Destructible Doctrines: The Sinner’s Prayer

Russ Earl

      Heavenly Father:

I come to you in prayer asking for the forgiveness of my sins. I confess with my mouth and believe with my heart that Jesus is Your Son, and that He died on the Cross at Calvary that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father, I believe that Jesus rose from the dead and I ask you right now to come in to my life and be my personal Lord and Savior. I repent of my sins and will worship you all the day's of my Life! Because your word is truth, I confess with my mouth that I am born again and cleansed by the blood of Jesus!  In Jesus name, amen.

      Above is the prayer which is popular among many denominations today. A prayer which they believe is the ONLY thing required for salvation, totally removing the necessity of baptism. It holds to the idea of faith only.

      The followers of such a prayer cling to Romans 10:9-13 and John 10:9. However, if you notice when discussing this “prayer” with a person who believes in such a thing, they will not mention the following verses and the obviousness of the teachings therein.

• Mark 1:4 — “preached the baptism of repentance unto remission of sins.”

• Luke 3:3 — “preaching the baptism of repentance unto remission of sins;”

• Acts 2:38 —  “And Peter said unto them, Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

• Acts 16:33 — “And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, immediately.”

      There is nothing in the New Testament that is anything like the so called “sinners prayer” encouraged by those who believe that salvation comes by faith only. Prayer is the communication between a child of God and the Father, based on the mediator Jesus Christ.

Here are the requirements for salvation according to the inspired word of God:

1)      One must hear the word of God: Romans 10:17, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

2)      One must believe in Jesus: John 8:24, “I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.”

3)      One must repent of his sins: Act 2:38, “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.”

4)      One must confess Christ: Romans 10:9-10, “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.”

5)      One must be immersed for the forgiveness of sins: Mark 16:16, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.”

As already mentioned, this prayer also leads to the idea of Faith only, but where in the Word of God do we read of faith only? The answer: NOWHERE!! This idea was developed by men who twist and pervert the gospel of Christ to please others. Let’s look again at what the word tells us.

• James 2:26, “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”

• James 2:17, “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.”

            When the bible tells us in Romans 10:9, “…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,” We must put it into context. Confession is only ONE step of salvation. So when we hear of the “sinners prayer” let’s be mindful of what it really is: fatal teaching taught by false teachers. We must always remember what the BIBLE teaches us about the steps to salvation: faith, repentance, confession, baptism and faithful living. Let’s always remember God’s way and not man’s.