiving be offered for everyone, for kings and for all in authority, that we may lead a quite and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity” (1 Tim 2:1-2)

“Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me” (Rom 15:30)

"You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us in answer to many prayers" (2 Cor 1:11)

“Yes, and I shall rejoice. For I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance" (Phil 1:19)

Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power:” (2 Thess 1:11)

“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;” (Eph 6:18)

"Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving; and pray for us also, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison, that I may make it clear, as I ought to speak" (Col 4:2-4)

"Brethren, pray for us" (1 Thess 5:25)

"Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed on and triumph, as it did among you, and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men; for not all have faith" (2 Thess 3:1-2)

"At the same time, prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping through your prayers to be granted to you" (Philemon 22)

“Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:” (Col 4:2-3)

Why do we do this? Because:

“The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” (James 5:14)

Now, who is more righteous - a saint here on earth, or a saint in heaven? Note that even though Paul called the Ephesians “saints” (Eph 1:1,8-10,2:19), his letter to them is filled with warnings and admonitions about how to live a devout live in Christ”:

“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called,... Now this I affirm and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds;... Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his hands, so that he may be able to give to those in need. Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for edifying, as fits the occasion, that it may impart grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, with all malice,... and try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.” (Eph 4:1,17,26-31,5:10)

Contrast this with heavenly saints, who see God face to face, who by definition cannot be unclean (Rev 21:27), who have been perfected in Christ:

“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 first-born who are enrolled in heaven, and to a judge who is God of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks more graciously than the blood of Abel.” (Heb 12:22-24)

We know that God hears all prayers, even from the very beginning (Gen 4:10), and note the connection of Cain & Abel in both Gen 4:10 and Heb 12:22-24. So we see that heavenly saints, who already kneel before the throne of God in love and worship (Rev 7:15), have much more efficacious prayer than us. In other words, it’s good to have friends in high places!

Just as we pray for each other, the saints in heaven are actively involved with our lives. They are not dead, but rather, “If we have died with him, we shall also live with him; if we persevere, we shall also reign with him.” (2 Tim 2:11). Why are they important? Because they are blessed - I heard a voice from heaven say, ‘Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord’” (Rev 14:13)

This “cloud of witnesses” (Heb 12:1) observe us (1 Cor 4:9), and we pray in Psalm 103,

"Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, hearkening to the voice of his word! Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his ministers that do his will!" (Ps. 103:20-21) - and in Psalm 148 we pray, "Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise him in the heights! Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his host!" (Ps. 148:1-2).

They see things with full knowledge ”At present I know partially; THEN I shall know fully, as I am fully known.” (1 Cor 13:12) They see what happens and rejoice:

“Rejoice over her, heaven, you holy ones, apostles and prophets, for God has judged your case against her.” (Rev 18:20)

“In just the same way, I tell you, there will be rejoicing among the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Lk 15:10, Mt 22:30)

The awareness of saints is seen in Mt 18:10, a passage commonly accepted by Protestants to indicate the existence of guardian angels:

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven"

In 2 Maccabees, Judah has a vision in which Onias, the high priest, shows him Jeremiah the prophet, now in heaven, "And Onias spoke, saying, 'This is a man who loves the brethren and prays much for the people and the holy city, Jeremiah, the prophet of God'" (2 Maccabees 15:14). Protestants do not have this book in the Bible, perhaps for the very reason that it clearly demonstrates the intercession of saints. Regardless, from strictly historical grounds, this book can at least prove that this was a commonly held viewpoint.

The martyrs are one of the types of saints, “they souls of those who had been slaughtered because of the witness they bore to the word of God” (Rev 6:9). They are given a white robe and pray for those on earth, using imprecatory prayer (Ps 35:1, Ps 59:1-17, Ps 139:29, Jer 12:20) against the wicked and on behalf of the righteous. They are able to do this because they are blessed:

“Blessed are they who wash their robes so as to have the right to the tree of life and enter the city through its gates. Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the unchaste, the murderers, the idol-worshippers and all who love and practice deceit.” (Rev 22:14-15)

Rev 22:14-15 refers back to chapter 7:

“Then one of the elders spoke up and said to me, ‘Who are these wearing white robes and where did they come from?’ I said to him, ‘My lord, you are the one who knows.’ He said to me, “These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Rev 7:13-14)

Anyway, just as God hears our prayers, God hears the prayers of the saints:

“When he took it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each of the elders held a harp and gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of the holy ones.” (Rev 5:8)

“The smoke of the incense along with the prayers of the holy ones went up before God from the hand of the angel” (Rev 8:3)

Angels are also saints - the Hebrew word qaddiysh, “saint/holy one” is applied to them (Daniel 4:13, 23, 8:13), the 24 elders represent the hierarchy of the people of God in heaven (perhaps the 12 tribes and 12 apostles) just as the 4 creatures represent the hierarchy of angels, and the incense is our prayers.

IV. Christ is the One Mediator
1 Tim 2:5-6 says, “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, the testimony to which was borne at the proper time.” Some say this proves that the intercessory prayer of saints is forbidden, because Christ is the “one mediator”. However, read back just 4 verses,

“First of all, then, I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone, for kings and for all in authority, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity. This is good and pleasing to God our savior. “ (1 Tim 2:1-3)

Is it then wrong to pray for each other? Doesn’t that usurp the unique lone mediatorship of Jesus? Of course not, because the body of Christ is only possible because of Christ; for example, Moses is described as a mediator of the Old Covenant in Eph 3:19-20, just as Jesus is the mediator of the New Covenant (Heb 8:6, 9:15, 12:24) - note that the Greek for “mediator” mesites is the same as in 1 Tim 2:5-6. Because we are united in Christ, we can, in a parallel sense, be mediators without taking away from Christ: .

