“Are people saved by sinner’s prayer without knowing the Gospel?”
By Ramesh
C.Reddy
Pittsburgh Standard
Sunday, Dec 16, 2007
Editors Note: There is a background song called 'There is a Redeemer' that can be heard if you are using Internet Explorer.
“Are people saved by sinner’s prayer without knowing the Gospel?”
To that question asked by a friend, we have to define 3 terms here
and know what they really mean before answering ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ because
sometimes ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ is not the answer but ‘IT DEPENDS WHAT YOU MEAN’
could be the answer.
Let’s look at the 3 words:
1. SAVED
2. SINNER’S PRAYER
3. KNOWING THE GOSPEL
PART I: SAVED
SAVED means “to rescue from danger or possible harm, injury, or loss”
according to
http://www.dictionary.com
In our case, when a human being is SAVED, they are being rescued from
danger, injury, or loss as a result of sin. Being rescued implies, there
is a rescuer who is doing the rescuing.
Who is that Rescuer?
It is Jesus Christ, the Son of Man.
“No one has ever gone into heaven except the one
who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake
in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who
BELIEVES in him may have eternal life.” (John 3:13-15, NIV)
‘in him’ refers to Jesus Christ.
“So the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the
people, and many were bitten and died. Then the people came to Moses and
cried out, “We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you.
Pray that the Lord will take away the snakes.” So Moses prayed for the
people. Then the Lord told him, “Make a replica of a poisonous snake and
attach it to a pole. All who are bitten will live if they simply look at
it!” So Moses made a snake out of bronze and attached it to a pole. Then
anyone who was bitten by a snake could look at the bronze snake and be
healed!” (Numbers 21:6-9, NIV)
Now in the same way, all humanity that is bitten by the bondage of sin
will be SAVED, if they look at the Son of Man who was lifted up on a
cross and BELIEVE in Him.
VERSES PERTAINING TO SAVED:
"And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will
save his people from their sins.” All of this occurred to fulfill the
Lord’s message through his prophet: “Look! The virgin will conceive a
child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel,
which means ‘God is with us.’” (Matthew 1:21-23, NLT)
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one
and only Son, that whoever BELIEVES in him shall not perish but have
eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the
world, but to SAVE the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not
condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because
he has not BELIEVED in the name of God’s one and only Son.” (John
3:16-18, NIV)
“I am the gate. Those who come in through me will
be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures.”
(John 10:9, NLT)
“But everyone who calls on the name of the
Lord will be saved.’ (Acts 2:21, NLT)
“For Jesus is the one referred to in the
Scriptures, where it says, ‘The stone that you builders rejected has now
become the cornerstone.’ There is salvation in no one else! God has
given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” (Acts
4:11-12, NLT)
“We believe that we are all saved the same way, by
the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus.” (Acts 15:11, NLT)
“They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you
will be saved, along with everyone in your household.” (Acts 16:31, NLT)
“But God showed his great love for us by sending
Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been
made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save
us from God’s condemnation. For since our friendship with God was
restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we
will certainly be saved through the life of his Son.” (Romans 5:8-10)
“In fact, it says, “The message is very close at
hand; it is on your lips and in your heart.” And that message is the
very message about faith that we preach: If you confess with your mouth
that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from
the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that
you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth
that you are saved.” (Romans 10:8-10, NLT)
“God saved you by his grace when you believed. And
you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.” (Ephesians
2:9, NLT)
VERSES PERTAINING TO SAVED FROM SIN
“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and
said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John
1:29, NLT)
“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of
God’s glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares
that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us
from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice
for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus
sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God
was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in
times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would
do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness,
for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in
his sight when they believe in Jesus.” (Romans 3:23-26, NLT)
“And the result of God’s gracious gift is very
different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to
condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with
God, even though we are guilty of many sins. For the sin of this one
man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s
wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it
will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus
Christ.” (Romans 5:16-17, NLT)
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift
of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23, NLT)
“While we look forward with hope to that wonderful
day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be
revealed. He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse
us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good
deeds.” (Titus 2:13-15, NLT)
PART II: SINNER’S PRAYER
What is a sinner’s prayer anyway?
