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PAGE TITLE: http://carm.org/
ARTICLE TITLE: Why The Sinner’s
Prayer Is Unbiblical
DATE: N.A
AUTHOR: Tony Miano
AUTHOR INFORMATION: Visit Tony
Miano's Website
Tony
Miano is a retired veteran of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department
(1987-2007). During his career, Tony served as a gang and juvenile crime
investigator, field training officer, drug recognition expert, and a DUI
enforcement specialist. Tony’s law enforcement experience includes three days
of chaos, during the 1992 Los Angeles riots, as well as being on duty only a
few miles away from the epicenter when the 1994 Northridge Earthquake
devastated the greater Los Angeles area.
As
a deputy sheriff, Tony received more than 60 commendations and citations for
meritorious service, arrests, criminal investigations, and community service.
In 1993, Tony was named “Deputy of the Year” for the City of Santa Clarita
(CA). Tony was also a recipient of the Mothers Against Drunk Drivers “Centurion
Award,” for apprehending more than 100 drunk drivers in a one-year period.
From
2000-2008, Tony served as a chaplain for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s
Department. From 2002 to 2008, he served as the founder and director of Ten-Four Ministries—a
missionary work to the worldwide law enforcement community.
From
2008 to mid-2012, Tony served as Living Waters’ Director of the Ambassadors’
Alliance, as well as the Director of Conferences and Special Projects.
Tony’s service with Living Waters included the supervision of 20 Ambassador’s
Academies, several conferences, the ministry’s State Representative system, and
all of the ministry’s large-scale evangelism projects. In addition, Tony
wrote and co-hosted approximately 400 episodes of Living Waters’ live,
web-based program, “On the Box, with Ray
Comfort.”
Tony
is the author of the book, “Take Up The Shield” (Genesis Publishing Group, 2005). The
book is a study of the Armor of God, as found in Ephesians 6. Tony utilizes the
various piece of equipment he wore as a deputy sheriff to illustrate the
various pieces of spiritual armament every Christian should wear, as they live
the Christian life. The Lord has used the book to bring the gospel to tens of
thousands of law enforcement, fire, and military personnel, as well as
civilians around the world.
Tony
is a prolific writer. Currently, Tony is volunteering at CARM, including
the CARM blog, Tony’s writing is
featured on the Cross
Encounters blog.
Committed
to expository preaching, Tony has preached in many churches across the North
America. He is a conference speaker who frequently addresses topics such
as biblical evangelism, spiritual growth and personal holiness, and the person
and work of Jesus Christ.
Presently,
Tony is serving the Lord as a missionary, with an emphasis on open-air
preaching and the discipleship of the current generation of open-air preachers.
Additionally, in October of 2012, Tony received the distinct honor of being
selected as a finalist for the 2012 Robert Goulet Memorial Mustached American
of the Year.
Tony
and his wife, Mahria, were married in 1985. Together they have three
grown daughters (Michelle, Marissa, and Amanda). The Miano Family lives
in Southern California and members of Faith Community Church, in Newhall, CA.
Why The Sinner's Prayer Is Unbiblical
by Tony MianoWhat I’m Not Saying About the Sinner’s Prayer
Many
Christians, myself included,
have a prayer of repentance and faith as part of their conversion testimony. The night I came to
repentance and faith in
Christ, I cried out to God, alone in my bedroom, with words I cannot exactly
remember. I prayed asking God to come into my life, forgive me, and save me.
I
know there are genuine, Christ-loving, born-again followers of Jesus Christ who will forever
testify that someone shared the gospel with them and asked them to repeat a
prayer, which they did. This article should in no way be interpreted or
construed as an effort to bring into immediate question one’s salvation because
they “prayed a prayer.” Again, I “prayed a prayer.” My wife “prayed a prayer.”
And I know many beloved Christian brethren who have done the same.
