How the Spirit Maketh Intercession for Man

Romans 8:26-27; Christ our Lord is the Intercessor! He it is who advocateth our cause in the courts above and who, as Paul is about to say "maketh intercession for the saints" (verse 27), and "maketh intercession for us." (Verse 34b.) Why, then, does he first say that "the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered," which statement the Prophet Joseph Smith says should better be expressed: "The Spirit maketh intercession for us with striving which cannot be expressed"? (Teachings, p. 278.)

Romans 8:26-27; The Holy Ghost is a Revelator who gives direction to the faithful, causing them to know and speak the mind and will of the Lord. Perfect prayers are always inspired by the Spirit, and they are always answered, because the Spirit knows beforehand "what ye should pray for." Thus the revelation says: "If ye are purified and cleansed from all sin, ye shall ask whatsoever you will in the name of Jesus and it shall be done. But know this, it shall be given you what you shall ask." (D&C 50:29-30.) That is, the uttered prayer will come by revelation from the Spirit. Prayers during the millennium will meet this high standard of excellence, for "in that day whatsoever any man shall ask, it shall be given unto him." (D&C 101:27.)

Romans 8:26-27; Thus the Spirit maketh intercession for us, in the sense that his words and pleas are planted in the hearts of others who utter them for and on our behalf. The Son of God, for instance, whose mission is one of intercession, "speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him." (John 3:34.) That is, all his words and acts are in complete harmony with the Holy Spirit. Thus the Prophet taught: "And he being the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, and having overcome, received a fulness of the glory of the Father, possessing the same mind with the Father, which mind is the Holy Spirit, that bears record of the Father and the Son, and these three are one. (Lectures on Faith, pp. 50-51.)

Romans 8:26-27; And so when our great Intercessor mediates our cause and pleads for us, his brethren, he is pleading for the same things that are in the mind of the Holy Spirit, and in this sense it may be said that the Spirit itself is making intercession. And similarly, when we, as moved upon by the Spirit, pray for each other, it might be said that the Spirit, through us, is interceding for the welfare of our brethren. In the field of intercession, the Spirit operates through other persons.

Romans 8:27; 27. He maketh intercession] Christ does it, because he it is that "knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit."