The Lord’s Prayer Is Not Outmoded – Part 1

Early on in Jesus’ Ministry, at the time He gave the sermon on the mount, He took the initiative and taught His disciples how to pray (Matthew 6:9-13). This prayer has popularly been called the Lord’s prayer.  Later on in His ministry, when one of His disciples asked Him to teach them how to pray, He essentially repeated the Lord’s prayer and instructed them to pray in that manner (Luke 11:1-4). This prayer, has also been written down for our learning (see Romans 15:4).

The fact that Jesus used the Lord’s prayer on two different occasions, to teach how we ought to pray, should convey its utmost importance to us. Nevertheless, some view the Lord’s prayer as outmoded and not relevant for today. They only see it as a useful pattern for praying but view the very phrases that make up the Lord’s prayer as unscriptural under the New Covenant. However, the reasons they give to oppose and dissuade Christians from praying the Lord’s prayer are not supported by the New Testament.

A reason why this opposition may appeal to some is because of the erroneous view of the Lord’s prayer as an Old Testament prayer since Jesus taught it before His death and resurrection. This reasoning, however, is sharply contradicted by Jesus Himself. Following His death and resurrection, Jesus said that “…All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you….’” (Matthew 28:18-20). In the words of Jesus, the very things He commanded His disciples during His earthly ministry were the very things they were to teach in the New Covenant to build His church, not just to make individual converts but disciples of all nations. This disproves the erroneous notion that the words and teachings of Jesus are primarily Old Testament and largely irrelevant for the New Testament Church. Jesus indeed lived under the Law before His death. Yet, He taught on the New Covenant He was bringing, modelled it for us, and gave us the commission to use that to build His church. Thus, without properly understanding the words and teachings of Jesus, we would also fail to properly understand and apply the epistles and the entire Scriptures since they are founded on and moored to Jesus and His teachings (see 1 Corinthians 3:11, Ephesians 2:19-20, Matthew 28:18-20, 2 Corinthians 4:5, Hebrews 1:2, Colossians 2:17; Hebrews 10:1).

Another reason given to oppose praying the Lord’s prayer under the New Covenant is that the Lord’s prayer was not prayed by Jesus and/or His disciples “in Jesus’ name”. However, it is a common practice among Christians, including those who oppose the Lord’s prayer, to pray scriptures such as Psalm 23, Psalm 91, Colossians 1:9-12 and Ephesians 1:17-20 verbatim, although these biblical texts do not have the addendum “in Jesus name”. If we can choose to pray these Scriptures in Jesus’ name, and rightly so, then what prevents us from praying the Lord’s prayer, which is also Scripture, in the name of Jesus? Indeed, we can pray the Lord’s prayer in the name of Jesus and in His authority as believers in Christ who have been given the right to use the precious name of Jesus.

In subsequent posts, we shall look at the phrases or statements that constitute the Lord’s prayer. And we will see how they form part of biblical truths the apostles re-echoed or taught in their epistles, as well as prayers they prayed or encouraged the church to pray.

Kwadwo Omari, PhD
January 7, 2019.

IMPORTANT: If you do not know the Lord Jesus as your personal Saviour, this is the time to surrender your life to God, and accept Jesus as your Saviour. This is the way to eternal life and salvation from hell and eternal torments when this life is over. You can pray this prayer sincerely from your heart to receive Jesus as your Saviour: “I come to you God in Jesus name and surrender my life unto you. I repent of my sins and I ask that You forgive me of all my sins. I confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord, and I believe with my heart that God has raised Jesus from the dead. I thank you God for saving me, in Jesus name, Amen”. If you sincerely prayed this prayer, be assured that you are saved, for the Bible says that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved (Romans 10:13, Romans 10:10, Acts 16:31). Find a Bible believing church to attend so that you can be discipled to grow in the ways of God. You can also email me ([email protected]) and I will be happy to grow together with you in Christ.