That
being said, no one is saved because they “prayed a prayer.” Those whom God
sovereignly chooses to save (1 Peter 1:3) and draw to
Himself (John 6:44) may pray a
prayer—on their own or at someone else’s urging—as part of the first fruits of
their salvation.
While
there are many Christians who will testify, to the glory of God, that they
prayed a “Sinner’s Prayer” the day God saved them, there are far more people in
the world today who, as a result of being led
in a “Sinner’s Prayer,” are now apostate
(Hebrews 6:4-6; 10:26-31). They have
turned their back on Christ and have left the faith they thought they had,
because they had never really come to genuine repentance and faith in Christ.
They are and were false converts because they put their hope of salvation in
the prayer they prayed after being assured by a well-intentioned Christian
that, having “prayed the prayer,” they were now saved.
The
purpose of this article is not to discourage genuine Christians or cause them
to question the authenticity of their faith because their conversion story
includes a “Sinner’s Prayer.” Rather, the purpose of this article is to warn
Christians, plead with Christians, to stop using the “Sinner’s Prayer” in their
evangelism.
The “Sinner’s Prayer” is a tradition that should have never been started; and
it is a tradition for which American Evangelicalism should repent. It is a
tradition that must be done away with before more unsaved souls are irreparably
damaged by a tradition that is likely responsible for more false conversions
than any other.
A Familiar Story: Sinner’s Prayer Evangelism
"So,
do you understand what I've shared with you?"
"Yes."
"Is
there any reason why you wouldn't want to receive Jesus as your Lord and
Savior, right now?"
"Umm.
No. I guess not."
"Great.
Then just pray this prayer after me. There's nothing magical about the words.
What matters is the condition of your heart."
"Out
loud?"
"Yes.
Jesus said if you confess me before men I will confess you before my
Father."
"Right
here? Right now?"
"Well,
it's up to you, of course. But what could be more important than making sure
you're right with God. After all, tomorrow isn't promised to anyone."
"Okay."
"Great!
Just pray this prayer after me. Lord Jesus..."
"Lord
Jesus..."
"I
know I'm a sinner..."
"I
know I'm a sinner..."
"I
want my sins forgiven..."
"I
want my sins forgiven..."
"I
don't want to spend eternity in Hell..."
"I
don't want to spend eternity in Hell..."
"I
want to be in Heaven with you..."
"I
want to be in Heaven with you..."
"Please
forgive me..."
"Please
forgive me..."
"Come
into my life..."
"Come
into my life..."
"Save
me..."
"Save
me..."
"Make
me a new creature..."
"Make
me a new creature..."
"Be
my Lord and Savior..."
"Be
my Lord and Savior..."
"In
Jesus' name, I pray..."
"In
Jesus' name, I pray..."
"Amen."
"Amen."
"Praise
God! Welcome to the family, brother!"
"Thanks."
"Now,
it's real important you start reading your Bible and praying every day. And
you've got to start going to church. You need to be around other believers. You
need to be discipled. You need to begin the life-long process of growing in
your faith. And I'm here to help in any way I can."
"Okay."
It
happens thousands of times every day around the world. It happens in one-to-one
conversations between friends, relatives, and even strangers. It happens in
pastors' offices. It happens via email. It happens in online chat rooms. A
well-intentioned Christian shares the gospel with someone (hopefully a
gospel that is consistent with the Word of God). The listener
seems to understand and even seems emotionally moved by the conversation. The
Christian, with eagerness and sincerity, asks the person if he wants to know
Jesus as his personal Savior. If the other person responds favorably, then the
Christian leads him in a "Sinner's Prayer."
The Sinner's Prayer, False Conversion, and Tradition
Many
Christians make the cataclysmic and unbiblical mistake of giving the other
person a false sense of assurance
of salvation, by asserting the person is saved because he prayed a prayer. So,
many people walk away from such a conversation still dead in their sins, but
believing what they've been told. "I believed what my friend told me, and
I prayed a prayer. So, now I'm a Christian!"