Simply, it is a prayer prayed by a sinner who acknowledges his/her sin
before the Lord and asks for the Lord’s intervention in their lives. It
can be a complex prayer as listed below with biblical references or a
simple prayer. I will list both with references.
I believe a sinner’s prayer makes someone a believer in Christ if the
prayer being prayed is meant in the person’s heart before the Lord in
prayer.
COMPLEX and well thought of prayer before giving your life to CHRIST:
1. Lord Jesus, I am a sinner. (Romans 3:23)
2. I am so sorry for my sins. (1 John 1:9)
3. I confess my sins to you and repent of my sins.
(Acts 3:19)
4. Please forgive my sins. (Acts 13:38)
5. I believe you died on the cross for my sins by shedding your blood
for me. (John 3:13-18, Romans 5:8-10)
6. And I believe you rose from the dead to give me Eternal Life when I
repent of my sin. (Romans 10:8-10)
7. I now accept you into my heart as my Lord and Personal Savior and ask
you to come into my heart as I receive you Jesus you into my heart.
(John 1:12)
8. Please live in me Jesus and I will live for you and serve you the
rest of the days of my life. (Luke 9:23-27)
9. Thank you Jesus for coming into my heart and making my heart your
home, for living in me. (John 1:12-13)
10. Thank you Jesus that you alone can save me by your grace and it is
not on my own ability. (Ephesians 2:9)
11. Thank you that you have heard my prayer and answered me!
(John 14)
12. In Your Name I pray Jesus! AMEN! (John 14)
SIMPLE ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND STILL SAVED:
“But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear
God even when you have been sentenced to die? We deserve to die for our
crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus,
remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” And Jesus replied, “I
assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:40-43, NLT)
“They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you
will be saved, along with everyone in your household. And they shared
the word of the Lord with him and with all who lived in his household.
Even at that hour of the night, the jailer cared for them and washed
their wounds. Then he and everyone in his household were immediately
baptized.” (Acts 16:31-33, NLT)
It bothers me when people want to make things complex. We don’t save
people but we are used as an instrument to lead people to Christ if He
chooses to use us. The Billy Graham Crusades have been effective in my
mom’s life and my life too. They hear the Gospel presented and then
those willing to give their life to Christ pray the sinners prayer
whether it is complex or simple. At that point, the Lord Jesus has come
into their life and saved them. The Christian life is a journey and we
need the Lord's help. The follow-up after the Billy Graham Crusades is
awesome and I have experienced it. Following up on baby Christians is so
important. Salvation is what the Lord does in a person's life and not
what a person does to earn it. If it is earned then it is not a gift
because a gift is unmerited and that is God's gift of grace!
“But everyone who calls on the name of the
Lord will be saved.’ (Acts 2:21, NLT)
A simple prayer like, ‘Lord Jesus, I need you, please save me’ is enough
for the Lord to come and work in a person’s life.
Jesus will take over from there through the power of the Holy Spirit. We
are not saved by the good works we do but good works are a result of our
Salvation. It is grace of the Lord Jesus that saves us and is a free
gift. A gift is something that has to be received.
People don’t need all the answers to come to Christ. When they come,
Jesus will take care of the rest if they truly come to Him. A person who
comes to Jesus, Jesus will not cast out. (John 10)
PART III: THE GOSPEL
God Offers Salvation Providing Eternal Life! (G.O.S.P.E.L)
"For I am not ashamed of this Good News about
Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the
Jew first and also the Gentile. This Good News tells us how God
makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish
by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous
person has life.” (Romans 1:16-17, NLT)
What is the GOSPEL?
It is the GOOD NEWS of Jesus Christ through which God offers salvation,
providing Eternal Life!
