Is the “Sinner’s Prayer” in the Bible?

[Beckworth]

Yet you fail to comprehend the true meaning of either passage. Only the indwelling Holy Spirit is able to reveal what these passages mean and reveal Gods intent in them.

Water baptism cannot save. Only Gods grace makes provision for redemption of the soul.

For the cause of Christ
Roger

Guess what?

This is TOTAL NONSENSE. You yourself would have had to pray the sinner's prayer (one way or another) in order to be saved. And it is God that tells sinners to call upon the name of the LORD and be saved. Read and study Romans 10 and the whole Bible, and quit spouting nonsense.

And to claim that it is not in the Bible is FALSE.

LUKE 18
9 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:

10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.

11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

It is simply amazing how much nonsense and half-baked theologies and philosophies are being brought out on Christian forums.

Yes. I would be happy to talk to you.

Don’t ever forget that God loves you; it doesn’t matter who you are, what you are or what you have been.

I agree. If I had the time to tell you my testimony you would see why I believe what I do. It's too long to type on a phone. Would you be willing to call me if I messaged you a number?

Glad I talked to you. Please read Romans 8:35-39. Especially read this every time you are down or having. Problems. You have someone who loves you. Never forget that. Also read Psalm 103. God is so good.

 

[Beckworth]

FALSE. There are many sinner's prayers in the Bible. Dig deeper.

Really? Where? Book, chapter, and verse, please.

 

[Beckworth]

So you pervert the gospel by teaching salvation by works instead. If someone wants to call upon the name of the Lord in prayer to be saved they are free to do so as long as they understand that it's the call from a sincere heart in faith that the Lord will save you that apprehends salvation and not merely reciting a set of words in a prayer as if reciting those words is a magical formula that saves apart from faith.

You may deny it, but if a person says a prayer in order to be saved then that is a “WORK” because he “DID” something to be saved and that alone is enough to cause him to be lost in your mind. Not to mention that if he is saved by saying a prayer then he isn’t saved by faith only.

 

[Beckworth]

You may deny it, but if a person says a prayer in order to be saved then that is a “WORK” because he “DID” something to be saved and that alone is enough to cause him to be lost in your mind. Not to mention that if he is saved by saying a prayer then he isn’t saved by faith only.

Or maybe he’s saved by both, faith AND the sinner’s prayer. Oh but then that would still destroy “salvation by faith alone”. So You are confusing me. Do you believe in salvation by faith alone or do you believe you are saved by saying a sinner’s prayer because those are entirely two different things and you can’t have it both ways. And then there the matter that saying a prayer is something you DO SO THAT MAKES IT A WORK and you say you can’t be saved by works so that eliminates the sinner’s prayer—?? Well it really doesn’t matter because a non Christian praying to obtain salvation is not in the Bible and the Holy Spirit says NOT BY FAITH ONLY SO IM NOT GOING TO WORRY ABOUT IT. BUT MAYBE YOU SHOULD.

 

[Beckworth]

Really? Where? Book, chapter, and verse, please.

Where a non Christian is praying in order to be saved.

 

[Beckworth]

Half the book of Psalms is a sinner's prayer..

Are they praying for salvation?? Because that’s what the sinner’s prayers today are all for and are the people in Psalms all non Christians. Because that’s whos Being told to pray for salvation today by the sinner’s prayer.

 

[tourist]

Are they praying for salvation?? Because that’s what the sinner’s prayers today are all for and are the people in Psalms all non Christians. Because that’s whos Being told to pray for salvation today by the sinner’s prayer.

To receive salvation you first have to be sorry that you sinned against God. So yes, they are praying for salvation.

 

[Beckworth]

Half the book of Psalms is a sinner's prayer..

Prayed by un

To receive salvation you first have to be sorry that you sinned against God. So yes, they are praying for salvation.

Oh then they are all UNSAVED people like the people today who are being told to say a prayer in order to be saved. THE PEOPLE IN PSALMS who would be praying for salvation were all JEWS. THEY WERE ALREADY CHILDREN OF GOD. The most you can argue here is a book of Gods people asking for forgiveness when they sinned. Not the same thing as the sinner’s prayer of today where unsaved people, non Christians are told to pray to become Christians.