It
is unbiblical traditions like the "Sinner's Prayer" that often leave
me thinking American Evangelicalism is much closer to Rome than she realizes.
The reason: like the apostate Roman Catholic Church, which holds up church tradition as
equal or superior to the Word of God, American Evangelicalism does the same
with her own traditions. The "Sinner's Prayer" is a case in point.
My
presupposition regarding the sinner’s prayer is an easy one to articulate.
Simply put:
There is not a single verse
or passage in Scripture, whether in a narrative account or in prescriptive or
descriptive texts, regarding the use of a “Sinner’s Prayer” in evangelism. Not one.
However,
proponents of the use of the "Sinner's Prayer" will cite several
verses/passages of Scripture in a failed attempt to support the unbiblical
practice. Here are several:
A
brief exposition of each of the above texts will show they should not be used
to support the practice of the "Sinner's Prayer."
Does Matthew 7:7 support the Sinner’s Prayer?
“Ask, and it will be given
to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you" (Matthew 7:7).
When
trying to interpret Scripture,
especially if one is seeking to establish or support a belief or practice as
biblical, never simply read a verse. Read many
verses. Read passages. Read chapters. Read books. Allow Scripture to interpret
Scripture. Let's look at the verse in its near context.
"Ask, and it will be
given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For
everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who
knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread,
will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If
you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much
more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask
him" (Matthew
7:7-11).
The
first step in biblical interpretation (hermeneutics) is
observation. In this step the student asks three basic questions of any given
verse or passage: What does the verse say? What doesn't the verse say? What
questions come to mind as I read this verse?
Matthew 7:7 says nothing
about evangelism. It says nothing about the conversion of the lost. It says
nothing about what, if anything, the unsaved person should or could do to be
saved.
In
order to rightly understand the verse we must not only look at the surrounding
verses, but we must go all the way back to the beginning of the "Sermon on
the Mount"--back to Matthew 5:1.
"Seeing the crowds, he
went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.” (Matthew 5:1)
Jesus'
primary audience during the "Sermon on the Mount" (Matthew 5-7) was
His disciples. His extended audience was the crowd that followed Him (Matthew 4:25). Jesus
began His sermon with the Beatitudes. The Beatitudes served as Jesus'
description of the Christian life. The Beatitudes were not instructions for
becoming a Christian. Jesus' primary audience remained the same in Matthew 7:7--His
disciples--believers.
This truth is further evidenced by what Jesus said in Matthew 7:11.
"If you then, who are
evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your
Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!" (Matthew 7:11).
"Your
Father who is in heaven..." Unsaved people have no Father in Heaven. They
have a Judge in Heaven. Jesus'
words about "asking" in Matthew 7:7 are words of
instruction and encouragement to believers, not the lost. Therefore, to suggest
Matthew 7:7 supports
unbelievers asking Jesus into their heart or to save them is utterly contrary
to what the verse actually says and means.
Does Luke 18:10-14 Teach the Sinner’s Prayer?
“Two men went up into the
temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee,
standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other
men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast
twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing
far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast,
saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to
his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself
will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 18:10-14).
This
is another passage, with specific emphasis placed on Luke 18:13, that many
Christians use to justify the implementation of the "Sinner's Prayer"
in an evangelism strategy. After all, the tax-collector cried out to God in
prayer.
Again,
context is critical to understanding this beautiful and important parable.
Who
was Jesus' audience when he shared the above parable? Yes, it was His
disciples. But there were others present, so we must go back to Luke 17:20-21 to
discover who else was there.
"Being asked by the
Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of
God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here
it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.” (Luke 17:20-21).
If
one looks closely at the parable, the prayer is not the primary focus.
Jesus' point is to emphasize the self-righteousness and sinful arrogance of the
Pharisees. The parable was an indictment against the Pharisees, not a treatise
on how one should pray to enter the Kingdom of God.
