Under the Law of Moses, a priest offered up prayers for the people and made the animal sacrifices to God on their behalf. Requirements are different in the New Testament Law of Christ. Each Christian is allowed to approach the throne of God in prayer for himself. The priest's function in the Old Law has been abolished, and now each Christian is a priest. Some churches continue to practice the priesthood laws of the Old Testament, but it is not scriptural to do so. Christ's sacrifice on the cross removed that Law, and it must not be used today as a model of worship. Christians in the first century church did not use prayer beads to count prayers. Christ instructed in Matthew 6:7, not to use empty repetitions in prayer. They did not form statues of Christ, Mary or the apostles to bow down before in prayer.
There is also no mention of using holy water to bless others or wearing crosses around the neck to symbolize their Christianity. These are rituals developed by men, to please humans, but are not acts authorized by Christ. A Christian can go to God, asking to be blessed and forgiven of his sins. No man has the power to take away the sins of another, as some churches teach. Confessionals, where the members confess their sins to the priest, are not found in the New Testament. We do not need a priest to intercede for us with God. Christ does that for us. A priest who does so, places himself in the role of Christ. It is a direct insult to biblical teaching. The entire book of Hebrews teaches us that Christ is our only high priest, Heb. 4:14-16; our mediator, Heb.8:6; He lives to make intercession for us, Heb.7:25. These things cannot be done by any man under the New Law of Christ.
To justify what they practice, many religions go back into the Old Testament. They select Scriptures which tell of Jewish worship under the Law of Moses to prove that God likes what they do. This is a mistake. The Old Testament Law does not apply to Christians. It was given only to the Jews, and God no longer wants us to use it. When Christ died on the cross, He abolished the Old Law. We cannot use it as a guide for correct worship today. Doing so, contradicts the New Law. Christ's death replaced the Old in the New Testament.
The prayers of Christians were directed to God through Christ and were always offered in His name. When the church assembled together, dedicated men lifted their voices to God in public prayer on behalf of the entire assembly, as each Christian joined together in worship with their heart, 1 Timothy 2:8. Only one person spoke aloud, never a mass of people praying at the same time.
Copyright 1989 by Carmen D Hilliard. Used by permission