Why do we need priests?

[ScottA]

Matthew 18 does have to do with free will. You have the free will to deny what is bound by man (elders of the Church) however you would be wrong to do that because it is also bound in heaven.....just like Jesus said.

You can use that free will to your own detriment. Using your free will does not cancel out the authority of the elders.

You have not defined freewill by any biblical standard at all.

But that is not what I meant by saying "Having nothing to do with freewill." I only meant that I was not referring to freewill, but rather to your comment about authority...which you got wrong too.

 

[Pearl]

Why can a person not have their own relationship with deity AND have a person to help guide them in that relationship?

Of course we all need people to help us in our walk with God, people to teach us and guide us etc. but we don't need priests as if we are in Christ we are ourselves priests.

 

[Nancy]

Hello Nancy,

Our brothers and sisters aren't dead!

Have you not heard?

'He is the God of the living, not the dead..'

'he who believes in me will never die'

Do you believe this?

Peace be with you!

Hello Phillip James,
I was speaking of those "humans" who have passed onto eternal life...we all die in the temporal way.

 

[Philip James]

I was speaking of those "humans" who have passed onto eternal life..

If you believe they are alive, why would you not ask them to pray for us?

I asked Br. Andre Saint Brother André - L'Oratoire Saint-Joseph du Mont-Royal
To pray for my son, who was not expected to live past 2 or 3 years... He will be 16 this January..

Peace !

Christ is risen!
Alleluia!

 

[Nancy]

If you believe they are alive, why would you not ask them to pray for us?

I asked Br. Andre Saint Brother André - L'Oratoire Saint-Joseph du Mont-Royal
To pray for my son, who was not expected to live past 2 or 3 years... He will be 16 this January..

Peace !

Christ is risen!
Alleluia!

Everyone here seems hard pressed to give me a single scripture instructing us to pray TO anyone BUT Jesus who then, being our only mediator will bring our requests to God Himself.

 

[farouk]

Of course we all need people to help us in our walk with God, people to teach us and guide us etc. but we don't need priests as if we are in Christ we are ourselves priests.

We rather need "fellowhelpers to the truth" (3 John 8).

 

[Jane_Doe22]

I'm not sure why this has to be an "either/or" situation. Why can a person not have their own relationship with deity AND have a person to help guide them in that relationship?

Of course we all need people to help us in our walk with God, people to teach us and guide us etc. but we don't need priests as if we are in Christ we are ourselves priests.

Priest = person to help guide us in our walk with God.

I'm speaking much more broadly that the Catholic-centeric definition a lot of people here seem to be using. I'm not talking about a specific class of people whom have this as their professional job, take very specific vows, etc.

 

[Philip James]

Everyone here seems hard pressed to give me a single scripture instructing us to pray TO anyone BUT Jesus who then, being our only mediator will bring our requests to God Himself.

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful.

Peace be with you!

 

[Nancy]

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful.

Peace be with you!

Yes, confess to each other, for accountability and yes, we pray FOR one another, not TO one another as only Jesus can bring our prayers directly to God Himself.

 

[Philip James]

Yes, confess to each other, for accountability and yes, we pray FOR one another, not TO one another as only Jesus can bring our prayers directly to God Himself.

Do you never ask people to pray for you?
When i pray you pray for me, i am praying to you.
If i earnestly ask you to pray for me , i am praying to you.

I dont understand your objection...

Peace!

 

[Nancy]

Do you never ask people to pray for you?
When i pray you pray for me, i am praying to you.
If i earnestly ask you to pray for me , i am praying to you.

I dont understand your objection...

Peace!

My objection is these two words: "for" and "to". We do not pray TO other human beings, in heaven or here in this world, they cannot answer prayers! We DO pray FOR one another as, only Jesus can be the mediator. Simple to me, anyhow.

 

[Philip James]

My objection is these two words: "for" and "to". We do not pray TO other human beings, in heaven or here in this world, they cannot answer prayers! We DO pray FOR one another as, only Jesus can be the mediator. Simple to me, anyhow.

So this is a language barrier thing.

When I ask a Saint to pray for me, its exactly the same as me asking you to pray for me.

Peace!

 

[Nancy]

So this is a language barrier thing.

When I ask a Saint to pray for me, its exactly the same as me asking you to pray for me.

Peace!

All Christians are considered "saints". Acts 9:13 , Acts 26:10; Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:2
There is no "special" group of people who only have the term saints...ALL Christians-those who are alive on this Earth. Once one has passed on, you cannot ask them to pray for you...if this is what you believe, how have you come to believe it?

 

[Philip James]

Once one has passed on, you cannot ask them to pray for you

Why not?

 

[Pearl]

My objection is these two words: "for" and "to". We do not pray TO other human beings, in heaven or here in this world, they cannot answer prayers! We DO pray FOR one another as, only Jesus can be the mediator. Simple to me, anyhow.

I unhderstand what you're saying Nancy even if others don't or choose not to.

 

[Pearl]

Why not?

Because they are dead!

 

[Pearl]

All Christians are considered "saints". Acts 9:13 , Acts 26:10; Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:2
There is no "special" group of people who only have the term saints...ALL Christians-those who are alive on this Earth. Once one has passed on, you cannot ask them to pray for you...if this is what you believe, how have you come to believe it?

You are right Nancy - we who are in Christ are saints.

 

[Philip James]

Because they are dead!

I thought we covered this already...

They are very much alive!

Or do you not believe:

Jesus told her, "I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live.

and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"


Peace be with you!

 

[Pearl]

I thought we covered this already...

They are very much alive!

Or do you not believe:

Jesus told her, "I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live.

and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"


Peace be with you!

If what you believe is true there must be mile long queues in heaven to get to Jesus with their requests as people who have gone to heaven can't answer prayer.

 

[Philip James]

If what you believe is true there must be mile long queues in heaven to get to Jesus with their requests as people who have gone to heaven can't answer prayer.

Jesus is God. Do you not think He can hear more than one request at a time?

The miracle with my child was God answering prayer.
I believe it was Andre's prayer on our behalf that brought it about..

'the prayers of a righteouss man are powerful indeed'

When my son was born, we knew immediatly that something was wrong..

The doctors had no idea what so much testing ensued.. Blood tests, spinal taps, muscle biopsies...

All tests came back negative and the doctors had no idea what it could be..

When he was about 1 an MRI was done on his brain that showed it had not developed properly. There was a lack of fatty tissue especially along the neurons mylan sheath and what the doctors described as 'holes' throughout...
The prognosis was that he wouldnt live for very long...

I took my family on a vacation, during which we drove through Montreal.

I brought Marc to Br. Andres tomb at St Josephs orartory and asked him for his intercession...

About 6 months later, another MRI showed Marc's brain fully healed and normal...

The doctors were astounded and couldnt explain it...

I need no explanation.

We have a wondrous and glorious God who hears the prayers of His people.

To Him be glory and honour and praise and thanksgiving for ever and ever!