 

[Karraster]

No. There is no such thing as saying a sinner’s prayer to be saved in the Bible. This is a commandment of men. Matthew 15:9 says they were teaching FOR DOCTRINE the commandments of men. And their worship was vain or useless I affirm that saying a sinner’s prayer to be saved is vain totally useless. (Also see Mark7:7) Mark 7:8 says they were laying aside the commandments of God and holding on to the traditions of men.

When the Jews in Acts 2 asked Peter “what shall we do?” Did he tell them to say a “sinner’s prayer”?

When the Ethiopian Eunuch said “Here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?” Did Philip say, oh there’s no need to be baptized. Just accept Jesus in your heart and say the “sinner’s prayer?

When Cornelius said,we are here to hear all the things commanded you by God, did Peter say anything about a sinner’s prayer in the things he told him?

When Saul of Tarsus (later Paul) saw Jesus on the road to Damascus and asked, what do you want me to do, Lord? Did Jesus say just believe in me and say the sinner’s prayer? Acts 9

Did anybody say anything about a sinner’s prayer anywhere in the Bible? No

The closest thing to a sinner’s prayer that you will find in the New Testament is in Acts 8 in the story of Simon the sorcerer. And he was already a baptized believer when he was told to repent and pray God after he had sinned. This was never practiced to become a Christian.

Beware! Jesus said every plant that my Heavenly Father has not planted shall be rooted up. This is another one of Satan’s Lies. Do not be deceived.

We should be glad to be reminded of why we believe what we believe, so I for one thank you. C.S. Lewis regarded it as chronological snobbery when we don't review our beliefs against the conclusions of others:

"Most of all, perhaps, we need intimate knowledge of the past. Not that the past has any magic about it, but because we cannot study the future, and yet need something to set against the present, to remind us that the basic assumptions have been quite different in different periods and that much which seems certain to the uneducated is merely temporary fashion.

A man who has lived in many places is not likely to be deceived by the local errors of his native village; the scholar has lived in many times and is therefore in some degree immune from the great cataract of nonsense that pours from the press and the microphone of his own age."​

(Learning in Wartime, 1939)


I found this while looking at the progression of techniques employed by preachers to get their desired result. I think the "sinner's prayer" started with Billy Sunday then Graham and Bright? Not positive I remember that correctly, but have you read about Charles Finney and the "anxious seat"? I suppose that was a modern (for that time) version of immersion?

 

[Beckworth]

This is TOTAL NONSENSE. You yourself would have had to pray the sinner's prayer (one way or another) in order to be saved. And it is God that tells sinners to call upon the name of the LORD and be saved. Read and study Romans 10 and the whole Bible, and quit spouting nonsense.

And to claim that it is not in the Bible is FALSE.

LUKE 18
9 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:

10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.

11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

It is simply amazing how much nonsense and half-baked theologies and philosophies are being brought out on Christian forums.

You have totally mis used Luke 18 to try to prove this is an example of a sinner’s prayer. For one thing, these men were both Jews, children of God. Gentiles were not allowed in the temple. So the most you have here are two of God’s children praying, one has the proper humble attitude required for forgiveness while the other has an arrogant attitude. This is a lesson in humbling yourself and praying with the proper attitude. This is not

We should be glad to be reminded of why we believe what we believe, so I for one thank you. C.S. Lewis regarded it as chronological snobbery when we don't review our beliefs against the conclusions of others:

"Most of all, perhaps, we need intimate knowledge of the past. Not that the past has any magic about it, but because we cannot study the future, and yet need something to set against the present, to remind us that the basic assumptions have been quite different in different periods and that much which seems certain to the uneducated is merely temporary fashion.​

​

A man who has lived in many places is not likely to be deceived by the local errors of his native village; the scholar has lived in many times and is therefore in some degree immune from the great cataract of nonsense that pours from the press and the microphone of his own age."​

(Learning in Wartime, 1939)


I found this while looking at the progression of techniques employed by preachers to get their desired result. I think the "sinner's prayer" started with Billy Sunday then Graham and Bright? Not positive I remember that correctly, but have you read about Charles Finney and the "anxious seat"? I suppose that was a modern (for that time) version of immersion?

