Multiple choice-
Is prayer:
1
A man talking to a man
2
God talking to God
3
A man talking to God
The correct answer is of course number 3, though not
according to conventional theology. You need to go to seminary to get the
answer to that one wrong.
Prayer is communication between a creature (i.e. creation)
and the Creator.
It implies need, dependence as well as inferiority of status
and power (Which is why so many Christians find it hard to pray).
Yet Jesus Christ prayed-
to his Father as God,
and to God as his Father
Luke 10:21
In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit,
and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou
hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto
babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.
Mark 14:36
And he said, Abba, Father, all things
are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I
will, but what thou wilt.
John 17:3
And this is life eternal,
that they might know thee the only true
God,
and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
Matthew 27:46
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with
a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say,
My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
See link: 'The Father is the God of the Son'
It would be a very misleading thing for him to do if he were
God Almighty!
Not only that, but he encouraged us to pray to his Father,
not him:
Luke 11:1
¶And it came to pass, that, as he was
praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him,
Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.
2
And he said unto them,
When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
There is no example anywhere of Jesus being prayed to as
high priest, much less as God.
He must be very disappointed to see so many people doing it
today.
I can imagine him passing their prayers on to the Father saying 'I believe
these belong to you!'
The Apostles did exactly as had Jesus told them:
Acts 4:24
And when they heard that, they lifted up
their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God,
which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is:
They even spoke to God about Jesus in the 3rd
person:
Acts 4:27
For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast
anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of
Israel, were gathered together,
Acts 4:30
By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done
by the name of thy holy child Jesus.
Now back to Jesus.
I ask you- if Jesus is the second person in the godhead- does one God
pray to another?
If Jesus is God- does God pray to himself?
If Jesus was not an authentic human being in his own right
his prayer life cannot have been authentic either.
More importantly was Jesus playing a role when he prayed?
Was he pretending to do something that we do, when in fact
there was something totally different taking place?
There are few things Jesus despised and condemned more than hypocrisy.
Yet to answer yes to the above questions is to make him into a hypocrite- an
actor.
A God, playing the role of a man.
In order for Christ's prayer to be
authentic man to God communication it would have to involve:
Need and dependence:
John 5:19
Then answered Jesus and said unto them,
Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son
can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do:
for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.
Jesus' prayer to God was not just a
question of relationship, although he treasured his relationship with his
Father more than anything else in the world.
His prayer was also borne out of
the fact that he couldn't do anything outside of the direction he received
there:
John 5:30
I can of mine own self do nothing:
as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will,
but the will of the Father which hath sent me.
Jesus genuinely sought God's
counsel in prayer- without it he would have lost direction.
Free will:
That Jesus had his own will and
freely chose to surrender it to the Father is evident in scriptures which
contrast the two:
Luke 22:42
Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove
this cup from me:
nevertheless not my will, but thine, be
done.
John 5:30
I can of mine own self do nothing: as I
hear, I judge: and my judgment is just;
because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath
sent me.
So the next time you pray or
praise, remember:
Your focus is God the Father,
through Jesus your Lord:
Jesus didn't die to give you access to God's presence in
order for you to fail to make use of the privilege and pray to him as ‘God’
instead.
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1. Introduction |
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10. Seen! |
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17. Jesus- a Godsend |
18. 1 Creator |
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20. The firstborn |
21. The name of God |
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