[QUOTE]The “Sinner’s Prayer” – Is It Biblical?
Date: Tuesday, June 19, 2001
Author: Wayne Jackson
URL: http://www.christiancourier.com/questions/...yerQuestion.htm
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“Ministers frequently tell lost people that they need to “pray the sinner’s prayer.” Exactly what is this “sinner’s prayer”? Is this prayer biblically based? If not, what is its origin?”
The so-called “sinner’s prayer” is a popular phenomenon in Protestant circles. It is employed at the conclusion of various denominational “revival” services in appeals to convince sincere people to “get saved.” It frequently is found as the ending in “gospel” tracts, urging folks to “repeat these words from the bottom of your heart.”

The “Sinner’s Prayer” takes various forms, all of which have the same general thrust. Here is one form of it:

“Heavenly Father, I know that I am a sinner and that I deserve to go to hell. I believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sins. I do now receive him as my Lord and personal Savior. I promise to serve you to the best of my ability. Please save me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
The following observations concerning this “prayer” should be carefully considered.

Is the “Sinner’s Prayer” in the New Testament?
The sentiments of this prayer are found nowhere in the literature of the New Testament that pertains to the sinner’s responsibility under the law of Christ. A careful study of the cases of conversion in the book of Acts will reveal that in not a single instance is the sinner instructed or encouraged to “pray” for his or her salvation. Rather, those honest souls who longed for redemption were admonished to “believe” on the Lord (Acts 16:31), “repent . . . and be immersed . . . for the forgiveness of [their] sins” (Acts 2:38; cf. 22:16), in order to enjoy a relationship with Christ (Gal. 3:27), and enter his spiritual body (1 Cor. 12:13).
What about Acts 2:21?
Acts 2:21 And it shall be, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Acts 2:38 And Peter said unto them, Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 22:16 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on his name.
The claim that Acts 2:21 provides authority for the “sinner’s prayer” is baseless. The “call” contemplated in this passage was fulfilled when penitent sinners surrendered to the terms of the gospel plan of redemption, explicitly announced later on the same occasion. The “forgiveness of sins” (38) is the equivalent of “saved” (21). Accordingly, the “call” of verse 21 is obviously a generic term which embraces the “repent . . . and be immersed” which was commanded of believers in verse 38.
Moreover, this calling/obedience connection is further established in Acts 22:16. Note that the very act of submitting to the Lord’s command to be immersed is the manifestation of “calling” on his name.


Saying “Lord, Lord” Is Not Enough
Scripture elsewhere makes it very clear that the mere act of “calling” out the Lord’s name, in an attempt to access divine mercy, in the absence of obedience, is an exercise in futility.
“Not everyone who says unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he who does [present tense – persistently does] the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Mt. 7:21).
Again, the Savior pointedly inquired:
“And why do you call me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things that I say?” (Lk. 6:46).

Prayer Is for the Child of God
NOTE: See our article on the "The New Birth: Its Necessity And Composition" in the "Archives" section (October 6, 1999).
Prayer is an avenue of communication between a “child of God” and his heavenly Father. The model prayer begins: “Our Father in heaven . . .” (Mt. 6:9). One becomes a child of the Father by means of the “born-again” process (Jn. 3:3-5), not by praying.

Saul’s Prayers Did Not Save Him
Saul of Tarsus prayed for three days after arriving in the city of Damascus, yet his sins were not “washed away” until he was immersed in water in obedience to the divine command (Acts 9:11; 22:16). If there ever was a case of the “sinner’s prayer” being exercised, surely this was it; yet it was for naught.

Where Did the “Sinner’s Prayer” Originate?
The “sinner’s prayer” probably evolved, in some form or another, in the early days of the Protestant Reformation movement, as a misguided reaction against the Roman Catholic dogma of justification by means of meritorious works.
For example, Jacobus Faber (c. 1450-1536), who has been called “the father of the French reformation” (though he never formally left the Catholic Church), wrote a commentary on the epistles of Paul in 1512. (This was five years before Luther’s break with the Roman Church in Germany.) In this volume Faber argued that justification is obtained through faith without works (see McClintock & Strong, Cyclopedia, Grand Rapids: Baker, 1969, Vol. III, p. 441).