"This is the message of Good News for the people
of Israel—that there is peace with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord
of all.” (Acts 10:36, NLT)
“But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use
it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of
telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.” (Acts
20:24, NLT)
“God promised this Good News long ago through his
prophets in the holy Scriptures. The Good News is about his Son. In his
earthly life he was born into King David’s family line, and he was shown
to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of
the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 2:3-4, NLT)
“Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been
given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make
disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father
and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all
the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you
always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20, NLT)
I am going to share with you a long message the Lord Jesus put upon my
heart almost 10 years ago regarding the G.O.S.P.E.L!
The law is there to expose our sins and bring them to surface by
stripping us of our self-righteousness.
Our self-righteousness is there to make us proud of our own good works.
Our own good works are there to make us think we will be accepted by God
just because our good works are accepted by others.
Others are there who cannot be compared to God.
God is there to make us know He does not go by others standards.
Standards are there to show that our good works will never be able to
keep the Ten Commandments.
The Ten Commandments are there to show us we do violate them and we will
face judgment.
Judgment is there to show us that the holiness of God will not allow sin
to enter His presence.
His presence is there that will not tolerate the slightest sin.
Sin is there because man disobeyed God which resulted in the fall of
man.
Man is there, who without God in his life gives allegiance to Satan.
Satan is there to separate us from God, so when we die Satan can have us
in Hell.
Hell is there to imprison us eternally, where there is weeping and
gnashing of teeth, when we rebel against God and his ways.
His ways are there that show us that all have sinned and fallen short of
the glory of God because we have taken the wrong path.
The wrong path is there pointing to methods that make people think they
can reach God by their own self-reliance.
Self-reliance is there that points to self.
Self is there working things its own way giving sin the opportunity to
give its wages.
Wages are there to give spiritual death that can only be prevented with
an antidote.
Antidote is there because God so loved us so much, even in our sins,
that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him
should not perish but have everlasting life.
Everlasting life is there because the antidote was given for each of us
to wash away our sinful disease.
Sinful disease is there until we accept the cure.
The cure is there because of the cross.
The cross is there because that was the only way for the antidote to be
made.
Antidote to be made was there because Jesus loved us so much that, while
we were yet sinners, He shed His blood to cleanse us from sin and make
us have good spiritual health.
Good spiritual health is there only when we freely accept the antidote,
Christ's cleansing blood.
Christ's cleansing blood is there to cure us only when we come to grips
that we have this sinister disease and confess all the symptoms of this
disease called sin and ask for the cure by believing in Jesus, our Lord
and Personal Savior.
Jesus, our Lord and Personal Savior is there for us to accept Him
because after shedding His blood and dying for us, God brought Him back
to life on the third day and He sits at the right Hand of God, the
Father interceding on our behalf in a wonderful place called Heaven.
Heaven is there so that God can receive us when we leave this earth
because through what Jesus did for us, God sees in us the righteousness
of Christ.
The righteousness of Christ is there to cover our sins with his precious
blood crucifying our sin to the cross and making us live a life worthy
of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Gospel of Jesus Christ is there to show us that we are not saved by
works so let no man boast, but by Jesus Christ who has given us the free
gift of grace.
Free gift of grace is there to show us that we cannot reach God by our
own works but God reaches out to us through the perfect work
accomplished by Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
The Son of God is there to tell us that no man cometh to the Father
except through Him because He alone is the Life, the Way, and the Truth.
The Truth is out there pointing the only one way to Heaven, with no
other way.
No other way is there to Heaven because Jesus is the only one who can
give us access to God.
Access to God is there only when we have Jesus in our hearts through the
Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is there because when Jesus died and ascended to Heaven,
He sent His Spirit.
His Spirit is there to live in us and work in us helping us follow His
Word.
His Word is there to make us wise for salvation through faith in Christ
Jesus who diligently Himself, followed all Scripture.