Look
closely at the parable. Why was the tax collector justified? Was it because
he prayed? No! It was his humility that exemplified the justification He had
received from God (cf. Romans 8:30).
"I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the
other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles
himself will be exalted" (Luke 18:14).
God
opposes the proud (the Pharisees), but He gives grace to the humble (the
tax-collector). 1 It is
far better and far more accurate to use this tremendous parable as an
encouragement to call unbelievers to humble themselves before God than to
errantly convince unbelievers they can be reconciled to God if they pray a
prayer.
Does Romans 10:9-10 Teach the Sinner’s Prayer?
"Because, 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 with the heart one believes
and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved" (Roman
10:9-10).
This
is by far, in my opinion and based on my experience, the most misused passage
by those who attempt to provide biblical support for the "Sinner's
Prayer."
Even
a cursory look at the text reveals there is no "Sinner's Prayer" to
be found here.
Who
is Paul's audience? Believers or unbelievers? He is writing to believers, the
Church, in Rome. The recipients of his letter would have never taken from this
text that Paul was instructing unbelievers to pray a prayer in order to receive
Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Nor would his readers have received Paul's
teaching here as a suggestion, much less a mandate, to lead the unsaved in a
"sinner's prayer."
I
could not find one legitimate Bible scholar who suggests that Paul's words in Romans 10:9-10 is an
example of either a "sinner's prayer" or a suggestion that believers
are to lead unbelievers in such a prayer, or to "ask Jesus into their
heart."
It
is also interesting to note how Paul switches the ideas of confession and
believing, from verse 9 to verse 10. Paul makes it clear that justification by
faith (Romans 1:17) comes before confession.
Justification does not come as a result of confession.
Both
verbs, "believes" and "confesses," are in the
present-passive-indicative in the Greek text. This means that those who are
truly born again will continue to believe by faith and they will continue to
confess Jesus as Lord. The wording in Romans 10:10 in no way
whatsoever supports the notion of praying a one-time prayer as a means of
receiving salvation and the gift of eternal life.
Romans 10:10 ends with
these words: "and with the mouth one confesses and is saved."
I
appreciate what John Gill wrote about this phrase.
This is to be understood not
of confession of sin, though that is proper and requisite to be made, both with
respect to the participation, and enjoyment of salvation, particularly
pardoning grace and mercy, and to an admission to Gospel ordinances; but of
confession of Christ, as appears from the preceding verse, which lies in a
frank and open acknowledgment of what Christ is in himself, as that he is truly
and properly God, the Son of God, the true Messiah, the Mediator between God
and man, and the only Saviour of lost sinners, and of our faith in him, with
respect to ourselves, to our pardon, justification, acceptance and salvation in
him and through him; in ascribing the whole of our salvation to him, and giving
him the glory of it; in declaring to the churches of Christ what he has done
for our souls, and in subjecting ourselves to his ordinances. This confession
must be made both by words and facts, must be open, visible, and before men;
and also real, hearty, and sincere, the words of the mouth agreeing with the
experience of the heart; and such a good profession made before God, angels,
and men, highly becomes all that believe with the heart. This was the practice
of the primitive saints; yea, all nations own, acknowledge, and profess the God
they worship; and should not we confess our God, Saviour and Redeemer? 2
Confessing
Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is the pattern of the born-again follower of
Christ. Those who are saved, those who will forever be saved, are those who
confess Jesus as Lord--not as a means of salvation, but as evidence that the
salvation to which they cling has been wrought by God and secured in Heaven by
Him for all eternity (1 Peter
1:3-9). Those who claim to be Christians but do not confess Jesus as Lord
as a regular course and pattern of their lives should examine themselves to see
if they are even in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5).
Does 1 John 1:9 Teach the Sinner’s Prayer?
"If we confess our
sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).
Little
time needs to be spent showing this verse has nothing to do with the
"Sinner's Prayer."
Who
are the "we" in this verse? The "we" is John's audience.
John is writing to the Church of Ephesus and believers in the region.
