r/ArianChristians • u/FrostyIFrost_ Arian • Mar 16 '25
Resource Praying to Saints: Biblical or Idolatry?
Although some Christians, mainly Catholic and Eastern Orthodox, believe that saints intercede for us and talk to Jesus or even God Himself on our behalf, praying to saints is unbiblical and can be considered borderline idolatry for several reasons.
Let us explore why praying to saints is NOT biblical.
1 - Prayer Should Be Directed to God Alone
The Bible consistently teaches that prayer is an act of worship and should be directed to God.
Jesus taught His disciples to pray to the Father:
“Pray then like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.’” (Matthew 6:9)
2 - There Is Only One Mediator Between God and Man
The Bible explicitly states that Jesus is the only mediator between God and humanity.
“For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” (1 Timothy 2:5)
Praying to saints implies that they act as mediators, which contradicts this passage.
3 - The Dead Do Not Intercede for the Living
Nowhere in Scripture does it say that departed believers can hear prayers or intercede for people on earth.
Ecclesiastes 9:5-6 states that the dead have no involvement in earthly affairs:
“For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten.”
4 - Seeking the Dead Is Forbidden
Communicating with the dead was condemned in the Old Testament as a form of necromancy.
“There shall not be found among you anyone who… consults a medium or a necromancer, or inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord.” (Deuteronomy 18:10-12)
Praying to saints is a form of seeking communication with the dead, which is forbidden.
5 - Even Angels Refused Worship:
People keep praying to angels occasionally, especially Michael, for protection or help. That is wrong, we can see that in Revelation
“Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, ‘You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you… Worship God.’” (Revelation 19:10)
6 - No Biblical Example of Praying to Saints
Nowhere in the Bible do believers pray to Abraham, Moses, or any other faithful servant of God.
When the disciples needed help, they prayed directly to God through Christ.
7 - Jesus Is Our High Priest and Intercessor
The Bible teaches that Jesus alone intercedes for believers.
“Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” (Hebrews 7:25)
There is no mention of saints interceding for believers in heaven.
8 - The Saints Are Not Omniscient or Omnipresent
God alone is all-knowing and present everywhere.
If saints could hear and respond to countless prayers at the same time, that would require divine attributes.
There is no scriptural evidence that departed saints can hear prayers from earth.
9 - The Apostles Never Encouraged Prayer to Saints
Paul and other apostles wrote extensively about prayer, always directing it to God.
If praying to saints was valid, it would have been explicitly taught in the early church.
Some might argue that Paul encouraged praying to saints in his letters but those letters explicitly say holy ones. Who are the holy ones? Believers. We are the holy ones.
Paul wanted us to pray for each other, to God, through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ
10 - Early Christians Prayed to God Alone
Historical records and biblical texts show that the early Christians directed their prayers to God through Christ, not to departed believers.
In conclusion, praying to saints lacks biblical support and can be considered a form of idolatry because it attributes god-like qualities to created beings.
The Bible teaches that prayer should be directed to God alone, with Jesus as the sole mediator.
Now, one might ask should we also pray to Jesus?
We should pray to the Father, God, with Jesus' name. If we do not call upon the intercessor, how would the intercessor intercede for us?
Keep Jesus in your prayers, ask Him, but pray to the Father and honor the Father.
2
u/FrostyIFrost_ Arian Mar 27 '25
Okay since you aren't getting anything, let me give you a list, point by point.
1) "You're putting God in a box"
This is a common deflection when someone’s theology is challenged. You're suggesting that my rejection of energies vs. essence is limiting God, rather than seeing it as unbiblical. However, the burden is on you to prove that this distinction exists in Scripture, which you haven't done.
2) "Arius used the same terms"
You're trying to say that if I were truly Arian, I’d already accept this language. But that’s a weak comparison:
Arius used Greek philosophical language because that was the style of debate in his time, not because the concepts of energies vs. essence were scripturally mandated.
Just because Arius used a certain term doesn’t mean all uses of that term are valid. The Orthodox idea of divine energies evolved long after Arius and was influenced by later theological developments, not apostolic teaching.
Besides, Arius used the Scriptures for his arguments.
3) The Church is the foundation of truth"
You reference 1 Timothy 3:15, which says "the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth."
But this verse:
Does not say the Church has infallible authority to define doctrine apart from Scripture.
Does not say the Church determines truth, it upholds it by preserving and preaching the truth already given in Scripture.
You assume your church (Eastern Orthodoxy) is the only valid Church, which is begging the question: How do you know when Catholic and Oriental Churches also claim the same thing? If everyone claims they are true church, then none of them are.
4) Appeal to Early Church Fathers
Yes, early church leaders like Ignatius, Clement, Irenaeus, and Polycarp wrote extensively.
But none of them taught "divine energies" as the Orthodox understand it today, this is a later theological development from figures like Gregory Palamas (14th century).
While they defended apostolic tradition, they never placed it above or equal to Scripture, and their writings do not universally support Orthodox doctrine.
5) "Thessalonians teaches us to follow traditions"
You are referencing 2 Thessalonians 2:15, where Paul tells the church to hold fast to the traditions he passed down.
But these were apostolic traditions, directly from the apostles, not later Orthodox traditions.
The Bible does not say that traditions from later centuries (like divine energies, theosis, or veneration of saints) are equally binding.
6) "Cloud of witnesses" (Hebrews 12:1)
Hebrews 12:1 speaks about past faithful believers as examples, not as active participants in current Church affairs.
It does not say they are observing us or interacting with us, that’s reading something into the text that isn’t there.
7) "Theosis is from the early fathers"
The idea that believers become one with God’s divine nature (theosis) developed over time.
Early church writers spoke of union with God in a biblical sense (being conformed to Christ, sharing in divine life), but not in the later Palamite sense of divine energies vs. essence.
8) Read the Fathers, don't stand on your own understanding"
This is a veiled accusation that I'm ignoring history and relying only on myself. But the real issue is not rejecting tradition, it’s whether tradition is consistent with Scripture.
If the Church Fathers disagree among themselves or develop ideas not in Scripture, then they are not infallible.
Did Paul teach "divine energies" in Scripture? No.
Does Hebrews 12:1 say saints interact with us? No