Is It Wrong to Pray to Jesus Instead of God the Father?

Spiritual Disciplines

Is It Wrong to Pray to Jesus Instead of God the Father?

25 min

Spiritual Disciplines

Is It Wrong to Pray to Jesus Instead of God the Father?

25 min

Episode 245 Show Notes

Is It Wrong to Pray to Jesus Instead of God the Father?

From the Show

Is it wrong to pray to Jesus instead of God the Father?

First of all, we don’t pray to God over and against Jesus. God is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. There is no God other than these three persons who are one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There are three persons, they’re distinct, but they are equal in their divinity. They have exactly the same essence. That means that they have exactly the same attributes. So, the Father is omnipotent, the Son is omnipotent, the Holy Spirit is omnipotent; the Father is eternal, the Son is eternal, the Holy Spirit is eternal. But there are not three omnipotence, there’s one omnipotence; one God, one essence, but three persons who share it. So, certainly, we can pray to Jesus. We can look to Jesus like the blind man in thanksgiving and gratitude for healing him and giving him sight. We can we can thank our Lord Jesus Christ for all that he’s done for us. He is God. — Michael Horton

Questions in this Episode

1. Romans 3:11 says no one seeks God. Is the Bible speaking literally here? It certainly looks like people seek after God. What do you think?

2. Who changed Jesus’ name from Yeshua to Jesus?

3. Does Luke 9:27 teach that the kingdom of God would come before some of his disciples died? I’m confused about this.

4. Is it wrong to pray to Jesus instead of God the Father?

5. Is salvation really by grace? Is there really no place for our works? If this is true why isn’t everyone teaching this?

Resources

Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God by Tim Keller

Offers

Request our latest special offers here or call 1-833-THE-CORE (833-843-2673) to request them by phone.

Sola Newspaper

Today's Offer

Sola Newspaper

A quarterly print publication featuring articles on theology, the confessions, & reflections for the Christian life, delivered straight to your mailbox. For free.

Subscribe Now

Michael Horton (Ph.D., Wycliffe Hall, Oxford and Coventry University) is the J. Gresham Machen Professor of Systematic Theology and Apologetics at Westminster Seminary California and Founder & Editor-in-Chief of Sola Media.

More on this topic

Spiritual Disciplines

Explore All

Meditation as a Bridge to Prayer

Meditating upon the Law of the Lord leads us to prayer. The goal is that as you meditate, the Spirit brings conviction, thanks, praise, or some other reality up into your heart. It is with these realities in mind that you then approach God directly in prayer. In this sense, prayer is truly conversation with God, and there is much to discuss. We talk to God directly concerning the things upon which we have reflected.

Help! Saved but Still Sinning

Help! Saved but Still Sinning

Sanctification isn’t effortless. The act of dying to sin implies spiritual battle and life-long war against sin. Living unto righteousness implies costly, intensive labor that daily says “no” to sin and “yes” to Christlikeness. So what do we do when we fail yet again? How can we overcome feelings of failure, defeat, and self-loathing when we sin?

The Weight of Steadfastness

The Weight of Steadfastness

What if the discomfort we’ve avoided—the very trial we’ve begged God to remove—is the instrument our loving Father is using to bring us to completion, the place where lasting joy is found?

What Does a Protestant Vision of Spiritual Formation Look Like?

What Does a Protestant Vision of Spiritual Formation Look Like?

Kyle Strobel joins Michael Horton to discuss different views of spiritual formation, how pastors and theologians from church history have approached this topic, and why seasons of desolation (spiritual dryness) are meant for our good, not punishment.

Help more people know what they believe and why.

Support trusted articles, podcasts, and resources that deepen faith, point people to Christ, and strengthen the church.

Give Monthly