Is veneration of saints Biblical?

[GracethroughfaithinChrist]

Luke 4:8
And Jesus answering, said to him, "It has been written: 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and you shall serve Him only.'"

1 Timothy 2:5
For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,

In context.......

1 Timothy 2:1-5
I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; 2For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. 3For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 4Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 5For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

Christ is the one Mediator between God and men, not the so-called saints of the Roman Catholic church.

Ephesians 6:18
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

For all saints, not to them.

Arturfleminger you yourself are guilty of "cherry picking" verses to support your heresy.

You attempt to twist the Scriptures to support your erroneous, heretical and unbiblical position of Roman Catholicism.
It shows your intent to deceive.

And all the while accusing others of "cherry picking" verses when that is exactly what you are guilty of doing yourself.
Shame on you!

Your deceptive nature proves you to be just like the one you serve.

 

[Magenta]

1 Timothy 2:1-5
I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; 2For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. 3For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 4Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 5For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

From 1 Timothy 2:1-4

 

[Aaron56]

kinda down the same lines as wanting to include the muslims .

Yes, similar in that they want to appease the largest number of people.

 

[Aaron56]

The veneration of saints by the Roman church appeased the polytheists who practiced that there is a god for every function of life. They ascribed similar dominions to the saints: St. Anthony for "Finding Lost Things", St. Boniface for "Strength", etc. The Roman priests simply created a "Christian pantheon" to accommodate the unbelievers who held to pagan practices.

In the West we've lost the historical reality that Romans and Greeks actually worshiped the characters made popular by all the Disney movies. Entire cities, their cultural centers, commerce, ports, practices, etc. often were created in homage to certain patron gods and goddesses. Rome's answer, after choosing Christianity as the State religion, was to continue the same practices but under different names. The veneration of saints, the worship of the "Queen of Heaven", nuns, burning candles and incense, hearth fires, coinage, convents, stained glass, art, holidays, etc. were all by-products of coalescing Christianity and pagan practices. Even the rape of young boys was a Roman cultural tradition among the elite.

 

[ResidentAlien]

Not “overthrow“. More like “incorporate” to appease the population.

Yes, incorporate and eradicate.

 

[ResidentAlien]

So, do you mediate for others?

We pray for others through the one true Mediator, Christ Jesus. We don't pray to the Father in our own name.

 

[arthurfleminger]

We pray for others through the one true Mediator, Christ Jesus. We don't pray to the Father in our own name.

Actually, Jesus taught us that we could pray directly to the Father, when He taught us the Lord's Prayer. This is a family prayer offering thanks to God and praying for our needs and the needs of others, Surely when we pray the Lord's Prayer we are mediating directly with the Father.

 

[arthurfleminger]

Actually, Jesus taught us that we could pray directly to the Father, when He taught us the Lord's Prayer. This is a family prayer offering thanks to God and praying for our needs and the needs of others, Surely when we pray the Lord's Prayer we are mediating directly with the Father.

Furthermore, the Gospel of Matthew makes it quite clear that we can pray directly to the Father, for others or for the things we need, "But when you pray, go to your room, close the door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what you do in private, will reward you.

 

[p_rehbein]

I've noticed some people people, especially Romans Catholics, call people "saint" so-and-so and even venerate (hold in reverence, to worship) them. Is this Biblical? If so, what is the scriptural basis for it?

The Apostle Paul called ALL BELIEVERS SAINTS......just saying

This you are speaking of is a Catholic ideology, and, IMO, is far closer to paganism than Christianity.

God IS NO RESPECTER OF PERSONS! Jesus IS OUR INTERCESSOR! When we pray (for whatever reason) we are to pray to GOD in the Name of JESUS!

PERIOD!

The Catholic Religion has little, if any, in common with Christianity......

 

[ResidentAlien]

Actually, Jesus taught us that we could pray directly to the Father, when He taught us the Lord's Prayer. This is a family prayer offering thanks to God and praying for our needs and the needs of others, Surely when we pray the Lord's Prayer we are mediating directly with the Father.

Okay, if you say so.

 

[Aaron56]

Actually, Jesus taught us that we could pray directly to the Father, when He taught us the Lord's Prayer. This is a family prayer offering thanks to God and praying for our needs and the needs of others, Surely when we pray the Lord's Prayer we are mediating directly with the Father.

Agreed.

The mediation of Christ between man and God is required for reconciliation: man places his entire faith in Christ as He mediates the demands of God and the law of sin and death. However, once man has been reconciled to God (his Father) he may pray directly to the Father as one of God's sons.

Paul, for example, would write: "For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding...".

Paul also knew, in Christ, he could properly represent The Father to the saints: "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."

Through redemption, the Spirit that resides in us is the one by whom we have identity as sons.

