Beware of “the formula”
The apostle Peter said,
"And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'" Acts 2:21
Today in North America we have what amounts to a formula for getting into heaven. It consists of a simple prayer that states,
“Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Saviour.”
The origins of this prayer are debated. Some claim it came out of the early protestant revival movement while others say it came from the late eighteenth century revival movement. While others place it in the early twentieth century.
Irrespective of when it originated it does not originate from biblical times.
The late British/American evangelist Leonard Ravenhill said of the prayer,
“The sinners prayer has sent more people to hell than all the bars in America.” Leonard Ravenhill
And he’s probably right. The prayer had become so ingrained into North American Christianity that it gives a false sense of security.
We don’t see such a prayer in the Bible. What we see is what the apostle Peter states in the Book of Acts, “And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved”
We see the apostle Paul writing,
"That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. Romans 10: 9,10.
This is what happened on the day Jesus was crucified. One of the men crucified with Jesus said,
"We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong."
Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.'"
Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." Luke 23:41-43.
There was no formula. Jesus did not ask the criminal to pray the prayer of salvation. It was simpler than that.
This criminal believed Jesus was who He said He was. And proclaimed it with his lips. Admitted his sin and simply asked Jesus to remember him when He came into His kingdom.
This is what God asks all of us today.
He asks that we confess our sins to God.
He asks that we sincerely believe in our heart that Jesus is the Son of God. Saviour of mankind.
And He asks that we confess with out mouth Jesus is Lord.
Have you done this?
Do you truly believe Jesus is the Son of God. The Saviour of mankind. The Way to Heaven?
Please think about it.
