Icons: Between Belief and Doubt-Part 8

If someone sees Christ as the only point of contact, then any other form of mediation feels unnecessary or even wrong. If someone sees the Church as a single living body that includes both the living and the departed, then asking for intercession feels natural.

The real question underneath everything you’re asking is whether anything or anyone should stand between a person and God. Christ’s own teaching leans toward direct relationship. Tradition leans toward communal relationship. The tension between the two has shaped Christian history for two thousand years.

What part of this tension feels most unresolved for you: the role of saints, the use of icons, or the idea of mediation itself?

Why is actually the intercession of the saints accepted?

Biblically Moses intercedes for the people (Exodus 32), the angels carry the prayers of the saints before God (Revelation 8:3–4).

Dogmatically, the Church sees the saints as part of the triumphant Church, in communion with the struggling Church. Spiritually: the saints are models of holiness and support in prayer, not replacements for Christ.

Alright, but certain teachings of the Bible say that after we die, we wait for the resurrection. We do not go to Heaven to God. Then how can the saints also pray for us? They were people who died!

That's the real tension between the final resurrection and the life of the soul after death. From the biblical and patristic perspective, the saints are not dead in the absolute sense, but alive in Christ, in heaven, in communion with God. They do not replace the mediation of Christ, but pray together with Him, like older brothers in the faith. It is a mystery — but one that expresses the unity of the Church: those in heaven and those on earth are one single Body in Christ!

Christ Himself says that God “is not the God of the dead, but of the living,” referring to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Fathers took this to mean that those who die in faith are not cut off from God, even if they have not yet received the resurrected body. They are alive in a different mode, not in the fullness of the Kingdom, but not in silence either. In that state, they remain part of the Body of Christ, and because they are united with Him, they can still love, still care, and still pray.

This is why the tradition speaks of the “communion of saints.” It is not about saints having power of their own, and it is not about bypassing Christ. It is about the belief that love does not end at death. If someone loved God deeply in this life, the tradition assumes that this love continues beyond death, and that such a person can still pray for the world. But this is a theological interpretation, not a direct biblical command. Some Christians accept it because it fits their understanding of the Church as one living body across heaven and earth. Others reject it because they see Christ as the only point of contact and prefer to keep prayer strictly directed to God alone.

The real difference lies in how one understands the state of the soul after death. If the soul is conscious and alive in God, then intercession seems possible. If the soul is asleep and waiting in silence, then intercession makes no sense. Scripture contains hints for both interpretations, which is why Christians have disagreed on this for centuries.

What part of this topic feels most unresolved for you: the state of the soul after death, or the idea that love and prayer can continue beyond this life?

And the apostles? what did they say about the saints?

The apostles do not always use the word ‘saint’ in the modern sense — meaning canonised persons — but in their writings, the concept of holiness is deeply present and connected to life in Christ. Let’s see how they understand ‘the saints’ and what they say about them. How do the apostles use the term ‘saint’? In the epistles of the New Testament, ‘saints’ are: all believers who live in Christ and are separated from sin; members of the Church who have received the Holy Spirit and live a pure life; not only the deceased, but the living, who are in the process of sanctification.

‘To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi…’ — Philippians 1:1. ‘Help the saints in their needs…’ — Romans 12:13. What do the Apostles say about the saints? Saint Paul frequently uses the term ‘saints’ for Christian communities. He urges believers to live ‘as saints’ — that is, in purity, love, and truth. He speaks about praying for one another as a form of fraternal intercession.

‘The saints will judge the world.’ — 1 Corinthians 6:2. ‘Let us pray for all the saints.’ — Ephesians 6:18. Saint Peter says: ‘Be holy, for I am holy’ — quoting Leviticus, and calling for the imitation of God. He asks believers to avoid worldly desires and to live in holiness. ‘But as He who called you is holy, be holy in all your conduct.’ — 1 Peter 1:15. The apostles as saints: although they do not call themselves ‘saints,’ the Church recognised them as saints through their life, sacrifice, and faith.

They are the foundation of the Church: ‘Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets…’ (Ephesians 2:20). They are intercessors and models — not in place of Christ, but in Christ. Conclusion: for the apostles, ‘saints’ are not a religious elite, but all who live in Christ. They call us to become saints — not through perfection, but through grace, repentance, and love.

How are they seen in the Old Testament?

In the Old Testament, ‘the saints’ are not presented as a separate category of canonised people, but as persons, places, or things consecrated to God, which participate in His holiness. Holiness in the Old Testament: the Hebrew term for ‘holy’ is qadosh, which means ‘separated,’ ‘set apart’ for God. Holiness is the essential attribute of God: He is completely different from what is profane, impure, or common.

Everything that is ‘holy’ — people, objects, places — is consecrated to God and participates in His presence. Who is considered ‘holy’? The patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob): chosen by God to be the fathers of the chosen people. The prophets (Moses, Elijah, Isaiah): bearers of the divine word, sometimes overwhelmed by the Spirit of God. The priests and Levites: dedicated to service in the Temple, considered ‘holy’ by their function.

The people of Israel: called to be a ‘holy people’ (cf. Leviticus 19:2) — not through perfection, but through belonging to God. Holy places and objects: the Tabernacle and the Temple — places where God ‘dwells’ symbolically. The Holy of Holies — the most sacred space, where the Ark of the Covenant was. Cult objects — the altar, the vessels, the vestments — all were sanctified through special ritual

In the Old Testament, holiness is a divine reality that is communicated through election, ritual, and presence. People are not holy by themselves, but through closeness to God. It is a calling to separation from sin and to a pure life — a foreshadowing of the perfect holiness in Christ.

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