Later, rebelling against the “merit works” system of Romanism, Luther would contend that salvation is on the basis of “faith alone.” According to one biographer, Luther exclaimed:

“I, Doctor Martin Luther, unworthy herald of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, confess this article, that faith alone without works justifies before God” (J.H. Merle D’Aubigne, Life and Times of Martin Luther, Chicago: Moody, 1955, p. 56).
So convinced was Luther of this proposition that, when producing his own translation of the New Testament, he altered the text of Romans 3:28 to read: “. . . a man is justified by faith only.” The word “only” is not in any Greek manuscript available. Luther even rejected the divine origin of the book of James because of its emphasis on “works,” in addition to faith.

To believe, therefore, that one may be justified from sin, by simply praying the “sinner’s prayer” as a substitute for obedience to the plan of salvation, is to labor under a delusion that is void of biblical support. Undoubtedly, many who offer the “sinner’s prayer” are exceedingly sincere. Sincerity alone, however, is unavailing (Prov. 14:12; Acts 23:1; 26:9).

Outstanding article! :nod:

The sinners prayer gives some people a false sense of security, which can lead to their peril in the life to come. I hope no one else is deceived by this "easy gospel," which is really a deceitful distortion of the truth. Believing should lead us to participate fully in God's plan of salvation, which is more than just a mental accpetance of truth. We must participate in what God provides, including baptism, communion, etc. These holy gifts help to save us, by God's grace.



Basil

Good article. I have no idea about the origins, but I know it's not a one-size-fits-all "Get out of Hell Free" ticket.

I used to date a Baptist. I prayed this prayer in 1982, 1985 and 1992 - all without meaning anything. Funny thing, though, when prompted by the Spirit to change my life in 2002, I prayed something like the following:

No human prompted me, I felt prompted by the Spirit to do this.

And I meant it. My life changed in that very moment. I desire to please God, but I know that my salvation is an on-going thing. Not that I have to pray immediately for forgiveness for every misstep, but that keeping in touch with your loving father is something a loving child does. Failure to do that would lead me to question your true faith.

It's not all wrapped up in what you do on one day with some preacher screaming and spitting on you.

I've always viewed the "sinner's prayer" as a tool and only a tool. It's a guide to help someone find their own words to cry out to God for Salvation. I agree that just saying the words is meaningless without true repentance.

Saint Theophan the Recluse is a highly esteemed saint of Russia in the century before last. A protestant missionary came into a Russian town preaching a different gospel to the people there causing confusion and descension. In response to a letter, Saint Theophan gave the following response about the situtation:

"Maybe he teaches salvation, but not in the way that Christ Himself or the Holy Apostles taught us. . . .

Someone may read the Gospel and interpret it falsely. For him the Gospel becomes a means of destruction. Why is this? This is because he doesn't know the road to salvation well. He does not know certain points of the spiritual path, such as faith, keeping the commandments, the acquisition of divine grace, etc. In the Gospel, these points are not spelled out and written collectively, but they've been written under several different passages. In order for one to walk safely in the way of salvation, he must recognize all these points.

Many stumble as they concentrate on certain passages that are related to salvation and turn their attention to one or two of these; they become isolated from the rest of Holy Writ, and cry out 'We have found it, the way of salvation!' In this way one declares, 'Have faith and you will be saved.' Another proclaims, 'Acquire Divine Grace and you don't need anything else.' A third advises, 'Love and you will obtain heaven.' And many other such things are taught. All these are real, and based on Holy Writ. But alone, none covers the entire subject of salvation. They must be combined and only then will full knowledge of the true character of salvation be gained.

Your false teacher is thus among all these who are deceived. He reads the Bible, as you write, and teaches how we will be saved. However, does he present the whole breadth and depth of the struggle that is required, or only one side of it? He grabs two or three isolated passages from Writ, and starts preaching: 'Here is the salvific medicine for you. Take it and be saved!' In the end, he is a liar and a deceiver . . . "

I'll write more from the article later, but the whole article is available through the "Orthodox Heritage" publication available at: http://members.cox.net/orthodoxheritage/index.htm . We should all ask ourselves, are we or our pastors deceivers and liars, having distorted the Gospel, even if unintentionally, or without mallice?

Basil

I think the point is a mental decision, regardless of the words used to express it, or the sincerity of that expression, is just the starting point of a persons life in Christ. From that decision or response to the gift of faith, a person must then follow Christ and struggle, participating in baptism, communion, etc. Christ says, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." John 3:5-7 This speaks of the necessity of water baptism, in which we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

These things have been provided to us through the Church Christ established to feed His flock. Paul says, "And He Himself gave some to be Apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints, for the work of ministry, fo rthe edifying of the body of Christ." Ephesians 4:3.

Basil