This is one of those messages that’s going to ruffle some feathers.  My hope is that you’ll stick with me until the end.  If you still have concerns, you can always reach out to me!

No one is saved by a prayer.  No one “accepts Christ into their heart”.  You bring nothing to the table, salvation is a gift of God. (Eph 2:8-9)  God doesn’t need your prayer to save you, and He surely doesn’t need your “acceptance”… you never would give it left under your own power, regardless. (Rom 3:10-12)  Jesus didn’t die for sinners, to make them savable – Jesus Saves.  He isn’t sitting at the right hand of God, with His fingers crossed REALLY hoping that people will accept Him as their Lord and Savior – Jesus Saves.  To say it another way in Jesus’ words – John 15:16 – “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide”   From the first to the last, God empowers, enables, and brings to fruition every inward and outward manifestation of your salvation.  (1 Cor 3:7)

God the Father, outside of time, chose a people for salvation, and gave them to Jesus Christ as a possession.  Jesus Christ bore the wrath of God, died, paid the penalty for sin, rose triumphant over death, that He would reconcile sinners to God.  Jesus sends the Holy Spirit, to do the work of bringing to life dead sinners.  God, the Holy Spirit, creates a new heart in a person, and unveils their eyes to see and delight in the glory of God in Jesus Christ.

These are massive works of God, and what does man want to do?  They want to make God’s work in salvation contingent upon themselves via a prayer of acceptance.  What arrogance!  What pride that we would approach God in this way!  What do spoken words have to do with salvation?  Who gave you the heart to believe?  Did you change your own heart?  When were you able to do that?  I’m not against a prayer, I’m against a prayer that is tied to salvation.  You prayer isn’t required for salvation, and your prayer isn’t evidence of your “true belief” 10 years down the road when you’re cheating on your wife unrepentantly.  Only Jesus Saves.  Everything else that is spoken of, is “fruit” of authentic salvation, by which we can know that we are saved, but we cannot mistake the fruit with the foundation.   Our foundation is the saving work of Christ alone.

When children were making their way towards Jesus, and the disciples were going to remove them, what did Jesus say?  Matthew 19:14 – “Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”  Children are not self-sufficient; they are helpless and hopeless apart from their parent.  Only those who view Christ in the same way, will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.  He did not die to make us savable, He actually saved us.  We need to look to Him.  Don’t steal glory from God, but look to Him at every turn, for what He is doing, praising Him for His mercy and the glory of His grace.

Why do I say this?  Well maybe I’ll start by what I’m not trying to do.  I’m not saying this to beat up on people who made a profession of faith at some point.  I myself am in that camp.  It’s not to beat up on others who lead others in professions of faith or prayers of confession.  Rightly understood, those things can be good.  Now, that said, I am saying this because I want to lift Christ up in your affections to see Him as all sufficient and glorious in salvation.  I am saying this so that we do not place our trust in a prayer or a confession for salvation, but in Christ alone.  I am saying this so that we don’t believe we’re saved because of our teachers (myself included).  To God alone be all the glory, forever.  Jesus saves, and He is enough.

Grace and Peace,
Adam