Praying for the Unsaved

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fredoheaven

Senior Member
Nov 17, 2015
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Luke 16:
19There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
20And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
21And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
22And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
23And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
25But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
26And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
27Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:
28For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
29Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
30And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
31And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
 
Feb 28, 2016
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praying for the 'lost' falls under the umbrella of
'Love your neighbor as yourself'...

'God is not willing that any should perish' -
so the question is,
do we pray in the will of God, or outside His will?
'Thy Will be done'...

it would be un-Christ-like to not pray for the lost,
after all, Christ hung on the cross for all sinners...
 

crossnote

Senior Member
Nov 24, 2012
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praying for the 'lost' falls under the umbrella of
'Love your neighbor as yourself'...

'God is not willing that any should perish' -
so the question is,
do we pray in the will of God, or outside His will?
'Thy Will be done'...

it would be un-Christ-like to not pray for the lost,
after all, Christ hung on the cross for all sinners...
Hi OldyNewee. Praying for the lost is not really tthe issue. I think most all of us concur.

I think it boils down to the question ...where in Scripture do we find any individual praying for another lost individual?
 

crossnote

Senior Member
Nov 24, 2012
30,706
3,650
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Luke 16:
19There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
20And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
21And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
22And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
23And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
25But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
26And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
27Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:
28For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
29Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
30And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
31And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
Very interesting and probably the closest yet to my question but sadly it was not answered...and why was there another mediator?
 

Ignorun

Active member
Dec 18, 2018
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I know instinctively that we are to do so, but can any one point me out an example in Scripture where there is prayer for the unsaved.. for their salvation, or an injunction to pray for the unsaved that they may be saved?


Extra Credit-

For the Arminian...Wouldn't a salvation prayer intefere with the free wiil of the lost?

For the Calvinist... Wouldn't a salvation prayer intefere with God's sovereign choice?
Numerous bible based, sound, responses, though they do not meet the explicit answer the question demands, and that includes my responses, they do affirm that the scriptures show, teach we should pray for the unsaved, which you rightly and properly make clear in your post.
As for the Arminian and Calvinist extra credit, that I will leave in the hands of God. He does work in mysterious ways. And no matter which one of the two doctrines a praying believer holds to, God will remain righteous in His judgment (decision) of their eternal destiny.
 
7

7seasrekeyed

Guest
Perhaps Jesus prays for everyone not to lose faith. It is clear in scripture that the Holy Spirit never stops praying to the Father for us. Perhaps when we say prayers it is for our benefit to relieve anxiety and stress as we have made our request known to God even though the Holy Spirit may have already prayed for that which we also prayed for.

actually the Bible states that prayer 'can move the hand of God'..we have the illustration of the prophet Elijah of whom the NT states

'17Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth yielded its crops.' James 5

and there are many other such examples

well of course we can be relieved of stress etc...Jesus says 'Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.' Matthew 11:28

prayer is far more than for our own benefit but of course that is also included
 

Jerry

New member
Jan 7, 2019
3
1
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6, m
ember: 145370"]Yes but that again is referring to a group, not an individual. ('they')[/QUOTE]

The prayer of Jesus (Lk. 23:34) was answered in Acts 2. Please read it.
 

crossnote

Senior Member
Nov 24, 2012
30,706
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6, m
ember: 145370"]Yes but that again is referring to a group, not an individual. ('they')

The prayer of Jesus (Lk. 23:34) was answered in Acts 2. Please read it.
Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots. (Luke 23:34 KJV)

Who was Jesus referring to? The soldiers? The Jewish leaders? Perhaps his disciples for deserting Him? ( re: Acts 2) surely not Judas Iscariot.

I still fail to see how this was a prayer for the salvation of an individual.
 

Lanolin

Well-known member
Dec 15, 2018
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When stephen prayed for those who were stoning him and that included Saul.
When Jesus prayed forgiveness for people that were crucifying him.
When Paul prayed for his fellow flesh brothers Israel to be saved.
When James said to pray for those who are sick that their sins be forgiven.
When Paul told Timothy to pray for those in authority, even kings and governors
When Jesus said pray for those who persecute you and use you despitefully
When Jude said pray in the holy ghost and have compassion and other save with fear, pulling them out of the fire hating even the garment spotted by their flesh
When Jesus prayed for his disciples, the lost sheep of Israel that he wanted to bring in, and Peter.

These are individuals that people knew, am not disputing that, why they were not specifically named in the Bible except for when Jesus was praying for Peter, and told him so. I dont know why someone has to be so nitpicky about that. YOUR name may not even be in the Bible, but it will be in the book of Life that you are saved by faith. For example, there is no record in the Bible that says someone prayed for Lanolin to be saved, and yet I am saved, how can this be...? I just cant fathom how anyone can be saved...? I would think someone petitioned God about me. I know it wasnt my parents because they dont pray. But i do know that other believers did pray for my salvation. And I thank the Lord for them. Cos God heard those prayers. As well as me hearing the gospel, but they do go hand in hand.

Missionaries cannot go out, evangelists cannot spread the word, without praying before they go. They may not know the names of the indivdual people before they go out but they can pray that his word go forth and people will hear it.
 

