Sadly, many otherwise well-meaning Christians, Pastors, and Teachers have fallen for the lie of easy-believism, decisional evangelism, and so on. Essentially, their theology says all a sinner needs to do is invite Jesus into their heart and believe. Believe what, exactly? You must understand, a smattering of Gospel verses followed by a prayer will save no one, as I will attempt to illustrate below. This a misrepresentation of what THE TRUE GOSPEL is all about, and is a lie from hell. So, what dies this prayer look like?
Although there are many variations, the typical prayer goes something like this – “I confess to God that I am a sinner. I believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for my sins in the cross and was raised back to life so that I could be made right with God. I now repent of my sins and receive and confess Him as my Saviour and Lord”.
Scriptural Evidence?
There is a total lack of scriptural evidence anyone prayed a “salvation prayer” to receive Jesus. This teaching is an invention of man and without Scriptural support. There is NO evidence in the New Testament of a prayer containing the words, “Saviour and Lord.” Specifically, where is the New Testament evidence for “inviting Jesus into my heart”?
The Unsaved cannot come to God
Since no man can confess Jesus as Lord unless he is called (drawn) by the Father, it is scripturally impossible to accept the phrase, “I confess to God that I am a sinner”, without having heard the complete Gospel and repented first. Based upon the presented verses, does a lost person completely understand what sin is, and their need for a Saviour? We do not invite Jesus into our hearts, both He and the Father will come to us if, we love Him. An unconverted person cannot call the Father, “Father”! They are still lost in their sin and separated from God.
John 14: 21 “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.”
John 14:23 “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will come unto him, and make our abode with him.”
We cannot come to God on our own without first having “learned of the Father”. John 6:44-45 – “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up on the last day. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.”
Romans 8:6-8 – “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.”
Prayers of Sinners?
No scriptural evidence God hears (responds) to prayers of the unsaved. We must first be saved and worshipping God. John 9:31 – “Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doth his will, him, he heareth.”
Repentance?
Barely a mention of repentance, which is repeated over and over in the New Testament – repent, repent, repent!
Baptism?
Why is this missing when scripture consistently upholds it? “Repent and be baptized for the remission of sins..” Mark 16:16 – “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.”
Abiding in Christ?
John 14:21 “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.” John 14:23 – “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.”
John 15:5-6 – “I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.” Scripture says we do not invite Jesus into our heart; He comes to us when we love Him. How can a sinner receive Jesus without first loving Him?
Does the lost person understand what “commit my life fully to you” means? Where is this thoroughly expounded upon? The sinners prayer makes no mention of continually abiding in Jesus, keeping His commandments, and living a holy life. What is the fate of those not abiding and enduring in Christ? Eternal damnation in hell.
Salvation is a work of God and not ourselves
There is nothing we can do to earn eternal life, it is completely a gift from God. John 1:10-14 – “He was in he world, and the world knew him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
Hebrews 11:6 – “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
The NLT translates v12-13 as “But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn – not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.” John is writing to make clear the spiritual birth of the converted is solely and singularly a work of God, and not of ourselves. Therefore, I must conclude the sinners prayer makes salvation a work of man, robbing Christ of His redemptive role saving sinners.
Ephesians 2:8-9 – “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is a gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” We are saved by grace and not through a sinners prayer confession, the spiritually dead cannot make themselves undead. Ephesians 2:1 – “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins”.
A Sinners Prayer is NOT The Gospel
I agree, yes, this prayer includes certain elements of the Gospel, however it does not represent THE Gospel, nor adequately convey the message of salvation. The impression is we are saved by praying a prayer, which of course is untrue; salvation is by faith alone.
Regardless of form, the sinners prayer is NOT the Gospel, and will result in a false conversion. Based upon the verses presented, does a person reading only these two pages have a solid of understanding of the Gospel? I would have to say, no.
