The Sinners Prayer...

So interesting... Was speaking with a friend of mine who is a follower of Christ, and we were talking about the whole issue of "if it is God's will for all to be saved, and Jesus died for all of mans sins and all are forgiven, then all should go to heaven"... then discussion on mans free will and if people have a choice in being saved or if you are and plucked and have no choice once God chooses you (pre-destination). Then the whole discussion on people like Moses and just Joe blow Israelite in the dessert wandering for 40 years... (Side note, I was relieved to find out I could just be a Joe blow Israelite, and I wasn't being set up for some crazy huge destiny... See "wandering the desert for 40 years, and you'll get my drift.)

So from all of that, the sinners prayer was brought into question. The question was if we as a culture have just used the sinners prayer to make out numbers look better, and feel that we have some sort of control over who comes to Christ. I couldn't recall any place where the sinners prayer was used in the New Testament, even more so, I struggled with the point of it... Here it is in all of it's glory...

THE SINNERS PRAYER...

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

Easy enough. So look at that and ask yourself if this is what all of the people who were baptised into the family of Christ in the New Testament said before they were welcome... It covers all theology you might need to be saved... One more verse came out that made everything come right into perspective...

Or so I thought... My friend said there was a verse that said, "depart from me, for I never knew you." God said he did not know the goats... not that the goats didn't know him.... So I look up the passage... (Matthew 25: 31-46) there is no exact quote like that...or I'm still waiting back from them to hear where it is... Their issue was, IF it does say "depart form me, for I never knew you..." The question would be how do you make yourself known to God... I thought it was an easy enough answer, but go about 5 times deeper than your initial thought, and and you may find yourself stuck... I got unstuck because i pride myself in being simple.

Shaun found this site,

http://www.churchesofchrist.com/Sinners_prayer.html

I think this is closer to what I believe you need to do to become a follower of Christ... It is a lot more Biblical, and I have seen the results of both... The sinners prayer seems to be a lousy excuse for North American Christians not to stick it out with those that need to be discipled and brought into the family. Mmmmmm the hated numbers game.

1. Hear the Gospel of Christ;
2. Believe that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God;
3. Repent of one‘s sin (turn from the practice of sin);
4. Confess that Christ is the son of God;
5. Be baptized to obtain the forgiveness of one’s sins;
6. Be faithful to Christ (1 Corinthians 15:58; Revelation 2:10).