"And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”

It is by this one Spirit we all have access to the Father: "For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father." This was accomplished by Christ breaking down the wall of separation that kept us from God.

 

[XavierJesusLovesIndia]

Veneration does not mean Worship. Veneration means honor or respect. Like we honor father and mother, we can honor the Angels and Saints in Heaven, while Worshipping God alone. No one I know worships his father or mother, or worships the Saints either.

Phil 4:21: "Salute every saint in Christ Jesus." Does this not include the Saints in Heaven too? Those on Earth are "called to be Saints". (Rom 1:7). Those in Heaven are already Saints. The Saints in Heaven are not dead, as the Sadducees thought. When the Lord speaks of Abraham, He is clear Abraham is alive in Paradise. When John the Apostle sees Heaven in Revelation, the Saints are singing in praise.

Eph 1:15 "Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers:" The Bible commends both faith in the Lord Jesus and love for all the Saints.

1 Thess 3:12 "And may the Lord cause you to increase and overflow with love for one another and for everyone else, just as our love for you overflows, 13 so that He may establish your hearts in blamelessness and holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints. Amen." So, the passage says, that when the Lord comes from Heaven, all His Saints will come with Him.

God Bless.

 

[hornetguy]

Here’s an explanation here
https://www.saintjohnchurch.org/orthodox-pray-saints/

and here’s an explanation regarding praying FOR the dead https://www.saintjohnchurch.org/prayer-for-the-dead/

You cannot pray to a dead person without it being idolatry... it would be like praying to an old tree...
Christians pray only to God, through Jesus.

 

[Magenta]

Actually, Jesus taught us that we could pray directly to the Father, when He taught us the Lord's Prayer. This is a family prayer offering thanks to God and praying for our needs and the needs of others, Surely when we pray the Lord's Prayer we are mediating directly with the Father.

No, we are not mediating, we are supplicating and giving thanks. Praise and worship, even. Jesus mediates.

Nowhere is praying TO anyone but God recommended in Scripture.

If you are promoting that, you need to repent of it. Tout suite.

 

[Aaron56]

 

[ResidentAlien]

Veneration does not mean Worship. Veneration means honor or respect. Like we honor father and mother, we can honor the Angels and Saints in Heaven, while Worshipping God alone. No one I know worships his father or mother, or worships the Saints either.

You better look a little closer. I'll trust my own eyes and ears to tell me what I'm seeing and hearing, not you.

 

[Eli1]

You cannot pray to a dead person without it being idolatry... it would be like praying to an old tree...
Christians pray only to God, through Jesus.

I don’t think we will reach much agreement here because you and others think that others “worship” the dead, saint or icons and the other side thinks that you (plural) worship a book.

 

[GracethroughfaithinChrist]

Romans 1:25
Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

Luke 4:8
And Jesus answered him, “It is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.’”

 

[Magenta]

I don’t think we will reach much agreement here because you and others think that others “worship” the dead, saint or icons and the other side thinks that you (plural) worship a book.

Do you mean like the way they kneel and pray before statues of her, kissing the feet, and carting her about on gurneys in flamboyant parades dedicated to Mary, strewing flowers and streamers, weeping and crying, so the deceived masses can make a public spectacle of their adoration of her? Or like how a whole month is dedicated to her, so they can corporately pray to her in eerie chants as if she were still alive and able to intercede on their behalf with all the other saints they "venerate"? Don't you find it odd that of all the things the RCC could mandate as being 100% absolutely necessary to believe, the only two ex cathedra dogmas concern Mary, in regards to things that have no basis whatsoever in Scripture? That actually contradict the clear teachings of Scripture? On the other hand, we are told to hold the Word of God close, keep it close, meditate on it day and night. So honoring Scripture is following what Scripture tells us to do juxtaposed against the RCC practices which do the opposite.

 

[Eli1]

Do you mean like the way they kneel and pray before statues of her, kissing the feet, and carting her about on gurneys in flamboyant parades dedicated to Mary, strewing flowers and streamers, weeping and crying, so the deceived masses can make a public spectacle of their adoration of her? Or like how a whole month is dedicated to her, so they can corporately pray to her in eerie chants as if she were still alive and able to intercede on their behalf with all the other saints they "venerate"? Don't you find it odd that of all the things the RCC could mandate as being 100% absolutely necessary to believe, the only two ex cathedra dogmas concern Mary, in regards to things that have no basis whatsoever in Scripture? That actually contradict the clear teachings of Scripture? On the other hand, we are told to hold the Word of God close, keep it close, meditate on it day and night. So honoring Scripture is following what Scripture tells us to do juxtaposed against the RCC practices which do the opposite.

Yes that’s exactly what I mean. And these folks in places like Greece or Italy for example think that all Americans are worshipping a book.