© 06 Colin Melbourne
Before you are ready to pray the Sinner’s Prayer you must understand what it means, what you are doing, and why.
Almighty God has come to Earth and made an eternal Covenant in His Blood; that every sinner who hears and believes the Gospel of Christ, and is willing to repent and believe in Him, will be saved from sin, sickness, death, and Hell. The Sinner’s Prayer helps you to make this once in a lifetime decision. But you must comprehend several crucial points beforehand.
What is the sinner’s prayer?
First, what it is not.
It is not a sacrament, or a prescribed religious creed, nor a ‘formula’ for being saved. Though it is often perceived in this way.
It is best to think of it as a template for an individual sinner to pray to God after they have understood How To Be Born Again, and are ready to accept the LORD Jesus Christ as Saviour.
Ideally you should use your own words, praying from heart conviction, including the main points of the sinner’s prayer. These are;
- Personal conviction of your sinful state
- Repentance from unbelief in Christ
- Heart faith in the deity of Christ, Almighty God in the Flesh
- Total reliance on the Sacrifice of Christ alone for salvation and redemption
- Heart faith in the physical resurrection of Christ
- Verbal confession of Him as LORD and your Saviour
- Genuine commitment to follow Christ henceforth
Why pray the sinner’s prayer?
The purpose of the sinner’s prayer is to help sinners do what they need to do in order to be saved. That is, to repent of unbelief in Christ and receive Him into their heart as LORD, (Almighty God in the Flesh) and their personal Saviour. That from henceforth, Jesus is in charge of your life: Not you.
Who can pray it?
Anybody who has heard the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, comprehends what He’s done for them, and who wants to believe and respond as God intends them to.
What does the sinner’s prayer do to me?
Nothing, it is not a magic spell, incantation, or formula. The prayer itself does nothing to you. Unless it is genuine expression of your own heart towards God and the Lordship of Jesus Christ it will have no effect whatsoever. But when it is a wholehearted expression of your repentance and faith in Christ, God Himself instantly makes you a New Creation by His Spirit.
Where is the sinner’s prayer in the Bible?
Cults often challenge Christians to show where the Sinner’s Prayer is written in the Bible. They use this ploy to cause sinners to lose sight of the fact that the purpose and principles of the prayer are the theme of every page of God’s word.
It distils the essential requirements of the New Covenant that a sinner must fulfil in order to be saved.
God has made salvation easy, cults try to make it complicated by adding requirements like water baptism, penance, and such like.
Salvation does not come through sacraments, but through heart repentance and faith in the LORD Jesus Christ alone.
What does the sinner’s prayer mean?
It signifies that the sinner has heard, comprehends the Gospel of Christ, and accepts it as true, declaring their faith in His finished work on their behalf. They also show that they are going to repent from sin, follow and obey Him as their Lord. They will do what His word says.
How often should I pray it?
The prayer only ever needs to be prayed once. If you have prayed it before without really meaning it, or without genuine heart faith, then you are still unsaved and need to pray it sincerely to be saved.
Do I have to use these exact words?
No, indeed it is preferable to use your own, so long as you retain the key points mentioned above.
Can I pray it now?
If you have understood and believed the Gospel of Christ, and genuinely want to receive Him as Lord of your life, you are ready to pray and be saved right where you are.
© 06 Colin Melbourne