THE BIBLICAL METHOD OF SALVATION
“But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.” Galatians 1:8-9
The true Gospel may be likened to a lock which may only be opened when using a specific key; any changes to which will render it useless and the lock remains closed. The Gospel is very specific and cannot, must NOT, ever, ever, be changed or altered in any way. A careful search of the Scriptures leads one to conclude the core essentials of the Gospel include.
Faith comes by hearing the Gospel, and hearing by the Word of God
Romans 10:8-17 – “But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the Lord shall be saved.
How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
Mark 1:15 – “And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.”
Hebrews 11:1 – “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Hebrews 11:6 – “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
James 1:17-20 – “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works, and I will show thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
Repent and be Baptized
Luke 13:3 – “I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”
Acts 3:19 – “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.”
Acts 9:17-20 – “And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou lamest, hath sent me, that thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose and was baptized.” *Saul had earlier confessed Jesus as Lord on the road to Damascus. See Acts 9:3-9
Acts 2:36-38 – “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men, and brethren what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
Matthew 27:19-20 – “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”
Mark 16:15-16 – “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.”
Acts 8:29-38 – “The the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understands thou what thou readest? And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:
In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth. And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man? Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. And as they went on their way, they cam unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believes with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water. both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.”
Another key aspect of true conversion is a PUBLIC CONFESSION OF JESUS CHRIST. Continuing in Verse 39 – “And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.”
Matthew 10:32-33 – “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.”
Continually abide in Jesus Christ
Hebrews 5:5-10 – “So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee. As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.”
John 14:21 – “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.”
Matthew 10:22 – “And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.”
James 1:12 – “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.”
2 Timothy 4:6-8 – “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”
*The following narrative is a summary of the presentation method taught during an evangelism course at our church, a few years ago. While certainly not the only presentation method of evangelism, it does provide a logical and thorough presentation of the Gospel, and a blueprint to lead a lost soul to Jesus. I have included it here for comparison against the “Sinners Prayer”, or “Decisional Evangelism” method.
GOD’S STANDARD OF PERFECTION ~ The Bad News ~
You must never ever have sinned, not even one time! God’s laws are essentially summarized in the “Ten Commandments”; Thou shalt not murder, Thou shalt not lie, and so on. The two most important characteristics about God we must understand in order to comprehend the gospel, are that God is both loving and just at the same time. In order for us to be saved by our own “goodness” and abilities, it is necessary for us never to have sinned. God’s perfect justice demands and requires sin to be punished.
Here is what the Bible really says:
James 2:10 – “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”
Romans 3:23 – “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”
Romans 6:23 – “For the wages of sin is death…”
Psalm 53:1-3 – “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good. God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God. Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.”
Romans 5:12 – “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.”
GOD IS LOVE! ~The Good News!! ~
God loves each human being to the ultimate, maximum possible extent, so much so, the human mind is incapable of fully comprehending His love for us. Jeremiah 31:3 – “The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee”.
Ephesians 2:4 – “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,…”1 John 4:8 – “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” The love God has for us is so intense and powerful, He is compelled to forgive us of our sins. However, we also know that God is perfectly just and must see our sin punished.
“THE DILEMMA” ~ What is God to do? ~
God’s infinite and perfect love for us compels Him to forgive us of our sins, while His perfect justice demands that sin be punished. What is God to do? Please understand that God would like everyone to be saved, so in 2 Peter 3:9 we read “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” Now there is no dilemma with God, but this will help us to understand why we need a Saviour to rescue us from sin.
Plan C: God will search the Earth for a single righteous man to take the punishment for sin for all mankind. Psalm 53:2-3 – “God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God. Every one of them is gone back:they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” Isaiah 53:6 – “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way…” Romans 3:23 – “All have sinned, come short of the glory of God.” Plan C dies on the table since scripture makes it plain no human being is without sin.
Plan B: God will come to Earth Himself and accept the punishment for our sins. This plan also dies because God is spirit and we are flesh, therefore it is impossible for Him to take our punishment for us – He is of a different substance and form. Scripture is very clear about the Old Testament animal sacrifices being unable to take away sin. Again, animals are of a different type of flesh that humans. Hebrews 10:3-4 – “But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.”
Plan A: This is THE PLAN God established from the foundation of the world as the only way to forgive mankind, while at the same time satisfy His judgement against sin. A miraculous conception, Luke 1:26-35 – “And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel came in unto here, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of Salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of this father David. And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.”
NO OTHER SAVIOUR THAN JESUS CHRIST
Hebrews 4:15 – “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”
John 14:6 – “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
Acts 4:12: “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
Isaiah 53:5-6 – “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own was; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
1 Peter 2:24 – “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.”
A PROVISION
What we have just learned would appear to say that every person is automatically saved, however this is not exactly the case. Consider the following illustration. You and your family have planned a spectacular holiday at an exotic tropical resort. Finally, after months of planning and waiting the big day finally arrives. After checking in at the airport and clearing customs, the call for passengers to begin boarding is announced over the speaker system. Everyone heads down the final connecting ramp to the waiting aircraft and boards, but you hesitate to cross the threshold due to an intense fear of flying.
Certain you will be able to ease your fears and take that final step, you tell the family to find their seats and you will join them shortly. After a period of 20 minutes or so passes, the cabin crew closes the aircraft door leaving you shut out of your flight. By faith, your family members trusted the airplane manufacturer, the airline, flight crews, pilot and so forth, to safely deliver them to their destination. All you needed to do was take that step of faith and step onto the airplane, but you did not. Everything was prepared and ready for you, all parties had done their jobs correctly and you were ready to go. The final remaining but necessary step was to complete your part by getting on board, but failed to do so.
Just like this person who missed their flight because of their inaction to take the final step, anyone wishing to be saved from the fires of hell must consciously receive the promises of the Father through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. When Jesus died on the cross He paid the price for everyone’s sin, but to make it real you must make it personal. Let us look at another example to illustrate this vital point. You have contracted a lawyer to draw up your will to protect your loved ones when you die. Are the terms laid out in the will in force before you place your signature on the document? No. If you die before signing the will the terms and conditions are not enforceable and your family is left in a mess – your inaction has very real consequences.
A biblical example: Thief on the Cross, Luke 23:36-43 “And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar, And saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself. And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today, shalt thou be with me in Paradise.”
Both thieves freely admitted they were sinners and deserving of death. At some point one of them was moved to acknowledge Jesus as Lord. Could this man have saved himself? No, he was utterly incapable of doing anything to change his situation. Notice very carefully how after making a simple profession of faith, Jesus responded by assuring him he would go to heaven – he would be saved!
FOUR CRITICAL STEPS
[1] – YOUR ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF BEING A SINNER BEFORE GOD
*You are ruined and lost because of sin.
Romans 3:23 – “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”
Psalm 58:3 – “The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.”
Psalm 53:1-3 – “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good. God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God. Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.”
Jeremiah 17:19 – “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”
Isaiah 64:6 – “But we are all as unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”
[2] – YOUR CALL TO REPENTANCE
* The first step towards healing the wounds.
Acts 3:19 – “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.”
Luke 13:3 – “I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”
2 Peter 3:9 – “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
[3] – YOUR PROFESSION OF FAITH
*Receiving the promises of God by faith alone.
Romans 5:1 – “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Ephesians 2:8-9 – “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Romans 10:9-10 – “That is thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
Romans 10:13 – “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
[4] – YOUR CONFESSION BEFORE MEN
*Making your conversion real.
Matthew 10:32-33 – “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.”
John 1:11-13 – “He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.”
As soon as practicable and without unnecessary delay, you should be baptized as a public profession of your faith, and new life in Christ Jesus. Acts 2:36-38 – “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men, and brethren what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” Matthew 28:19 – “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”
Blessings!
