# Christomonism and Prayer



## WAWICRUZ (Feb 5, 2011)

In Graeme Goldsworthy's book, "Prayer and the Knowledge of God: What the Whole Bible Teaches," he warns of the error of Christomonism in prayer, wherein the prescribed pattern of prayer as laid out in Scripture in the "Lord's Prayer," i.e., prayer directed to the Father, in the name of Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit, is ignored when prayer is solely directed to Christ. 

He says that there are only three instances in the whole of the New Testament when prayer was addressed explicitly to the ascended Christ, and these were peculiar cases, namely: Stephen's response to the vision of Christ just before dying a martyr's death (Acts 7:55—60), Paul on the Damascus road (Acts 9:4—6), and John in an apocalyptic vision (Rev. 22:20).

Thoughts?


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## Jack K (Feb 5, 2011)

I'd agree that praying to the Father through the Son is the primary pattern. It would be an error, or at least a missing out on a privilege and blessing, to pray only to Jesus.

But I'm not sure I would say that prayer directed to Jesus is only for "peculiar" cases. Added to those three mentioned above, I can think of Ananias who prayed and then told Paul that Jesus sent him. And the phrase "maranatha" seems to be a prayer directed to Jesus. So that's two more just off the top of my head. Jesus _is_ God. He accepted worship. He said he will be with us always. We're told he's available to sympathize with us. So why would it be peculiar to pray to him? I'm not quite convinced.

BTW... Goldsworthy rocks.


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## baron (Feb 5, 2011)

Jack K said:


> I'd agree that praying to the Father through the Son is the primary pattern.



This is what Luther said, prayer is offered to the Father, in the name of the Son, with the guidance and help of the Spirit. But does that mean that prayer cannot be addressed to Jesus or the Spirit? Here is Luther's opinion:

when you call upon Jesus Christ and say: O my dear Lord, God, my creator, and Father, Jesus Christ, Thou one eternal God, you need not worry that the Father and the Holy Spirit will be angry on this account. They know that no matter which Person you call upon, you call upon all three Persons and upon the One God at the same time. For you cannot call upon one Person without calling upon the others, because the one, undivided divine Essence exists in all and in each Person. Conversely, you cannot deny any Person in particular without denying all three and the One God in His entirety, as 1 John 2:3 says: "Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father." 

Taken from: Taking Hold of God Reformed and Puritan Perspectives on Prayer edited by Joel R. Beeke and Brian G. Najapfour, from Chapter 1, Martin Luther on Prayer and Reformation by Brian G. Naiapfour Page 23-4.

Prayer is offered to the Father, in the name of the Son, with the guidance and help of the Spirit, is a pattern I follow.

On page 237 of same book it say's that John Owen advised us to commune with each person in the triune God. "Of Communion with God the Father, Son and Holy Ghost" 1657.


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