Thoughts on Salvation

Salvation is of the heart; not the mouth. Many professed 'Christians' today are running around leading people in prayer to invite Jesus into their heart. This is not Scriptural. The issues of sin, condemnation, and judgment must be dealt with. Inviting Jesus into one's heart, or making a commitment to God, is not salvation. Salvation is a dirty rotten sinner, who realizes his or her guilt and justly deserved penalty of Hellfire, coming to Jesus Christ in faith for forgiveness and salvation. There are many folks today, who profess the name of Jesus, who have no remorse whatsoever over their homosexuality, abortion, or worldly living. Something is wrong. Although a person does not have to forsake their sins to be saved, a genuine born again Christian will experience the conviction of the Holy Spirit (Hebrews 12:8), and a changed life should manifest itself. This is exactly what the Apostle James meant when he said in James 2:18... "Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works." James was speaking about being justified in the eyes of men.

In Romans 4:5, the Apostle Paul spoke of being justified in the eyes of God when he said... "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." We see the sharp contrast here between being justified in the eyes of God by faith alone; verses being justified in the eyes of men by works. God can see the faith in our heart; but men cannot, so they look at our works alone.

So please understand that although a sinner's prayer is perfectly acceptable, it is not enough to save a person―There MUST be a heart's faith in Jesus Christ.

If you realize your sinfulness and guilt, and have faith in your heart and want to ask Jesus to save you, then you might pray something similar to this sinner's prayer...

Dear Jesus, I know that I am a sinner deserving of Hell. I believe that you are the Son of God, and that you died upon the cross, paying the price for my sins with your own blood. I now believe on You Jesus to forgive all my sins and take me to Heaven when I die. I receive you as my Savior. Thank you for saving me, Amen.

There's nothing magical about the words friend, it's just the simple fact that you went to Jesus for salvation that matters... "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Romans 10:13). You could have simply prayed, "Jesus forgive me," or not prayed at all. It matters not what words you use, just as long as you realize your guilt as a sinner, and then believe in your heart on the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior. Salvation is of the heart; not the intellect. It is a matter of trust!