did jesus pray to himself?

7/27/2019 Did Jesus Pray to Himself?

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Did Jesus Pray to Himself ?

Jesus' prayers open our understanding to the majesty of the Incarnation, for

through them we grasp the divine-human relationship etween !od and His

"on# $rinitarians often refer to statements Jesus made aout His father,

including those in His prayers, in an e%ort to prove that two persons were

involved - who they identify as !od the "on and !od the &ather# "ince they

reason that only persons and not natures communicate with each other, they

regard the prayers as clear evidence that Jesus is a separate person from

the &ather# (oreover, they cite Jesus' remar)s aout the &ather as scriptural

support for the $rinitarian theory# However, the prayers and remar)s y Jesus

destroy any concept of !od as eing a trinity of co-e*ual, and co-e+istent

persons#

$he ile clearly distinguishes !od the &ather from His "on# $he "on was orn

in ethlehem, ut the eternal !od does not )now a eginning# $he "on grew

into maturity - physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually# He ecame tired,

hungry, weary, sleepy - just as other men# lthough He did not commit sin,

He was tempted in all points as other men are tempted# He su%ered from the

trials in Jerusalem and died on the cross-just as the two thieves also died#

!od does not grow, nor can He die# $hese facts alone clearly distinguish the

"on from the &ather#

$he ile tells us that the man .hrist Jesus is the mediator etween !od and

men /I $imothy 0123# !od is one, ut a mediator serves more than one - He

stood etween !od and man)ind, e%ecting reconciliation# 4nly as a man

could Jesus e our sacri5ce, mediator, advocate, and high priest, acting on

our ehalf for our justi5cation#


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Jesus o%ered Himself as a spotless lam to !od# Having lived as a human

eing, He o%ered the lood from His own ody as the asis for the

forgiveness of our sins# !od did not die on the cross, nor did a divine eternal

person o%er lood from a divine eternal ody# s the "on of !od Jesus o%eredHis own human ody and His own earthly lood to !od# $he distinction

etween !od and His "on can also e seen in the events after the cruci5+ion#

!od raised Jesus from the dead /6omans 7819, :phesians 71083, gave Him all

power in heaven and earth /(atthew 0;17;3, made Him 3, and e+alted His name to e aove every name in heaven, on earth,

and eneath the earth /Philippians 0193# If the "on had een a co-e*ual

person in the !odhead, this e+altation would not have een possile, for He

would have had these positions and attriutes from eternity# It is evident,

therefore, that the "on of !od was not a second divine person in the

!odhead#

ilical facts reveal that Jesus lived as an authentic human eing, that He did

not merely assume the appearance of esh /73# $herefore we should not e

surprised that He prayed to !od, see)ing strength, guidance, and assurance#

(oreover, we should not e surprised that Jesus had a will distinct from !od

/03, that He was truly human in spirit and soul, that He possessed a self-

awareness of His humanity# @e are not to suppose, however, that the human

Jesus was not di%erent from other people, for only He was egotten y the

Holy !host# !od was His immediate &ather# He is rightfully called the only

egotten of the &ather# His miraculous irth meant that His humanity wasnot tainted with corruption, and through Him !od could reveal Himself to us

in redemptive love#

Jesus' prayers to !od the &ather came from His human life, from the

Incarnation# His prayers were not those of one divine person to another divine

person of !od, ut those of an authentic human praying to the one true !od#

Prayer is ased on an inferior eing in supplication efore a superior eing# If

the one praying is e*ual in power and authority to the one to whom he is

praying, there is no genuine prayer /=3# conversation can e held etweentwo e*uals, ut an omnipotent person does not need to pray for help from an

e*ual# :ven intercessory prayers are meaningless unless the one praying is

inferior to the one to whom he prays /A3# If he were of e*ual power,

)nowledge, and wisdom, he could ta)e care of the needs of those for whom

he prays without as)ing help of another# If Jesus prayed as !od the "on,

then !od the "on is inferior to !od the &ather# ut such inferiority destroys


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the $rinitarian theory /23 In sumitting His will to the &ather, Jesus confessed

that His will was inferior1 Bevertheless not my will, ut thine, e done /


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possessed oth the nature of !od and the nature of man# He was aware that

He was He was !od and that He was man# He could and did spea) and act as

a man, and he could and did spea) and act as !od# s a man, he did not

)now the day or hour when the "on would come in power and glory /(ar)

7=1003C as !od he forgave sins# oth His humanity and deity, although fused

into His one eing, remained distinct within His one personality# dmittedly,the Incarnation is a mystery eyond the comprehension of the human mind#

Did Jesus pray to Himself ? Bo, not when we understand that Jesus was oth

!od and man# In His deity Jesus did not pray, for !od does not need to pray

to anyone# s a man, Jesus prayed to !od, not to his humanity /F3# He did not

pray to Himself as humanity, ut to the one true !od, to the same !od who

dwelled in His humanity and who also inhaits the universe# Bo further

e+planation is given, and none is needed# Does Jesus pray now since his

e+altation ? $he answer is no# He prayed in the days of His esh /Herews21F3# $he wor) of the mediation was 5nished through His death on the cross

at .alvary /Herews 917A-723# $here is no more sacri5ce for sins, for once and

for all time His lood was shed for the remission of sins /Herews 781703#

Gnli)e the 4ld $estament priests, he does not continually o%er sacri5ces for

sins# $here is no more o%ering, ut there remains remission of sins for those

who repent and are aptied in the name of Jesus .hrist /Herews 7817;, cts

01=;3# His present role as intercessor consists not only of daily prayers ut the

application of the ene5t of the cross to our lives /6omans ;1=AC 7 John 71F-9C

017-03#

Jesus said, t that day ye shall as) in my name1 and I say not unto you, that I

will pray the &ather for you1 for the &ather himself loveth you, ecause ye

have loved me, and elieved that I came out from !od# I came forth from the

&ather, and am come into the world1 again I leave the world and go to the

&ather /John 7>10>-0;3# Jesus does not pray now, ut as !od He hears and

answers prayers prayed in His name#

7# $hat is, he was not a phantasm, as some !nostics held# Jesus was *uite

real, from irth to death#


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0# s a man, while in the esh

=# In recent years, heretical teachers have often e+ploited a asic

misconception of the nature of !od and man in proposing a form and attitude

of prayer not demonstrated y scripture# :+amples include # .opeland,

Price, and others in the @ord of &aith movement, such as graduates of

Hagin's 6hema ile school# In the imalance resulting from improper

understanding, these people have suggested oth the commanding of !od

as co-e*ual heirs with Jesus, and that Jesus was indeed, no di%erent that

orn-again man# In the editor's opinion, all such distortions clearly conclude

in lasphemy#

A# In the *uality of inferiority, the author does not include voluntary

sumission# prayer to a saint, or angel is therefor without ile asis,

e+cept as a petition to one in authority# @e are not led to elieve that

ascended saints have more authority that those who are esh ound, on

earth, thus there is no support given for prayers to heavenly powers, other

than to !od the &ather, in the name of Jesus .hrist#

2# $hus we agree that the scriptures do not teach suordinatism, such as do

neo-rians#

/>3 "eeing numerous proofs that sonship is not in e*uality with fatherhood,

the *uestion must e as)ed, In what dimensions then is the "on e*ual to the

&ather, if distinct, or does such e*uality only pertain to those aspects in which

the &ather and "on are indistinct ?

F# @hile some contend that this suggests that Jesus is schiophrenic, or split

in personality, once again, it is important to understand the di%erence

etween nature and person# @e are also reminded that Jesus, as man, set the

pattern for all followers of Jesus who would through the new irth ecome

and aide as sons, or children of !od# His prayer illustrates the prayer of all

who are of a human nature#

did jesus pray to himself?

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