Unbelievers are not included in the "we," as indicated by Paul's
warning to the brethren about false teachers (1 John 2:18-27).
God
is faithful and righteous to forgive the sins of His adopted children (Romans 8:12-17). Until
God causes the unregenerate person to be born-again (1 Peter 1:3), their
prayers are an abomination to Him (Isaiah 1:15). Christians
should call unbelievers to repent and believe the gospel (Mark 1:15; Luke 13:1-5), not to pray
a prayer of confession.
Does Revelation 3:20 Teach the Sinner’s Prayer?
"Behold, I stand at the
door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to
him and eat with him, and he with me" (Revelation 3:20).
If
you believe Jesus stands knocking at the door of the human heart, then you make
sovereign the one who answers the door.
I
prayerfully long for the day when pastors, evangelists, and Christians in
general will stop proclaiming a man-centered gospel by misusing Revelation 3:20 and
drawing an emotional and often-times false response from the hearer.
Jesus
is not standing at the locked door of any sin-corroded human heart, longing to
be let in. Jesus doesn't need the acceptance of anyone. Everyone needs His.
The
context of the before-mentioned verse finds Jesus not speaking to the unsaved, but to a
disobedient church. It is not an evangelistic verse, nor should it be used as
such.
Jesus
never asked people to let Him come into their hearts. Jesus is not lonely
without the unrepentant sinner. Jesus is not chasing after people, hoping He
will one day catch them and save them. Jesus needs nothing from His creation. He demands everything from His
creation.
Jesus
commanded people to repent and believe the gospel. He is not looking for acceptance.
He is demanding obedience. And those who obey the commands of Christ, those who
repent and believe the gospel--by the grace of God alone, through faith alone,
in Jesus Christ alone--will be saved.
Conclusion
Walking
an aisle in response to the emotional and caring invitation of a pastor does
not save anyone. Asking Jesus into one's heart does not save anyone. Writing
the date in the back of one's Bible to commemorate the day a decision was made
to follow Jesus does not save anyone. And praying a prayer does not save
anyone.
The
"Sinner's Prayer" has done a great disservice to Christ and the
untold millions of people who, as a result of praying a prayer but never being
converted, will one day hear Jesus say, "I never knew you; depart from me,
you workers of lawlessness" (Matthew 7:21-23).
The
"Sinner's Prayer" has been used unwittingly by genuine pastors and
Christians to give unsaved people a false hope and a false assurance of
salvation.
The
"Sinner's Prayer" has been used by false teachers and false prophets around the
world to boast of their effectiveness--to boast of the numbers of
"decisions" they have been able to accumulate through their false
gospels, false promises of wealth, and false signs and wonders.
The
"Sinner's Prayer" is, today, an effective tool of Satan to dupe people into believing
they are saved when they are not. It has been used to keep people enslaved to
their sin (John 8:34-35).
The
"Sinner's Prayer" is an unbiblical tradition concocted by
well-meaning Christians who refuse to take God at His Word, by rightly dividing
His Word.
To
try and keep the "Sinner's Prayer" in American Evangelicalism, to try
and justify its use even with modifications, to try to hold onto a tradition
even when there is no biblical support for it, is to insist on partnering with
Belial in the spiritual enterprise of evangelism (2 Corinthians
6:14-18).
"The
Sinner's Prayer" should not be a topic of debate or negotiation inside the
Body of Christ. It should be treated like the cancer it is. It should be
treated like the right arm or right eye that causes someone to sin (Matthew 5:29-30). It
should be cut off and thrown as far away as possible from the Body of Christ
and her efforts to reach the lost with the gospel.
May
the Body of Christ do away with the tradition of the "Sinner's
Prayer," for the love of God and for the love of the lost.
What's Next?
If
you have read this article and are asking yourself, "how should I end a
discussion with someone, if not with the sinner's prayer," please
read: "Closing
the Deal: An Unbiblical Element of Modern Evangelism"
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