Yehoshua ben Peleh Shim'onai
Can a person be saved from his sins by the prayers of others?
Let's say I am a citizen of a kingdom that is under traditional type of monarchy. And I am one of the king's closest friends.
Now, I have a brother who is a rebel. And because I love him, I sent petitions to the king, asking him to grant my brother an amnesty. As my close friend, the king is willing to approve my petitions. The only problem is that my brother is unwilling to abandon his rebel status. In that case, do you think the king will grant him an amnesty?
Sin is a personal issue. Each one of us is responsible for his/her own sin. And each one of us will have to either face the judgement of God for his/her own sin or receive salvation by grace through faith in Christ.
If, for example, I didn't personally come to God in prayer to ask for His forgiveness to cleanse me and His grace to save me from my sins, my Dad's prayers would have gone in vain.
By the way, my Dad's prayers had a part in my genuine conversion to the Christian faith. That is to say, my Dad's prayers may have had a hand in leading me to repentance, but repentance itself was (and on a daily basis, still is) my personal responsibility.
- Shim'onai :D
https://truml.com