Articles
The Sinners Prayer
“The Sinner’s Prayer” has a very long history among denominational churches and is still widely taught and practiced to present day. An example of the sinner’s prayer is as follows…
“Lord Jesus, I need You. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be.”
In many ways this prayer may sound alright to you, but it is not Biblical in its teaching. In fact, it is Calvinistic in its contents – Christ does everything, the sinner does nothing; the sinner cannot do anything for himself. Again, such is contrary to Bible doctrine.
By the way, where do we ever read of “the sinner’s prayer” in the Bible? Where did Jesus or His inspired apostles ever teach such (Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 2:42)? They did not.
Jesus commanded His apostles to “preach the gospel to every creature,” not the sinner’s prayer (Mark 16:15). Why? Because the gospel is God’s power to salvation, not some prayer spoken (Romans 1:16)!
The Lord further taught that “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16). Where are these conditions of salvation mentioned in “the sinner’s prayer”?
Jesus taught that men must repent or they would be lost (Luke 13:3; Acts 17:30). Where is the need for repentance found in “the sinner’s prayer”?
The New Testament teaches the necessity of confessing with one’s mouth the Lord Jesus and believing in their heart that God raised Christ from the dead in order for the sinner to be saved (Romans 10:9-10). Where are these requirements mentioned in “the sinner’s prayer”?
The Lord commanded men to be baptized to be saved (Mark 16:16). Forgiveness of sins is received after the sinner has been baptized into Christ (Acts 2:38). It is at this point that the sinner comes in contact with Jesus’ cleansing blood (Rom. 6:3; Acts 22:16). There is no mention of baptism in “the sinner’s prayer.”
“The Sinner’s Prayer” is man’s plan of salvation, not God’s. It is not found anywhere in the Scriptures, and therefore it is without authority. It will save no one, and sadly will cause many to be lost who accept its message and reject the true gospel of Jesus Christ (Gal. 1:6-9; 2 Thess. 1:7-9; 2:9-12).