Lanolin

Well-known member
Dec 15, 2018
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The intersting thing about Jesus prayer which is in Johns gospel chapter 17 note in verse 20 Jesus does not just pray for his disciples, but those 'who shall believe on me through their word'

So clearly he is thinking of others not just his own circle.
 

crossnote

Senior Member
Nov 24, 2012
30,706
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When stephen prayed for those who were stoning him and that included Saul.
When Jesus prayed forgiveness for people that were crucifying him.
When Paul prayed for his fellow flesh brothers Israel to be saved.
When James said to pray for those who are sick that their sins be forgiven.
When Paul told Timothy to pray for those in authority, even kings and governors
When Jesus said pray for those who persecute you and use you despitefully
When Jude said pray in the holy ghost and have compassion and other save with fear, pulling them out of the fire hating even the garment spotted by their flesh
When Jesus prayed for his disciples, the lost sheep of Israel that he wanted to bring in, and Peter.

These are individuals that people knew, am not disputing that, why they were not specifically named in the Bible except for when Jesus was praying for Peter, and told him so. I dont know why someone has to be so nitpicky about that. YOUR name may not even be in the Bible, but it will be in the book of Life that you are saved by faith. For example, there is no record in the Bible that says someone prayed for Lanolin to be saved, and yet I am saved, how can this be...? I just cant fathom how anyone can be saved...? I would think someone petitioned God about me. I know it wasnt my parents because they dont pray. But i do know that other believers did pray for my salvation. And I thank the Lord for them. Cos God heard those prayers. As well as me hearing the gospel, but they do go hand in hand.

Missionaries cannot go out, evangelists cannot spread the word, without praying before they go. They may not know the names of the indivdual people before they go out but they can pray that his word go forth and people will hear it.
Different opinion but I don't think it's nitpicky asking for an example of a person praying for the salvation of another person.
 

Jerry

New member
Jan 7, 2019
3
1
3
Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots. (Luke 23:34 KJV)

Who was Jesus referring to? The soldiers? The Jewish leaders? Perhaps his disciples for deserting Him? ( re: Acts 2) surely not Judas Iscariot.

I still fail to see how this was a prayer for the salvation of an individual.
Different opinion but I don't think it's nitpicky asking for an example of a person praying for the salvation of another person.
Different opinion but I don't think it's nitpicky asking for an example of a person praying for the salvation of another person.

Allow me to repeat what I posted before. If one can pray for someone to be saved and God does so on the merits of that prayer alone, then we can pray for every one to be saved by praying for them one by one. Such denies our free will. Mormons believe they can be baptized for others. My understanding is that when I pray I ask God to place something in their path of live which will allow them to think about there souls, they have the ability to recognize it one way or another and by their own free will make their decision. I believe in the providence of God.
 

Ignorun

Active member
Dec 18, 2018
180
69
28
Different opinion but I don't think it's nitpicky asking for an example of a person praying for the salvation of another person.
Crossnote,
You handled that real well. What do you think Lanolin will say?
I don't think she meant to be rude. I think she's frustrated. But don't take it personally. You both seem polite, unless I missed something in your responses.
 

crossnote

Senior Member
Nov 24, 2012
30,706
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Crossnote,
You handled that real well. What do you think Lanolin will say?
I don't think she meant to be rude. I think she's frustrated. But don't take it personally. You both seem polite, unless I missed something in your responses.
I don't know what Lanolin response will be. I didn't even know L was a 'she'. I never attempted to be caustic if I came across that way, it probably was a misunderstanding on her part or a failure to communicate on my part. :dunno:
 

Ignorun

Active member
Dec 18, 2018
180
69
28
When stephen prayed for those who were stoning him and that included Saul.
When Jesus prayed forgiveness for people that were crucifying him.
When Paul prayed for his fellow flesh brothers Israel to be saved.
When James said to pray for those who are sick that their sins be forgiven.
When Paul told Timothy to pray for those in authority, even kings and governors
When Jesus said pray for those who persecute you and use you despitefully
When Jude said pray in the holy ghost and have compassion and other save with fear, pulling them out of the fire hating even the garment spotted by their flesh
When Jesus prayed for his disciples, the lost sheep of Israel that he wanted to bring in, and Peter.

These are individuals that people knew, am not disputing that, why they were not specifically named in the Bible except for when Jesus was praying for Peter, and told him so. I dont know why someone has to be so nitpicky about that. YOUR name may not even be in the Bible, but it will be in the book of Life that you are saved by faith. For example, there is no record in the Bible that says someone prayed for Lanolin to be saved, and yet I am saved, how can this be...? I just cant fathom how anyone can be saved...? I would think someone petitioned God about me. I know it wasnt my parents because they dont pray. But i do know that other believers did pray for my salvation. And I thank the Lord for them. Cos God heard those prayers. As well as me hearing the gospel, but they do go hand in hand.

Missionaries cannot go out, evangelists cannot spread the word, without praying before they go. They may not know the names of the indivdual people before they go out but they can pray that his word go forth and people will hear it.
Lanolin,
I can understand why you would use nitpicking in your post. I had a negative feeling also. I ended up writing post 107.
Hang in there. Crossnote and You seem sincere.
 

Ignorun

Active member
Dec 18, 2018
180
69
28
Lanolin,
I can understand why you would use nitpicking in your post. I had a negative feeling also. I ended up writing post 107.
Hang in there. Crossnote and You seem sincere.
I had to step back and wait before I responded out of frustration. Typing our thoughts is more challenging and tiring than verbal method. That's a big part of the frustration.