“For we share in Christ, if only we hold our first confidence firm to the end, (Heb 3:14)

“For we are God's fellow workers... (1 Cor 3:9)

Jesus even encouraged such mediation:

“But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust" (Mt 5:44-45)

Our prayers for each other are a sort of subordinate mediation (2 Cor 1:11), just as preaching is a form of mediatorship (Rom 10:14) Jesus is indeed the one and unique mediator; however, it is him as a mediator that makes all other mediation possible. He is the one shepherd of the flock (Jn 10:16) but he shares his shepherdhood with others, beginning with Peter (Jn 21:15-17) and others (Eph 4:11).

V. Mary & the Rosary
Catholics believe that Mary deserves special recognition as a saint, and a big part of Catholic prayer life involves the Rosary. The Rosary consists of the Apostle's Creed, the Lord's Prayer (Mt 6), the Glory Be, and the Hail Mary. The Apostle's Creed (A.D. 125) goes as follows:

"I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, Born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day he arose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven, sits at the right hand of God, the Father almighty. From thence he shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen."

The Lord's Prayer should be known and memorized by all Christians (Matt. 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4). A key phrase with respect to the community of saints and prayer is verse 10, where God’s will is to be done “on earth as it is in heaven”.

The Hail Mary is very biblically based - it begins "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee."

"And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women" - Lk 1:28 KJV

Note that in addressing Mary, then angel gives her a new title, kecharitomene, which means "full of grace", and is used nowhere else in Scripture. I quote Protestant Greek scholar A.T. Robertson, who writes, ""Highly favoured" (kecharitomene). Perfect passive participle of charitoo and means endowed with grace (charis), enriched with grace as in Ephesians. 1:6, . . . The Vulgate gratiae plena "is right, if it means 'full of grace which thou hast received'; wrong, if it means 'full of grace which thou hast to bestow'" (Word Pictures in the New Testament , 14) .According to Blass &; DeBrunner, Greek Grammar of the New Testament, Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press, 1961, p.166; Smyth, H.W. and Greek Grammar, Cambridge: Harvard Univ. Press, 1968, sec. 1852:b. it is perfectly acceptable to interpret kecharitomene to mean completely, perfectly, enduringly endowed with grace .

Then the next part “Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus."

"Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb." - Lk 1:42 KJV

The second part reads: "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen." Scripture calls Christians saints, which means “holy ones” (Eph 1:1, Phil 1:1, Col 1:2), so most people acknowledge that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was certainly holy. The Nestatorians denied that Mary was the mother of God, but even most Protestant scholars agree now that Mary is truly the mother of God, not in the sense that she is older than God, but rather that the Person who was born of her was a divine person. The title "Mother of God," is also scriptural, as Elizabeth cried out:

“And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” (Lk 1:43)

And finally, the phrase, “pray for us sinners…” is scriptural for all the reasons listed above, especially 1 Tim 2:1-4, where prayer is encouraged because “this is good, and pleasing to God our Savior”

Now, any prayer said repeatedly without meaning is vain repetition; however, while praying the Rosary, we also meditate on various biblical mysteries to help us grow closer to God. The Joyful Mysteries are these: the Annunciation (Lk 1:26-38), the Visitation (Lk 1:40-55), the Nativity (Lk 2:6-20), the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple (Lk 2:21-39), and the Finding of Jesus in the Temple (Lk 2:41-51). The Sorrowful Mysteries are the Agony in the Garden (Matt. 26:36-46), the Scourging (Matt. 27:26), the Crowing with Thorns (Matt. 27:29), the Carrying of the Cross (Luke 23:26-32), and the Crucifixion (Luke 23:33-46). Finally, the Glorious Mysteries are the Resurrection (Lk 24:1-12), the Ascension (Lk 24:50-51), the Descent of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-4), the Assumption of Mary into heaven, and her Coronation.

VI. Conclusion
The body of Christ is not compartmentalized or segregated, but rather is continuous. We all pray for each other, as we ask those who have been perfected in Christ to pray for us as well. We do not worship saints, although we do honor them as Paul instructed, “"Pay all of them their dues, taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due" (Rom. 13:7, cf 1:Tim 5:17, Mt 10:41), as we are told to honor the “heroes of the faith” (Heb 6:12, 11:1-40, Jas 5:10-11) We do not worship saints because Scripture tell us not to in Rev 22:8-9. Pictures and statues of saints serve only as visual reminders of these heroes, as we do not worship statues, pictures, paintings, stained glass, incense, holy water, etc. Contrary to what many think, the Bible does not forbid building statues, objects, etc. - the Bible only forbids the worshipping of those structures, which is not what we do. In fact, God commanded images to be made (Ex 25, Num 21:4-9; Ez 41:15, 1 Chr. 28:18-19, 1 Kings 6:23-28, 7:23-26) - we are just not supposed to worship those images. In fact, idolatry was condemned in not only Scripture, but also the Second Council of Nicaea A.D. 787 and affirmed later in the Catechism of the Council of Trent A.D. 1566.

There are different levels of honor (veneration). Dulia is for saints and angels, hyperdulia is for Mary, and true worship, latria, is indeed reserved only for the Lord our God. We pray with the saints to ask for their intercession because they are blessed (Rev 22:14, Rev 14:13), because they are without a doubt more alive and holy than we are. It was done this way at the time of the New Testament (and even before), and has continued for 2000 years now. We are part of one Body, as Christ himself prayed:

“I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they may also be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me.” (Jn 17:20-21)

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