Praying to Saints (and Bowing to Statues) Is against God’s Word



In the Catholic religion, statues, carvings, and images are part of their worship. Each year many thousands of visitors make pilgrimages to see Catholic shrines where they offer up prayers to “saints” and bow before the statues and images.


Exodus 20:4-5


Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.


Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;


The Catholics deny that they are breaking the Ten Commandments by bowing before these images and statues. Catholics are told that showing "special devotion" to (and praying to) "the Blessed Virgin", to statues, and to “saints” is fine because Catholics also give "adoration" to the "Father". 



The Catholic Catechism 971 states in part:
"The Church's devotion to the Blessed Virgin is intrinsic to Christian worship." 

The Jesus Christ clearly told Satan…
Matthew 4:10
10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.



Worship is defined as (1):
"[1.] reverent honor and homage paid to God or a sacred personage, or to any object regarded as sacred." [Bold added]
"[2.] formal or ceremonious rendering of such honor and homage: 'They attended worship this morning.'
"[3.] adoring reverence or regard: 'excessive worship of business success.'"



Jesus Christ also clearly taught...

Luke 16:13-15


13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.


14 And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.


15 And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.



What men hold in high esteem “is abomination in the sight of God.” That includes statues and images. Nowhere does the Bible teach that bowing down to statues is okay. The Catholic Catechism 2113 teaches that it is wrong to serve other gods (or creatures or demons or ancestors), in place of God, but implies it is fine to bow before and pray to statues and “saints”. This condition of people claiming toboth serve God and also serve graven images is found in 2 Kings 17. God forbids this idolatry.


2 Kings 17:11-12


11 And there they burnt incense in all the high placesas did the heathen whom the Lord carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke the Lord to anger:


12 For they served idols, whereof the Lord had said unto them, Ye shall not do this thing.


2 Kings 17:39-41


39 But the Lord your God ye shall fear; and he shall deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies.


40 Howbeit they did not hearken, but they did after their former manner.


41 So these nations feared the Lord, and served their graven images, both their children, and their children's children: as did their fathers, so do they unto this day.



These people feared the Lord, and served their graven images”. Is this any different than what most Catholics do today?


Please remember: Worship is defined as (1):
"[1] reverent honor and homage paid to God or a sacred personage, or to any object regarded as sacred." [Bold added]

Remember, Jesus Christ clearly said...
Matthew 4:10
10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.



5. If You Would Like to Have a Relationship with the true God, Be an Adopted Child of God, and Go to Heaven…




God loves us so much that He sent His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins and shed His precious blood to pay for all of these sins (John 3:16 and 1 Corinthians. 15:3-4). And He rose from the grave on the third day (1 Cor. 15:4).


The Bible says this about Jesus and Salvation:


John 14:6


“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”


1 Timothy 2:5


“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;”


Acts 4:12


“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”




HOW TO GET SAVED and KNOW GOD:




1. If you believe and confess aloud, genuinely from your heart, that Jesus Christ has paid for all your sinswith His precious blood and has risen from the dead (…knowing that you cannot earn this free gift of salvation) (Romans 10:9-10; 1 Corinthians 15:3-5; and Colossians 1:14);


2. And if you repent from your sins (You do this by confessing only to God Himself that you are a sinner and that you want to turn away from sin.) (Romans 3:23; Acts 3:19; and 1 John 1:8-9);


3. And if you have made Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior, you are saved (Jesus cannot be your Lord if you are serving yourself and living selfishly. If He is not your Lord, you would have another master. Jesus said in Luke 16:13: “No servant can serve two masters…”) (Romans 10:9-10 and Luke 16:13).


4. Now seek God with all your heart. Seek to know Him and you will (Jeremiah 29:13).



We need to emphasize this: God does not want us following a strict system of rules in order to please Him. God loves us and is about having a good personal relationship with each one of us as we seek Him and obey Him. God loves you and wants you to get to know Him personally.


John 17:3 says: "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."