Prior Book | Prior Chapter | Prior Verse | Next Verse | Next Chapter | Next Book | Viewing NASB and Amplified 2015 | |
NASB | Romans 1:8 ¶ First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Romans 1:8 ¶ First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith [your trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness] is being proclaimed in all the world. |
Bible Question:
This question is probably very basic, I am just confused. In Romans 1:8, Paul thanks "God through Jesus Christ" for the Roman believers. What does "through" Jesus Christ mean? That Paul prays his thanksgiving to Jesus, using Jesus as the mediator between himself and God (as in 1 Tim 2:5 "For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus...")? But then I read John 16:26-27, "In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will request of the Father on your behalf; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father. " which makes it clear that Jesus is saying that we petition directly to God. So my question is --- do we pray to God or to Jesus or does it not matter because of John 10:38, "but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father." As you can see, I am confused. Thanks for your help, reilly |
Bible Answer: Reilly, This same question came up recently in a Bible study group to which I belong. On a personal devotional level I find I may start out praying to one Person of the Trinity and drift to the other two Persons as I pray. Then I become conscious of it. Christian prayer is essentially Trinitarian becaue God is Trinity, but following the teaching and example of Jesus we usually address our prayers to the Father. You may have noticed that in the Mass all prayers are addressed to the Father, but the Son and the Holy Spirit are usually also incorporated into the prayer at some point. For example the opening prayer and the closing prayer just before the dismissal are always addressed to the Father, but always end with: "we ask this through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, Who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen." You may also remember the prayer leading up to the great Amen: "..then in your kingdom, freed from the corruption of sin and death, we shall sing your glory with every creature through Christ our Lord, through whom you give us everything that is good.(see Rom 8:20-21) Through Him, with Him and in Him, in the unity of the Holy spirit, all glory and honor is yours almighty Father, forever and ever. Amen."(see rom 11:36) Take a look at the Mass prayers in your Missal and this pattern will begin to jump out at you once you are looking for it. Because we are in Christ everything we we do, including prayer, we do "through Him, with Him and in Him." Emmaus |