The sinner’s prayer

[E.G]

The sinner’s prayer...did the Lord Christ ask for it?
You may have heard many pastors, preachers or prayer leaders asking people to repeat after them what is called the “sinner’s prayers�, which is a prayer puts the emphasis on repentance, prayed by individuals who would declare that they are sinners.

Christianity has been around for more than 2000 years and many false teachings have found their way into the church, the most damaging type of false teaching comes in the form of a subtle duplicity or a doctrine wrapped in a cloth of omission.

Are there any spiritual danger in using this approach (sinner’s prayer) and what could be the real motive behind using it?
In the following analysis the commentary will deal with the truth supported by the Bible and relevant Biblical verses.
First, the phrase “sinner’s prayer’ does not exist in the Bible, it is a man-made phenomenon. Secondly, it is critical for the intelligent and wise truth seeker to understand the spirit and the fundamental doctrine behind any teaching, which would not come as a result of an interpretation of one single verse in the Bible or an emotional sermon given by a self-proclaimed preacher using a dramatic voice vibration to legitimize his/her interpretation.

Briefly, the conclusion here is this approach of using the sinner’s prayer as a means to bring people to Christ comes under the heading of “subtle duplicity�. The following is the argument in favor of this conclusion based on Biblical references.

The spirit of the teaching
When Lord Christ announced the purpose of his mission, he said: “I have come so that they may have life, life in its fullest measure, John 10:10, note, this saying does not put any emphasis on the issue of “sin� nor mention it at all, but, as stated earlier, that one verse in the Bible is not, and should not be the base on which we build a doctrine, therefore, we need more supporting Biblical teaching. In Matthew 11:28, the lord himself uttered this invitation, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.�, he did not say: come to me sinners and I will give you forgiveness…that was not the base or the spirit behind his invitation. We need to stop here and clarify one point, and answer one question that has started rising in your mind asking: is this argument here embracing minimizing the issue of sin?, the answer is definitely No, however, there is a major difference between understanding how the Lord Christ dealt with the issue of sin and some people manipulation of the issue in order to control the minds and the souls of others.

In the famous verse of John 3:16 "For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.�, one more time we see the spirit of the teaching puts the emphasis on the positive and the verse does not have a sentence says: (for God loved the world so much that every sinner who would repent will…).
What was the main theme of the famous Sermon on the Mount? Was it focused on sins and repentance and the need to come forward and admit those sins publicly? The main theme can be summarized in three words “Blessed are those…�, and the Bible stated clearly in Mark 16:16: “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved.�

A true believer and a follower of the Lord Christ, demonstrates her/his genuine belief in him through the dwelling and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Holy word of God, the fellowship and support of the believers’ community in their lives and the present of practical good fruits (a Godly positive and productive life style), which are a testimony that they have already been reconciled with God based on the autonomous work of salvation that was completed by the savior J. Christ on the cross.

So, why does the spirit of the Biblical teaching put the emphasis on the positive and why does a group of preachers prefer to pound on the negative and sin?

On the positive side
The Lord Christ himself is the one who preached: “You are the salt of the earth…You are the light of the world, Matthew 5:13-14, he was building up brave, strong leaders, led by the Holy Spirit and followers who can engage with society, leading by example and making a difference. This was and still is the higher goal and the core of the mission that has turned the whole world upside down and spread the good news (the Gospel) across the globe.

The application of the teaching
Lord Christ sent the apostles to the world with these instructions “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned, Mark 16:15-16, again there is no mention here of the word “sin�, rather the emphases is on “saved�.
It is apparent, therefore, that God’s approach is for humanity to take time understanding and believing, not just admitting that they are sinners and this admission should be enough to make them true believers and followers of Lord Christ.

If this is the spirit of the teaching and the mission according to the Bible why then a group of preachers prefer to pound on the negative and focus on the sin issue selling the sinner’s prayer?

On the negative side
Those with the wrong motive as was described in the Bible, “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves�, Matthew 7:15 have a hidden agenda involves:
- Making Christianity and following the Lord Christ appear to be so simple and would not require more than uttering few words and you are in. Not as a decision that requires a very clear understanding of the life, death and resurrection of the savior Jesus the Christ and a serious commitment for life and eternity that would mark the start of a new journey involves making brave changes, facing different challenges and seeking victory in Christ and with Christ. By using this subtle duplicity, they can guarantee your “membership� in their organization.
- Making a clever use of the guilt factor, particularly the embarrassment associated with having to say this prayer in front of others who may know things about you. One of the most famous words of Christ: “and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free, John 8:32, as was mentioned earlier, Christ mission on earth involved building leaders to be the light in this world, a true leader is a free person led by the Holy Spirit, (…the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom, 2 Corinthians 3:17). But those false profits are not in the business of building leaders, rather, they are making followers to control them using the guilt tactic and making them constantly feeling inadequate and never can feel worthy, thus remain non-productive in the body of Christ, continuously coming back to those false prophets hoping that someday a miracle would take place and they could start feeling differently.
- The third dimension of this evil plot is to make people dependent on those false profits in learning and understanding the word of God, thus they can get away with their own interpretations, since they have never attempt to put a sincere effort in encouraging new believers to study the Bible for themselves, rather made them believe that the sinner’s prayer has saved them and all they need to do is to keep coming back to listen to their preaching.
From Romans 16:17 we learn, “Now I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and obstacles that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Turn away from them�.

Perhaps, there are some misled people among those who chose to pound on the negative and demand the sinner’s prayer, if after presenting this argument to them, they were willing to go back and examine their belief system, this would be a sign of a desire to be truthful in following the Lord Christ, which means that there is a hope. If they refused and insisted on their doctrine, you need to turn away from them; their teaching is a pure hindering to your spiritual growth and the main purpose of your life according to Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life�.

After having a productive and health feedback on this topic, the next topic will be:
“They told you that the main purpose of the Lord Jesus dying on the cross is to save you, was it?�

[E.G]

After having a productive and healthy feedback on this topic (The sinner’s prayer...did the Lord Christ ask for it?), the next topic will be:
“They told you that the main purpose of the Lord Jesus dying on the cross is to save you, was it?�

[E.G]

[Replying to post 2 by E.G]

I have posted now in the category: "Theology, Doctrine, and Dogma" the topic that is titled:

“They told you that the main purpose of the death of the Lord Jesus on the cross was to save you…was it?�...as was mentioned in the last paragraph of my previous topic:

"The sinner’s prayer...did the Lord Christ ask for it?

January 2, 2016