The Sinners Prayer

John 3:3, "Jesus answered and said to him, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.'"

Last night at Oakland's VBS I had the privilege of sharing the gospel with many children, youth and adults. At the end of the gospel presentation, all were asked if they would receive Christ as their Savior, and they were led in a prayer by me to confess and ask forgiveness of their sin, and to confess with their mouths that they believe from their hearts that Jesus is the only One who can forgive sin; that by His death on the cross and the shedding of His blood their sin is forgiven and no longer held against them by God; that they believed that Jesus rose again on the 3rd day and that His resurrection is our guarantee of our future resurrection and a life in eternity with God in heaven. Many responded to the invitation to receive Christ. So, are these people now saved?

The sinners prayer has become the most popular way to lead someone to pray to receive Christ. But does simply saying this prayer automatically mean a person has now passed from lost to a child of God? The answer, quite simply, is no. True salvation rests upon far more than simply saying a prayer, undergoing baptism, or answering a call in the invitation. True salvation is a matter of the heart. Have we, in our hearts, truly turned to God and received His blessed Son into our hearts. Have we been what the Jesus calls "born again." If we have, a radical change will occur in our lives.

You see, being "born again" means that we have experienced a new birth in the Holy Spirit. If this has occurred, the Holy Spirit now indwells us, and we have the power of God living inside of us for the rest of our lives. This is a remarkable and transforming thing, for if God now lives within us, we cannot be the same as we were. If we have been "born again" in the Spirit, we now have the conviction and instruction of God that will not allow us to exist as we once did. Oh yes, we will still commit sins, but when we do, we'll know it and acknowledge it before God. Our heartfelt desire will be to depend upon the new found power of God within us to turn from the sins we commit and live a life of faithfulness, obedience and sacrifice for Him. So why do so many who have claimed to receive Christ, have prayed a prayer and been baptized; why do so many who claim to know the truth about Jesus seem to exhibit so little change in their lives?

Well, now neither you nor I can truly judge anothers heart, but the answer for many is that they have gone through the motions of becoming a Christian, but never experienced the new birth Jesus says must occur to truly become a follower of Christ. And through a lack of follow up and discipling we in Christendom have allowed many who have never been "born again" to go through their lives believing they are saved, when really they are not. We are so interested in claiming numbers about how many were saved in a particular meeting, we leave someone lacking the understanding of what it truly means to be saved. We wind up with church members who believe they are right with God, not comprehending the change that will occur when one gets right with God, is indwelt by the spirit, repents of their sin and begins walking with Christ. We are left with people who have not been truly converted, and are misled by Satan that by participating in one of these sacraments, they are saved.

Satan is never happier than when he has one who believes they are saved yet have not been born again. His battle is won here as the person dies believing they are going to heaven only to find themselves in an eternal hell wondering what happened. They never became a "new creation" in Christ. They believed and acknowledged the truth about Jesus with their minds, but never surrendered to Him with their hearts. And friends, when this happens, we as pastors, parents, family members, and friends bear part of the blame.

Jesus tells us that if we are His, the fruit we produce will bear that out. We will grow in Him, and become more like Him, as we grow closer to Him. Yes we will stumble, but we will return to the path of righteousness before God. If the Holy Spirit indeed is within us, He will not allow us to remain separated from God by our sin without searing our conscience with guilt. If we are a child of God, we will be miserable in sin, not comfortable.

Salvation is the work of God. Our work on earth is to present the truth of the life saving gospel of Jesus Christ and to instruct someone in how they can obtain His salvation. Our job is to also remain close to those who have professed Jesus with their mouths and teach them exactly what a "born again" believer in Jesus Christ will look and behave like. This is where we have fallen so short as the church. Our follow up has been dearly lacking, and so far too many have lived their lives believing they are saved, yet experiencing no appreciable change in how they live. We cannot make someone change, but we can teach them of the change sure to occur if their faith is genuine.

My challenge is not presenting the gospel, that is a joyous pleasure for Jesus. My challenge is the follow up to insure these dear people who confessed Jesus last night understand clearly what has and will happen in their lives. Then it's up to them. If they have been "born again," their lives will never be the same. If they have not, I pray one day the light will truly appear to them and they will embrace it. Only God knows for sure, but I must fulfill my responsibility to insure understanding. Father in heaven, don't let me fall short!