All Scripture is there which is given by inspiration of God, and is
profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly equipped
for every good work.
Every good work is there now because of our faith in Christ that produce
the good deeds.
Good deeds are there because when we believe in Jesus we will do what He
asks us to do not by might, nor by power but by the Spirit of the Lord.
Spirit of the Lord is there to instruct us and guide us along the best
pathway of life advising us and watching our progress.
Our progress shows the world that we bear fruit
because we believe in God, the Father; God, the Son; and God, the Holy
Spirit to work in us as we are eventually baptized into the Name of the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit as Jesus commanded in the Great
Commission.
The Great Commission is what we should embark
on because we are commanded to proclaim the Gospel.
The Gospel can be now summarized in a nutshell
with what I call the ABCDEF.
The ABCDEF stands for
Acknowledge you are a sinner and are in need of Jesus Christ,
God-incarnate who alone can redeem you from the power and bondage of
sin.
Believe in your heart that Jesus died for you,
shedding His blood on the cross, and rose again on the third day so now
when God looks at you, He sees the Righteousness of Christ because of
being covered by the Blood of the Lamb of God who washes away our sin so
God's judgment will pass over us similar to what happened on PASSOVER.
Confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord as you
take Him as your Lord and Personal Savior who is God-incarnate.
Discipline yourself to spend daily time in
prayer and the Scriptures to fully understand the Word of God as you
show yourself approved to do God's work so you can disciple others who
come to Jesus Christ.
Evangelize to those around you with the saving
power and knowledge of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Follow the Lord Jesus Christ who became
God-incarnate and is God as you depend on the power of the Holy Spirit.
For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord
of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, "Everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved." How,
then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can
they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they
hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless
they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those
who bring good news!" (Romans 10:12-15, NIV)
I hope this message has touched each of your lives as it has mine when
God put it in my heart. I hope this message will help you give the
Gospel in a non-threatening way to your pre-Christian friends.
God desires that none should perish but that all come to repentance. I
know
God can save our loved ones in according to His way and His will.
This is important to realize because these days the message of the
Gospel has been watered down in many places.
I do not know about you but I have heard tons of times when the Gospel
of Jesus Christ is sugar-coated to make it sound like what people want
to hear than what they should hear.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not about 'Come to Jesus and everything
will be ok in your life no matter what suffering you are going through'
but the Gospel of Jesus Christ is about the reality of Heaven and Hell.
We should make people realize they cannot ever keep the law how much
they try, they are diseased with sin that only Christ can cure them to
have entrance to be in the presence of God Almighty and escape the fires
of Hell, that Satan desires for them.
Unfortunately, many have tried to get converts to Jesus by addressing
life's issues that they struggle with. They come to Christ hoping to
overcome their struggles and many do, but many have never understood
that there is a cost to follow Jesus. It won't be a peachy road. When
things fall apart, many of the converts fall away.
Why is that?
Because most of them did not come to Jesus so that one day they can
live with Him in Heaven as Jesus helps them overcome their sin disease.
They have come to escape their problems and when that does not happen,
they give up on the Lord. The Lord never promises that when we come to
Him our life will be peachy without any turmoil. If anything suffering,
trials, and tribulations are emphasized and also what Christ will give
us when we meet Him face to face is promised as encouragement.
Now that itself is reason for joy. I am not saying that Jesus does not
send healing, peace, love, and joy into people's lives. Many people have
experienced that including myself but I have also experienced the dark
side of suffering. Through all this Christ can give us the endurance and
strength to bear it and He will walk by our side.
We should come to Jesus because we realize we are with sin and only He
can deliver us rather than coming to Jesus because of what we can get in
this life.
This life passes away with everything in it but those in Christ who
endure to the end shall be saved.
