Dr. Robert Sumner passed away in December 2016. The Biblical Evangelist newspaper is no longer being published and the ministry of Biblical Evangelism has ceased operation.

The remaining inventory of his books and gospel tracts was transferred to The Baptist Tabernacle of Los Angeles and may be ordered here.

Matters of Opinion: Must God Answer Prayer?
Evangelist Robert L. Sumner

This relates to a brother who wrote saying God is never under any obligation to answer prayer. This was the editor’s response:

Thank you for yours of June 11. You say you and Tozer are right and that God is not under obligation to any of His creation in any way, especially about answering prayer.

You say, “Any Grace given (creation, salvation, answer of prayer) is all of mercy.” Of course it is. I have never said anything different.

Your main argument proving I am wrong and that you and Tozer are right (yes, I said he was wrong in a footnote on page 46 of my Fights 2 book, where I also spoke very highly of him: “Tozer was a good, godly man and helped untold multitudes with his writings,” but then quoted John 15:7, saying, “When God makes a promise – such as, ‘If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you’ (John 15:7) – and the child of God meets the conditions (abiding in Him, His words abiding in him/her), God is under obligation to answer.” That is very true! I don’t retract that for a moment.

My friend, I don’t think you thought your answer through very well. You said ,“We always have sin with us in the life (making it impossible to completely satisfy conditions).”

You have just “tossed out,” “thrown in the trash,” every promise God has given about answer to prayer. You are saying we cannot meet any of His conditions. Then why did God give them, promising to answer if we met them? Yours is the kind of answer I would expect from an infidel, not a Bible believer. But, as I noted, perhaps you didn’t think it through well.

So: when a Bible believer, a Christian, meets God’s terms about prayer, Almighty God is obligated to answer. Period!

      Addendum One: It is a strange argument that says no Christian can ever abide in Him or His words can never abide in us!

      Addendum Two: See the editor’s study on prayer in the Bible Study Corner this issue!