More on : "Does God the Father hear the prayer of unbelievers who come to Him without going through Jesus?"
View Point : Well,I believe that God hears everyone's prayers, believers or not. The question really is does He answer them. Of course His ear is turned to the repentant sinner, the Bible teaches that. However, I cannot presume upon Almighty God which prayers he answers and which ones He doesn't. Why, because the Bible shows us several examples where He directs non believers into accomplishing His will. In the New Testament, in the story of the centurion who needed healing of a lower soldier,it says nowhere in the scripture that this man repented. Yet Jesus spoke the word, and this soldier was healed. We must remember that our limited human reasoning is at least one week behind what God is planning, and that His ways are not our ways. I believe that God answers the prayers of unbelievers IF it suits His eternal purposes. That is the condition, He is totally able to use unbelievers to accomplish His purposes. Many of them become believers because of that!
Well, again,I said He hears them. As for ANSWERS, sometimes He will direct them to a believer, sometimes His answer is NO, just like He sometimes answers believers. I have to go by the entire Bible for this. When a non believer who asks God to reveal Himself based on no other knowledge other than belief in a higher being, and God chooses to reveal Himself as He did with Paul, that is for God to decide. The next step is in the person's control...to keep seeking, or to stop. However,the answer from God to a praying unbeliever "This Jesus is My Beloved Son,listen to Him" is an answer,is it not?
I am not saying that there is anyway to please God or go to heaven except by way of Jesus, as the Bible is clear on that. It also says that any good that is accomplished cannot be done apart from God, whether the person believes or not. GOD is always the one to start the ball rolling! What about prayers to God from unbelievers, "Please send someone so we can know you!". I am not being extra Biblical, but simply pointing out that even a believer cannot pray properly apart from the Holy Spirit, as He is our intercessor.
A : So when you say that Jesus answered the prayer of unbelievers, what does it mean? When the Centurion approached Jesus for the lower ranked servant of his to be healed, he was coming to God the Father through Jesus (Matt 8:5-13). In this case and even in other cases people had already approached the Father through Jesus, so Jesus spoke the word and the miracles happened. They went to God through Jesus! But what about the unbelievers who come to Father God bypassing Jesus? Can you clearly give just one example in New Testament? Even Cornelius who was a Gentile centurion was approaching God, but God heard to answer His prayer only on the condition for repentance only, he made a divine connection between apostle Peter and him through angels to impart salvation through the gospel, so that they could approach Him through Jesus (Acts 10:3-7). God always uses unbeliever for His purposes, but what about their prayers? The prayers of His children are the only thing that goes before him and which will surely be answered (John 16:23, 26). The prayer of a righteous man avails much (James 5:16), the righteous man is one who goes to God through Jesus who has made him righteous before God (Rom 4:5-6; 2 Cor 5:21). When His word says it, that's it. There can be no other opinion that can be concrete unless it is again proved from the word of God!
When God says in the Bible, "This Jesus is My Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, listen to Him" (Matt 17:5). This answer is the only reply of God which is not really an answer but the only solution to receive further answers from Him. This answer is like a automatic answer of God from His answering machine in heaven. It is not answers, but only a direction which God gives for all people on earth to get answers from Him. In the Old Testament it is the same, but the only thing was having faith in the prescribed way of blood Sacrifice through which people could approach God by faith in the coming Messiah, who is their Savior who will come to redeem them (Acts 2:27; Psa 65:3; Gen 3:21; 8:20-21; 22:10-18; Heb 8:3-6; 10:18-19). They looked forward in faith through the coming Messiah who is to come, we look backward to Jesus who has already come and have saved us (Isa 45:21-23; Heb 11:39-40). Blessings....
Well, again,I said He hears them. As for ANSWERS, sometimes He will direct them to a believer, sometimes His answer is NO, just like He sometimes answers believers. I have to go by the entire Bible for this. When a non believer who asks God to reveal Himself based on no other knowledge other than belief in a higher being, and God chooses to reveal Himself as He did with Paul, that is for God to decide. The next step is in the person's control...to keep seeking, or to stop. However,the answer from God to a praying unbeliever "This Jesus is My Beloved Son,listen to Him" is an answer,is it not?
I am not saying that there is anyway to please God or go to heaven except by way of Jesus, as the Bible is clear on that. It also says that any good that is accomplished cannot be done apart from God, whether the person believes or not. GOD is always the one to start the ball rolling! What about prayers to God from unbelievers, "Please send someone so we can know you!". I am not being extra Biblical, but simply pointing out that even a believer cannot pray properly apart from the Holy Spirit, as He is our intercessor.
A : So when you say that Jesus answered the prayer of unbelievers, what does it mean? When the Centurion approached Jesus for the lower ranked servant of his to be healed, he was coming to God the Father through Jesus (Matt 8:5-13). In this case and even in other cases people had already approached the Father through Jesus, so Jesus spoke the word and the miracles happened. They went to God through Jesus! But what about the unbelievers who come to Father God bypassing Jesus? Can you clearly give just one example in New Testament? Even Cornelius who was a Gentile centurion was approaching God, but God heard to answer His prayer only on the condition for repentance only, he made a divine connection between apostle Peter and him through angels to impart salvation through the gospel, so that they could approach Him through Jesus (Acts 10:3-7). God always uses unbeliever for His purposes, but what about their prayers? The prayers of His children are the only thing that goes before him and which will surely be answered (John 16:23, 26). The prayer of a righteous man avails much (James 5:16), the righteous man is one who goes to God through Jesus who has made him righteous before God (Rom 4:5-6; 2 Cor 5:21). When His word says it, that's it. There can be no other opinion that can be concrete unless it is again proved from the word of God!
When God says in the Bible, "This Jesus is My Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, listen to Him" (Matt 17:5). This answer is the only reply of God which is not really an answer but the only solution to receive further answers from Him. This answer is like a automatic answer of God from His answering machine in heaven. It is not answers, but only a direction which God gives for all people on earth to get answers from Him. In the Old Testament it is the same, but the only thing was having faith in the prescribed way of blood Sacrifice through which people could approach God by faith in the coming Messiah, who is their Savior who will come to redeem them (Acts 2:27; Psa 65:3; Gen 3:21; 8:20-21; 22:10-18; Heb 8:3-6; 10:18-19). They looked forward in faith through the coming Messiah who is to come, we look backward to Jesus who has already come and have saved us (Isa 45:21-23; Heb 11:39-40). Blessings....
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment