Does God Heed The Prayers
of The Unsaved?
by Henry Velez; Editor

2Ti 2:24-26 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, (25) In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; (26) And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

Whether in today’s movies or the casual ‘theology’ of unsaved men, it is glibly assumed that God not only hears the prayers of the unsaved but also takes heed to such prayers. It is presumed by non-Christians that "we are all God’s children" and therefore any prayer by any person can be taken to the throne of God and regarded on equal footing. After all, they reason, for God to play favorites and only take heed to the prayers of Christians would be unfair. "Equal access to all" is the battle-cry of the unsaved in both politics and religion.

But is this what God has revealed in scripture? Does God actually take equally to heart the prayers of the unsaved on par equal to those He has redeemed, His Elect? What we will endeavor to examine and disclose here is that neither access nor the granting of one’s prayer can be taken by God apart from an established relationship of peace through His appointed Mediator.. Jesus Christ.

The short answer to this is, yes.. God does do mercifully to the unsaved. More often than they would credit Him for by the way. Jesus disclosed a part of the Father’s nature when He said,

Mat 5:44-45 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; (45) That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

Does this mean that God hears the prayers of the lost? No. What Jesus is declaring is that it is in God’s nature to be both generous and kind even to those who are opposed to him. God grants the same ‘general kindness’ upon all of humanity by providing the air, rain, sunshine, etc. without regard to Man’s sins and enmity against Him. In the beginning verse it is clear that Jesus is teaching us to have the same spirit of God.. that we act opposite of God when we are only loving to those who love us in return. The general kindness of God to all is that He loves even His own enemies.. providing them with what they need for their survival. He does this for the evil and the good. Not because the evil pray for it, deserve it or even demand it.. but because it is in the nature of God to show kindness even to those who do not deserve it.

That some unsaved may declare they received a blessing from God is not the result, as we shall see, of their petition being heard so much as it is the undeserved kindness of God upon them. What might be the difference? The difference lies in that the prayers and petitions which God does hear from His saints are specifically responded to. The needs of the lost are attended to only in order to fulfill God’s purposes and are not fulfilled based upon any peaceable relationship between God and the lost.

Let’s take another look at the verse upon which this examination begins..

2Ti 2:24-26 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, (25) In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; (26) And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

Look at how the unsaved are described in verses 25 and 26. The unsaved ‘oppose themselves’ and currently lack repentance from their sins. They are currently entrapped in ‘the snare of the devil’ who has ‘taken them captive’ to do, who’s will??.. the ‘[devil]s will’ by way of being entrapped in his snare. The position of the unsaved is that he is not only in sin, but also in league to do the will of the devil whether he realizes it or not. He is so ensnared that he not only opposes God, but also opposes his own self. By his sin he is either slowly or quickly destroying his own life. The wages of sin is death and the sin he is ensnared in to do is killing him unto an eternal death. This is the position of the unsaved person who supposes his prayers to the very God he opposes will be answered.

Let us take a moment to examine what scripture says about the unregenerate, unsaved person and their relationship as it stands (apart from Christ) in relation to God;

Jam 4:6(b) .."God opposes the arrogant but gives grace to the humble."

Rom 8:6-8 To set our minds on the flesh leads to death, but to set our minds on the Spirit leads to life and peace. (7) That is why the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile toward God. For it refuses to submit to the authority of God's law because it is powerless to do so. (8) Indeed, those who are under the control of the flesh cannot please God.

Eph 4:17-19 Therefore, I tell you and insist on in the Lord not to live any longer like the gentiles live, thinking worthless thoughts. (18) They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of their ignorance and hardness of heart. (19) Since they have lost all sense of shame, they have abandoned themselves to sensuality and practice every kind of sexual perversion without restraint.