I’ll look that one up. Thank you.

 

[Beckworth]

You have totally mis used Luke 18 to try to prove this is an example of a sinner’s prayer. For one thing, these men were both Jews, children of God. Gentiles were not allowed in the temple. So the most you have here are two of God’s children praying, one has the proper humble attitude required for forgiveness while the other has an arrogant attitude. This is a lesson in humbling yourself and praying with the proper attitude. This is not a sinner’s prayer like the ones being taught today by men.

I’ll look that one up. Thank you.

 

[Karraster]

This quote is said to be by Finney near the end of his life regarding the anxious seat.:

"The church has always felt it necessary to have something of this kind to answer this very purpose. In the days of the apostles, baptism answered this purpose. The gospel was preached to the people, and then all those who were willing to be on the side of Christ, were called out to be baptized. It held the place that the anxious seat does now as a public manifestation of their determination to be Christians".

Sinner's prayer, anxious seat...why not just do what the Bible says, why reinvent the wheel (so to speak)? But this is what men do, it's part of the Nicolaitan system we are warned about in Revelation, IMO.

 

[Beckworth]

This quote is said to be by Finney near the end of his life regarding the anxious seat.:

"The church has always felt it necessary to have something of this kind to answer this very purpose. In the days of the apostles, baptism answered this purpose. The gospel was preached to the people, and then all those who were willing to be on the side of Christ, were called out to be baptized. It held the place that the anxious seat does now as a public manifestation of their determination to be Christians".

Sinner's prayer, anxious seat...why not just do what the Bible says, why reinvent the wheel (so to speak)? But this is what men do, it's part of the Nicolaitan system we are warned about in Revelation, IMO.

My church history is a little rusty but was Finny one of the early church writers? What time period was he in?

 

[Karraster]

My church history is a little rusty but was Finny one of the early church writers? What time period was he in?

(1792-1875) he left his law practice and would become a minister, a lecturer, a professor, and a traveling revivalist. I'm getting this from www.s8int.com/sinnersprayer.html
Be advised tho, that page is not encrypted, so...they say hackers can steal passwords and such, but I can't resist it has some interesting info.

 

[Beckworth]

(1792-1875) he left his law practice and would become a minister, a lecturer, a professor, and a traveling revivalist. I'm getting this from www.s8int.com/sinnersprayer.html
Be advised tho, that page is not encrypted, so...they say hackers can steal passwords and such, but I can't resist it has some interesting info.

Thank you.

 

[Beckworth]

To receive salvation you first have to be sorry that you sinned against God. So yes, they are praying for salvation.

But they are not unsaved people. They are God’s people—the Jews. Not the same. Apples to oranges.

 

[Guojing]

The problem is both sides of this ongoing debate and others is we all are guilty of holding onto and looking at only the scriptures that agree with our point of view, no?

I want to bring forth questions sometimes, not to question the truth of their scriptures because clearly those are God's word too.

One brings forth their position, using scripture. Then the other, theirs with their verses.

Perhaps you guys and gals already have done this, over and over, but I say we look at each persons verses, individually and also as a whole, applying them bit by bit to the others, which are also His truth. He is not the author of confusion. So let's examine more.

Like irrevocable, author and finisher, and so on. Or the warning scriptures, lets look at them and apply them to the other verses. Or... like when the verse talks about the Brother we should not pray for if his sin is one that leads to death. If that sin is unbelief, then why does it say brother?

I agree, we should consider ALL scripture, when seeking clarity or even more helping others find clarity.

Good point. I wish people in this forum would be more humble and realize that all of us are interpreting scripture, in one way or the other. None of us truly read the Bible "as it is written".

Every time I read a reply that starts with "total nonsense, totally un-biblical, you are twisting scriptures" etc, I go .