God's Omnipotent Salvation Provides Eternal Life! (G.O.S.P.E.L)
Prayer:
Dear God you have revealed to us your law and we have not been able to
keep your law. We have broken your commandments everyday and because of
that sin has engulfed us. Since sin has engulfed us we cannot come into
your presence because you are a Holy God. We have done so many good
works and yet you have rejected us. We have missed the mark because
99.9% good works and 00.1% sin can keep us from your presence. We are
diseased with sin and have no escape on our own. We ask you God for
help. Help us Oh God of our Salvation for the glory of your Name and
deliver us and provide atonement for our sins for your Name's sake, for
your Name's sake. Thank you God that you have provided us atonement
through the sacrificial death of Jesus who paid the penalty for our sins
that we do not have to face hell when we confess our sins to you and
accept the antidote you provide for us. We take this antidote and
acknowledge Jesus as our Lord and Personal Savior who died for us and
was brought back to life to give us Salvation and Eternal life. We thank
you that we can be with you in Heaven when we die and you will work in
us through the power of the Holy Spirit hear on earth. Thank you so
much. We give our lives to thee as we are and ask thee to give us
strength and endurance to bear through the tough times that come our
way. Thank you so much Father God! Thank you for hearing us and
answering us. Thank you we belong to you. In the Name Jesus
Christ we pray! Amen!
I will let you draw the conclusion of ‘Yes’, ‘No’ or ‘It Depends’ based
on what I have written in the three parts!
“Now may the God of peace— who brought up from the
dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, and ratified an
eternal covenant with his blood—may he equip you with all you need for
doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus
Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him
forever and ever! Amen.” (Hebrews 13:20-21, NLT)
Friend, you may feel something
or you may not but this you can be assured that the Lord Jesus has come
into your life and will give you a new beginning! Amen!
Get yourself involved in a
campus Bible study, fellowship, and most of all find a Bible believing
church and be involved to grow in your Christian walk with the Lord.
They all need to be supplements for your own precious time with the Lord
in prayer and meditating on His Word. If you need a Bible, please let me
know!
If you
need anyone to talk to, pray with, or study the Bible with this
Christmas season
of 2007, you can email me at
reddy4hisglory2004@yahoo.com or call me at 412-720-4579.
|
Christmas Archive:
What does God do with your G.E.N.E.A.L.O.G.Y? (Dec 01,
07, 11:12 a.m.)
' I AM ' Series
Archives:
"What kind of B.R.E.A.D do you eat?" (Dec 08,
07, 10:10 a.m.)
What kind of L.I.G.H.T do you follow? (Dec 13,
07, 10:09 a.m.)
Related Articles:
Taken from the
From the Book of Philippians
Philippians 2:1-2:
What C.O.N.D.I.T.I.O.N are you in?"(May
22, 07, 10:03 a.m.)
Philippians 2:3-4,
How do you respond to C.O.M.M.A.N.D.S?"
(May 23, 07,
10:30 a.m)
Philippians 2:5-7:
How do you match J.E.S.U.S' attitude?"(May
24, 07, 9:24 a.m.)
Philippians 2:8:
"What does the C.R.O.S.S mean to you?"(May
25, 07, 8:41 a.m.)
Philippians 2:9-11: "How
do you handle the N.A.M.E?"(May
29, 07, 9:01 a.m.)
Philippians 2:12-14: "What
is your type of S.A.L.V.A.T.I.O.N?"(May
30, 07, 8:18 a.m.)
Philippians 2:15-16: "How
is your B.E.H.A.V.I.O.R?"(May
31, 07, 9:59 a.m.)
Philippians 2:17-18:
When do you live out your F.A.I.T.H? (June 01, 07,
1:28 p.m.)
Philippians 2:19-24:
"How do you Q.U.A.L.I.F.Y?" (June 04, 07,
10:37 a.m.)
Philippians 2:25-30:
"Has Your H.O.M.E.C.O.M.I.N.G begun?" (June
05, 07, 11:02 a.m.)
Only the right antidote can protect your life!
(April 2004)
Only the right antidote can protect your life: Part II"
(April 2006)
|
