Summary: I've had many people that are no more saved than the man in the moon tell me "I pray all the time!" Is this right? Can God hear the prayers of the unsaved? I'd say the answer is no...for the most part.

Can God Hear The Prayers Of The Unsaved?

Back in April, I had the opportunity to witness to a young woman who was not saved. She had been influenced by different religions, including the Jehovah's Witnesses.

I conveyed to her that to get to heaven, a person had to have a saving relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, and that, according to Him, he is "the way, the Truth and the Life; no man comes to the Father but by me."

She then mentioned to me that she prayed each night and that she felt that helped. At that point, I told her this: "God doesn't hear the prayers of the unsaved.". Later, I found out that this young woman was very stormed at me. "The gall of that preacher! How could he say that God doesn't listen to me?"

Does God hear the prayers of the unsaved? Let's find out--but first let's go to the Lord in prayer.

Does God hear the prayers of the unsaved? We need to look into the Scriptures to find the answer; any other answer, by means of speculation or by the old "that's the way I was taught when I grew up" just doesn't cut the mustard, does it?

First, we must look at some of God's attributes, most specifically, his righteousness:

Ps 145:17

17 The LORD is righteous in all His ways, gracious in all His works.

(NKJ)

The word righteous in the Hebrew is tsaddiyq (tsad-deek'); and according to Strongs it means just, lawful, righteous

a) just, righteous (in government)

b) just, right (in one's cause)

c) just, righteous (in conduct and character)

d) righteous (as justified and vindicated by God)

e) right, correct, lawful

Spiros Zodihates, in the Word Study Old Testament, demonstrates the usage of the word tsaddeek when applied to God as being that "God Himself is the standard of ethics and morality; it is part of His very nature and will."

So, first we can see that God is without sin, is morally upright and is, in fact the standard by which all are judged. If we can't hit the standard of God's perfection, we are outside the realm of relationship with Him.

Before we are saved, we sin--sin is anything that you think, say or do that does not please the Lord. Because of this sin that we are born into--and we all are born into a sinful state (Rom 3:23--all have sinned and fall short of the glory (righteousness, sinless perfection) of God), then, according to the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 2:1, we were dead in trespasses and sins. So we can see that we have a basic inherent inability to call out to God.

Now when we are called to salvation, which is solely the work of God, we are elevated to a position where we are then, as Paul also wrote in Ephesians 2:1

Eph 2:1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, (NKJ)

We were able to call out to Jesus Christ and be saved because he called out to us first.

I Jn 4:19

19 We love Him because He first loved us.

(NKJ)

Our response is based upon his stirring in our hearts for salvation.

At this point, do we have the ability to pray directly to God? Is there an intermediary? Let's look at:

I Jn 2:1 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. (NKJ)

Rom 8:34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. (NKJ)

1 Tim 2:5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, (NKJ)

Heb 9:24 For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; (NKJ)

John Bunyan, the author of the Christian classic novel "A Pilgrim's Progress" once wrote that there is enough sin in any Christian's prayer to send all of mankind to hell. Sounds pretty strong, now doesn't it? But without an intercessor, we haven't got a chance of getting a prayer through because of the sin that is a part of our existence each day. First, we see that the Holy Spirit takes our prayers--each one--and molds them and makes them acceptable:

Rom 8:26-27

26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. (NKJ)

Sometimes, all we can do is sigh and can't put our feelings into words. The Holy Spirit takes these feelings and molds them into a prayer that is acceptable to Jesus Christ, who presents our prayers to God the Father.

Now, here's the rub: For our prayers to be heard by God, they first have to pass thru either Jesus Christ or thru the Holy Spirit. However, we can grieve the Holy Spirit, and that it by being in a sin state and being out of fellowship with God:

1 Pet 3:7 Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.

(NKJ)

Ps 66:17-20

17 I cried to Him with my mouth, and He was extolled with my tongue.

18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear.

19 But certainly God has heard me; he has attended to the voice of my prayer.

20 Blessed be God, who has not turned away my prayer, nor His mercy from me!

(NKJ)

So, if we, saved Christians, regard iniquity in our hearts--if we live in a sin state--we are out of fellowship with Him. What we have then is a situation where God does not hear our prayers as his chosen. To return to fellowship, we must then repent and seek forgiveness:

I Jn 1:9

9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (NKJ)

We must then repent--see our sin, rise above that sin (as Christians we are no longer slaves to sin, but instead we choose to sin) turn from it and turn back to God. Then, fellowship is restored.

But what about the unsaved? The have no intercessor or Advocate; they have no relationship with either Jesus Christ or the Holy Spirit and then are dead in their trespasses and sins. On their best day, what is the best thing that the unsaved can do?

It is impossible to please God, to deflect His righteous wrath from us for all eternity, if we do not have faith in Him because it is impossible to please Him without faith:

Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (NKJ)

See, it takes faith. Trustworthy faith that the body that was broken was for you. Trustworthy faith that the blood that was spilled was for you. That Jesus paid the price that you couldn't pay. That Jesus died, and was raised from the dead proving that was and is God.

Again, let's look at Ps 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear.

God does not hear the prayers of the unsaved. Why? Because of his tsad-deek'--His complete and total righteousness, his total aversion to sin.

Yesterday, Pastor Harding stopped by the car wash and told me that he liked this message, which I preached at Sugar Grove last week. But he asked me a question--what about Cornelius? God heard his prayers, and it appears that he was unsaved.

Acts 10:1-2

1 There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment,

2 a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always.

(NKJ)

Acts 10:30-32

30 So Cornelius said, "Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing,

31 "and said, 'Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your alms are remembered in the sight of God.

32 'Send therefore to Joppa and call Simon here, whose surname is Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea. When he comes, he will speak to you.'

(NKJ)

Acts 10:44-48

44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word.

45 And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also.

46 For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered,

47 "Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?"

48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days.

(NKJ)

Now, here's the question--how did God hear the prayers of Cornelius, when he was not saved? This does show to be a bit of a puzzle. But what's neat is that there happened to be an evangelist that was also getting his car washed, and he came up with the answer:

Acts 10:1 PP3

a devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, who gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God always.

[Devout] [eusebees (grk 2152)]. An old word from [eu] (grk 2095), "well," and [sebomai] (grk 4576), "to worship, to reverence," but rare in the New Testament . It might refer to a worshipful pagan (, [sebasmata] (grk 4574), objects of worship), but connected with "one that feared God" [foboumenos (grk 5399) ton (grk 3588) Theon (grk 2316)] Luke describes "a God-fearing proselyte" as in . This is his usual term for the Gentile seekers after God (, etc.), who had come into the worship of the synagogue without circumcision, and were not strictly proselytes, though some call such men "proselytes of the gate" (cf. ); but clearly Cornelius and his family were still regarded as outside the pale of Judaism . They had seats in the synagogue, but were not Jews.

(from Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament)

Acts 13:16 Then Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said, "Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen: (NKJ)

Acts 13:26 "Men and brethren, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to you the word of this salvation has been sent. (NKJ)

Acts 17:4 And some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul and Silas. (NKJ)

Acts 17:17 Therefore he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers, and in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there. (NKJ)

So what we see is this--either Cornelius was either a) a saved man or b) a believer, but in God and the Old Testament promise, but not saved. More than likely, he was a believer under the persuasion of the Jews, but not yet a "born again Christian" until he accepted the Lord at the preaching of Peter, then was baptized to show his obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Again, the best that the unsaved can do is sin, and those who regard iniquity in their heart the Lord does not hear.

The final capper to all of this is

John 9:31 "Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him. (NKJ)