Rom 1:21-22 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him. Instead, their thoughts turned to worthless things, and their ignorant hearts were darkened. (22) Though claiming to be wise, they became fools

The heart and mind of the lost, unsaved person is not focused on God’s will at all. Not only is the carnal mind opposed violently to God, it has no comprehension of God’s will and thus would never pray in accordance with it. In essence, the only prayer of the unsaved is one of selfish need, never the prayer that "God’s will be done, here on earth as it is in heaven." Unregenerate man is unconcerned with any prayer of God that would glorify God. The only prayers he ever thinks to throw out are focused inwardly to his own desires being fulfilled. And this he does with no concern for the hatred still existence between he and God. To make an enemy of a person and then petition the same person for favors is not cohesive, to say the least.

This question can only be answered correctly when done so in context. To begin with, there is no phrased or outlined "sinner’s prayer" in the Bible whereby men receive salvation. There is a "Lord’s Prayer" which is actually an outline (not a recitation) for general prayer.. but it is intended for those already regenerate (born-again).. not for those outside of peace with God.

However, in today’s society men have developed a man-made "sinner’s prayer" which is often included in various evangelistic tracts or sermons so as to supposedly ‘invite’ the sinner to make the decision to "let Jesus in their heart". The sad fact of the matter is that, according to sound doctrine from scripture.. this prayer is not only ineffective apart from a previous work and effectual calling of God’s Holy Spirit.. but is also not a requirement for salvation. This may come as a shock to many today, but the way of salvation, as described in the books of Acts, is one of repentance and obedience to the faith, with salvation resting wholly upon faith in Christ as Savior. From the time of Christ until the 1800’s there was not a man known to find salvation by having to first recite a "sinner’s prayer". Men came to Christ as they always had.. obtaining faith by hearing the Word of God. (Rom. 10:17)

[For a much more detailed examination of this issue, ref. Dr. Robert Morey’s CD-sermon; "Charles Finney & The Altar Call" at; www.faithdefenders.com or contact www.intruth.net ]

Examine again our main text..

2Ti 2:25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;

There is only one way the so-called "sinner’s prayer" can be considered effective in a person’s life.. that God has previously already "granted them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth". Even the ardent Arminianist must concede that there is no salvation without repentance. Scripture states clearly in the prouncement of the Gospel by Peter on the day of Pentecost;

Act 2:36-38 Let all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly, that God hath made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom ye crucified. (37) Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and the rest of the apostles, Brethren, what shall we do? (38) And Peter said unto them, Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Repentance is present where salvation is present. However, unlike baptism, true repentance is not a free-will action of man. According to 2Tim. 2:25.. it is God who grants men repentance so that they may even comprehend or acknowledge what the very truth of the gospel is. Apart from God granting acknowledgment of the Gospel message.. there is no repentance and there is no salvation. People may free-will decide to "come forward", "pray" even submit to "baptism" and make a fleshly attempt at controlling their sins as a form of repentance.. and all this to no effect apart from the effectual grant of God leading to true repentance.

What is actual repentance?

Repentance is not a man’s attempt in his own flesh to turn from his sins. If it were then no one would have salvation for no man as yet ever "stopped sinning" since the day they came to the faith. True repentance is granted by God to man such that his heart is now turned towards God and away from sin. It is a perseverance across this new-life that persists such that the ‘new-man’s heart is forever turned towards God and forever holds a hatred for sin. But this is not something a man can do by simply trimming down his sinful thoughts and deeds. It is rather a circumcision of the heart which is performed by the hand of God.. not the hands of men;

Rom 2:28-29 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh: (29) but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

Thus, in summary, not even the sinful man’s solitary attempt at the mouthing the words of the so-called "sinner’s prayer" is a prayer that God takes any heed to. For men are saved by God, by His foreordained choosing and according to His own distribution of mercy. Men do not choose for themselves their own salvation, rather men are at the mercy of God who grants mercy where He will.

Rom 9:13-16 Even as it is written, Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated. (14) What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. (15) For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. (16) So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that hath mercy.

There are two distinct answers to this question, both accurate and worth keeping in mind.

