The Limits of Intercession
Here is the reading of 1 John 2:2.
He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. (ESV, emphasis added)
He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world. (NLT)
My dear praying ones, our prayers have no atoning work. Jesus atoned for the sins of the whole world in His finished work on the execution stake and in His resurrection. We save no one.
Jesus is the propitiation. Propitiation means that the finished work of Jesus satisfied God’s wrath. Sin offends God, and the just penalty was death (Romans 6:23). The passion of Jesus — the walk, the crucifixion, the agony, the seeming defeat by death, the resurrection — was for the Father, on our behalf.
This is important to remember in this day of flashy faith that relies on the flesh, without the anchor of the true Gospel. So, I point us back to Jesus.
Praying people, we are not the substitution for the sins of the world. That work is finished, and God will not require any human to die for sins. Do not mistake the burden of the Lord in its heaviness for God’s call to substitutionary sacrifice. When we lead or participate in corporate prayer, the power through us is God’s power, not our own (2 Corinthians 4:7). We labor with God (1 Corinthians 3:9) to bring forth the will of God in the earth. We invite Him into our realms when we pray.
The perfect sacrifice of this one divine man Jesus the Christ was enough to secure salvation for us all. Awareness of these truths reveal God’s goodness, which leads us to repent (Romans 2:4). Our prayer authority comes from God. Thus, our prayers should reflect submission to God — from the supplication to the decree.
I urge us all to remember this when we offer prayer to our Father, in secret and openly. We can only approach Him boldly and directly because the finished work of Jesus took away the partition between us and God (Ephesians 2:14).
Praying people, intercessors run to our God…not to the gap. We stay with Him, and He sovereignly chooses to place us in gaps. Let’s agree with God and let Him lead us in the prayer we offer.
Selah, and let’s all pray well.
Blogs I Follow
The Bereans' Commentary with Shaunta D. Scroggins, Ed.D. 