Sinners Prayer in the Bible?

MoreCoffee

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I'm looking online at that tract and nowhere do I find the word "forgive". It's a shame some Christians are afraid to tell others about Jesus' forgiveness.

It's about "a plan for your life" by God. I am not sure how that is intended to be reassuring but the tract authors think it is I suppose.
 

Imalive

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I'm looking online at that tract and nowhere do I find the word "forgive". It's a shame some Christians are afraid to tell others about Jesus' forgiveness.

Ehm that's what it's supposed to be about and confess Him as Lord. Nowadays some leave that out yes. It's crazy.
 

ImaginaryDay2

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That tract is rather distressing. I'd run the other way from anyone who handed me that.

Edit - I've kept reading tracts. My God...:unsure:
 
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Lamb

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That tract is rather distressing. I'd run the other way from anyone who handed me that.

Edit - I've kept reading tracts. My God...:unsure:

Don't many of them make you feel doomed instead of giving you joy, hope and peace?
 

ImaginaryDay2

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Some are scary, others are just depressing.
 

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Though it is not a prayer saving us, but Christ, essential faith is necessary in response, which is with repentance.
 

Lanman87

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I'm looking online at that tract and nowhere do I find the word "forgive". It's a shame some Christians are afraid to tell others about Jesus' forgiveness.

I'm late to this thread because I just joined a few days ago. If the tract in question is the one I think it is then there is something that folks who are not American Evangelical need to understand. When an American Evangelical says "Saved" it has a large meaning that would probably be explained by the person handing out the tract.

"Saved", loosely speaking, in Evangelical speak means, Born Again, Forgiven, Adopted, Indwelled with the Holy Spirit, Made a new Creation in Christ, and placed faith/trust in Christ. When you hear someone who attends a Baptist church or an Assembly of God or similar tradition say they "Got saved", they mean all of those things listed.

Now as far as the sinner's prayer is concerned, I have mixed feelings about it. Certainly sharing the gospel and asking people if they want to profess faith in Christ is Biblical. Logically, the first prayer a new believer would pray would be a prayer of acknowledgement of who Christ is and what He has done for us, a confession that I recognize myself to be a sinner and need forgiveness, and the desire to trust in Christ and follow him. Which is a synopsis of a typical "sinner's prayer".

However, American Evangelicalism has, in many circles, turned the sinner's prayer into "how we get saved" instead of a "result of being saved". It is analogous to teaching a child to say "I'm sorry" when what we really want is for them to actually "be sorry". The goal has been to get people to "say a prayer" instead of people coming to a deep and abiding faith in Christ. A person can say the "sinner's prayer" 1000 times and never had their heart changed from a heart of stone to a heart of flesh. And a person could never say the "sinner's prayer" and be a dedicated, Spirit Filled, follower of Christ.
 

Josiah

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However, American Evangelicalism has, in many circles, turned the sinner's prayer into "how we get saved" instead of a "result of being saved".


I agree. And I think THAT is the "issue" many Christians have with this.


Similarly, I think many have a related issue with "altar calls." Again, the basic thing could be very good and certainly biblical... indeed, it's not unlike what Lutherans, Catholics, Anglicans, Reformed and more do in Confirmation. But it seems to me, in much of American "Evangelicalism" it's seen as a work they did that resulted in their being saved. And that, IMO, is problematic.


As a Lutheran, I'm strongly monergistic. But I also hold that there's lots of MYSTERY here.... we don't know all aspects of the MIRACLE of justification and spiritual life - only that it is God's miracle, God's blessing, God's gift. And not the result of anything we contribute. Soli Deo Gloria.


Blessings on your Epiphany season!


Josiah




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Lanman87

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As a Lutheran, I'm strongly monergistic. But I also hold that there's lots of MYSTERY here.... we don't know all aspects of the MIRACLE of justification and spiritual life - only that it is God's miracle, God's blessing, God's gift. And not the result of anything we contribute. Soli Deo Gloria.
One good thing is I've noticed a trend toward putting the sinners prayer in it's proper place. Prominent Evangelical pastors and teachers are starting to question the effect the sinner's prayer is having on Christianity. If you are interested look up David Platt on the Sinners Prayer on youtube. David Platt is the former Head of the Southern Baptist International Mission Board and is now the Pastor of a large church in the Washington D.C. area and has wrote several books.

Paul Washer is a well known evangelist who makes no bones about his distaste for the sinner's prayer. Here is a seven or so minute video that you might find interesting

Paul Washer on the sinner's prayer
 

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I'm late to this thread because I just joined a few days ago. If the tract in question is the one I think it is then there is something that folks who are not American Evangelical need to understand. When an American Evangelical says "Saved" it has a large meaning that would probably be explained by the person handing out the tract.

"Saved", loosely speaking, in Evangelical speak means, Born Again, Forgiven, Adopted, Indwelled with the Holy Spirit, Made a new Creation in Christ, and placed faith/trust in Christ. When you hear someone who attends a Baptist church or an Assembly of God or similar tradition say they "Got saved", they mean all of those things listed.

The majority of the people I know who say they "got saved" actually mean that they contributed in some way whether it was
giving their heart to Jesus
surrendering to Jesus
saying a prayer

None of them talk about Jesus forgiving them without them first having to do something.
 

Lanman87

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The majority of the people I know who say they "got saved" actually mean that they contributed in some way whether it was
giving their heart to Jesus
surrendering to Jesus
saying a prayer

None of them talk about Jesus forgiving them without them first having to do something.

That is a valid Criticism of "Conversion" or "Decision" theology. Which is held by most American Evangelicals. They are big on preaching the gospel with the goal of getting people to convert/come to faith. What decision theology doesn't answer, and really doesn't make an attempt to answer, is why people make that decision to follow Jesus.

Those questions get you into deep and mysterious questions about free will, predestination, irresistible grace and so on. Our Presbyterian friends and fellow Reformed/Calvinist friends really enjoy those topics. Most others never broach the subjects.
 

Josiah

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The majority of the people I know who say they "got saved" actually mean that they contributed in some way whether it was
giving their heart to Jesus
surrendering to Jesus
saying a prayer

None of them talk about Jesus forgiving them without them first having to do something.

That's that's I've witnessed, too. In fact, we've had several posting here at CH insisting that God doens't love or do ANYTHING for us UNTIL we do.... well, all sorts of things including weeping buckets of tears in repentance, saying the Sinner's Prayer, "give to God the steering wheel of our lives" and all of other things.

My experience is that nearly always, the "Sinner's Prayer" folks are radical synergists - insisting that salvation/justification is a cooperative affair of Jesus doing His part (the part that actually saves no one) and WE do our part (the part that actually means we are saved) AND that it starts with ME.

Now, I HAVE experienced what Lanman87 is saying.... although very rarely. I recall being in a Baptist Church one Sunday morning and the preacher did the "altar call" thing.... and during that ackward time when no one was coming forward and before the usual few who ALWAYS come forward did so again... he commented something like this: "If your hands are sweating... if your heart is beating... if everything in you is calling you to come down... then you HAVE FAITH and "the Holy Spirit is calling you to proclaim your faith." Yup. Pretty much along those lines. I could live with that theology (Lutherans just do that at Confirmation, not Altar Calls) but I'm not recalling hearing similarly from anyone else.



A blessed Epiphany season to you and yours....



- Josiah



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