First, we preach the gospel out of obedience to Christ, our Lord. The unsaved are not so much ‘our enemies’, but are at enmity against God. As such they position themselves against us. But we are to love those who persecute us and the best gift we can place before them is the way of salvation through Jesus Christ. We preach out of obedience to our Lord who said;

Mat 28:18-20 Then Jesus came up and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. (19) Therefore, as you go, disciple all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, (20) teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you each and every day until the end of the age."

We preach the Gospel out of obedience, for our position is not to either foreknow or even determine who are God’s Elect who shall eventually believe and receive mercy. That is not our mandate. Our marching orders are to preach the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ to any and all who will listen. The effectual doing and accomplishing of those who will repent and believe is in the hands of God, not ourselves. We cannot argue or convince anyone to faith. We can only present the opportunity for the elect to obtain faith by preaching the Word of God. For these reasons, we preach at all opportunity and based upon God’s Word, not the wisdom of man.

Secondly, and in accordance with the above, we preach out of love. Not only do we have a duty to which we must obey, but we have a heart that desires to see men reconciled with God, even as we are, through Christ. Our heart is to relieve burdens of works-oriented religion that kills with the letter of the law. Our desire is to free men from the cages of false beliefs that leave minds in total darkness to the light of God. Our compassion is to give real hope that is not temporal, but eternal, to the weary and suffering so that they have a real hope in God that is established by His hand, not just the mere promises of men and idealisms that always fall short.

This brings us back to Relationship. As mentioned before, the relationship of the unsaved with God is one of hatred and enmity. Though average people may not consider themselves ‘hateful’ of God, what they fail to see is that God is hateful and at war with them in so many ways that there exists no peace between them and God. Also, passive hatred, wherein a person dishonors God by ignoring or discounting His glory is every bit as much despised by God as man’s open defiance of Him.

The saved, regenerate.. the Christian, however, is not in this awful position. At one time they were just as much at enmity with God as any other sinner. However, because of faith in Christ, a new relationship of peace has been established. The war is over, so to speak. See here what scripture says of the unsaved, the unsaved prior to salvation and the change which has occurred;

1Co 6:9-11 Or know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with men, (10) nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. (11) And such were some of you: but ye were washed, but ye were sanctified, but ye were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God.

For those still outside of the covenant of peace via Christ, there is no inheritance to the kingdom of God. For those who were formerly of the unrighteous, they have now been justified and sanctified.. washed clean in the sight of God. Peace has been established for the Christian where the sinner is still lost in his current state of perdition. But not only has his position been greatly improved, a Mediator-Priest has been placed, Jesus Christ, who stands forever to make sure the peace is kept between God and those sanctified;

1Ti 2:5 For there is one God, one mediator also between God and men, himself man, Christ Jesus,

Heb 4:14-16 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. (15) For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. (16) Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

The Christian is on a vastly more improved position over that of the sinner.. because of Jesus Christ. Because of Him the Christian has access to the throne of mercy. The sinner, apart from first establishing this same relationship, has no access and no mediator between himself and God. Thus it becomes all the more apparent that the prayers of the lost are not heeded, nor do they even have access, to the presence of God. Only God can reach out in mercy and cause the heart of the sinner to repent and have knowledge of the way of salvation.

While it may continue to seem palatable to sinners to think that God will help them "roll a seven" at the craps table, speed along their winning horse, pay their bills or instantly fix their drug habit.. the reality is that no petition of God ever obligates God to do anything. He does what He will of His own free-will and mercy. Only God is truly free for only He has absolute freedom in all His actions. Mankind is limited in his freedom and even more limited in what he can either petition or much less demand of God via ‘prayers’.

So long as an individual remains outside of the reconciling position of Christ, though God knows (and therefore) hears all things.. He is under no compulsion to respond to the prayers of sinners. Even in the prayers of His saints they will properly phrase their petitions and prayers within the context of His will, trusting in His nature and wisdom to do what is ultimately best.