Praying for the "Dead"

The Three Living and the Three Dead

In my church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, we often have liturgies during Lent where we intercede for those who have passed on from this life into the next. I put dead in quotes in the title, for literally they are not dead, but very much alive.

Those against such practices will often quote the following verses:

And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment. (Heb 9:27 KJV) 

With the given understanding that between death and the judgment, there isn't opportunity for further repentance or aid. The general belief is that once someone dies, there is nothing else that can be done for them. That they are finished with their repentance and must await the final judgment in fear and trembling.

Problem is, this given idea isn't in the Bible. Certainly it is appointed unto men to die only once. It is equally true that after that comes the judgment. That still doesn't say what the condition of the soul is between the time they pass this life and the judgment. Rather, I would suggest, that is a Protestant Tradition that has been added to Scripture.

Now let me back up here a bit and tell you that I believe in general that we have this life to repent, and after that, for most people, the stone is cast as to whether they will make it to heaven or hell. Yet, that decision does not happen until the Last Judgment, which is to happen at the end of time.

There are also many people to whom have never heard of Christ before they die. Are they to face judgment without a chance of repentance or asking or spiritual healing? What about those who have grown up and never even heard about God? What about the mentally ill?

The fact is, we simply do not know what God will do for those people, but I believe there very well could be a chance for them to repent and accept Christ before being revealed to God's glory for judgment. I don't think we can or should limit God from doing whatever He wishes simply because we've assumed a certain meaning isn't included.

Plus, there may be some Biblical evidence of St. Paul praying for a dead person:

The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus; for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain: but, when he was in Rome, he sought me out very diligently, and found me. The Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day: and in how many things he ministered unto me at Ephesus, thou knowest very well.
(2 Tim. 1:16-18)

Now I say may because while verse 18 certainly sounds like someone who has passed on, it is not definitive that this is the case as St. Paul doesn't specifically state it.

Probably the biggest evidence, however, is the fact that the Jews, of which St. Paul was one, regularly prayed for their dead. You can see that in the "Apocrypha" book of Maccabees of which was included in St. Paul's Bible he preached from. Based on this, for the disciples to intend to exclude prayers for the dead from Christianity, there would have to be something in their writings which specifically denounced such things. Of which there is nothing in Scripture suggesting that we should avoid praying for the dead, or that it is a sin.

In other words, the onus is on those who wish to prove the default position of the Jews wasn't the default position of the Apostles as well. Without any such exclusions in the Scriptures, one has to assume that it was practiced in the early church as well, and that the above verse could very well be St. Paul's prayer for a dead person. At a minimum, it shows that God's mercy extended all the way to judgement day, not the person's death, in St. Paul's mind. For he says, ". . . that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day." That day would be the judgment day.

It also speaks against the "once saved, always saved" version of repentance, but that is another devotion.

However, while the Biblical argument for or against this practice isn't clear on either side, leaving it mostly to Jewish and Christian history which they certainly did practice praying for the dead all the way into the Reformation and beyond, the practical application of this is very compelling.

To a grieving mother who has lost her child, you are going to tell them that praying for their child is pointless? If I had a child who had died and of whose salvation was uncertain, I know I would be praying for God to have mercy on their souls. Not because I believe I can change God's mind if He has already made up his mind about a person's final destination, but if there is even a chance in a million that he or she can be saved and isn't, I certainly don't want it to be because I decided not to pray for them.

I'll intercede for them because I love them, because they are part of the Body of Christ and when one member hurts, the whole body does. Because who knows? If a persistent widow can change the mind of a judge through her prayers to him, and Christ demands that we do the same for God, then guess what? I'm going to do just that. Especially if it is someone I love and care about. The worst that could happen is I'm unsuccessful. So what? Is God going to throw me in Hell if I get that wrong? I don't think so. Not when he's got much greater cause in other things to nail me with.

No, with love you can't go wrong. Even if I'm wrong theologically, I'd rather be wrong about that and guilty of praying for them needlessly than right about it and not pray for those who've gone to face the Lord. I want to stand for those I love. Their souls may depend on it and I don't want to take that chance that they won't.

Are you willing to take that chance?