We have all seen and heard them on T.V., radio and maybe in person. The evangelist delivers a powerful message dealing with sin and judgment. At the close of the sermon, he tells his audience they need to pray the sinner’s prayer. He usually says something like the following.
“By a simple prayer of faith, you can invite Christ into your life now. Just say, thank you, Lord, come into my heart.” Billy Graham.
Is this what Peter, Paul and other first-century preachers told people to do to be saved? Acts is the New Testament history book about the early church. There are nine examples of conversion given to us in this book. Please take an excursion with us as we review what these people did in order to be saved from their sins.
It is the day of Pentecost, and it is in the city of Jerusalem. Seven weeks after the death and resurrection of Jesus. Peter is the preacher. Acts 2 records this powerful sermon. At its conclusion, it is evident that Peter had convicted them of their sins.
We learn that about three thousand responded to his command. Yet Peter did not say anything about saying a little prayer, inviting the Lord Jesus to come into their hearts. He did say, “Repent and be baptised.”
In Acts 8:5-12, we read of a number of people living in the city of Samaria becoming Christians. Philip was the evangelist. It is said, “They all gave heed, from the least to the greatest.”
We are further told, “But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the baptised.” Nothing is said about their saying the sinner’s prayer.
In Acts 8:26-39, we are told that an angel of the Lord instructed Philip, a preacher, to go down to the road that led from Jerusalem to Gaza. This resulted in Philip meeting an Ethiopian eunuch riding in a chariot.
The eunuch is reading from Isaiah 53, but did not understand what Isaiah was saying. Philip began to “preach unto him Jesus” since this chapter is a prophecy concerning the death of Jesus.
Four things happened in this conversation.
1. Philip preached the word of God to the eunuch.
2. The eunuch believed what Philip had preached.
3. He confessed Jesus as the Son of God.
4. Philip must have touched on baptism, for seeing the water, the eunuch wanted to know why he should not be baptised. The chariot was stopped, and Philip baptised him.
Notice, Philip did not tell the eunuch to just pray a little prayer, “Lord Jesus, come into my heart.” Much effort could have been saved if all that was necessary was the “sinner’s prayer.”
The next example of conversion is in Acts 9. It is Saul of Tarsus, later known as Paul.
Paul begins his journey to Damascus to find Christians and bring them captives to Jerusalem. But the Lord had other plans for Paul. Just outside the city, something happens to him which would change his whole life.
Paul is told to go into the city, and there he will be told what to do. Blinded, Paul was so in shock that he did not eat or drink for three days. Ananias was sent to him. He found Paul on his knees, praying.
The first thing Ananias did was to get himself off his knees. Ananias said, “And now why tarriest thou? Arise and be baptised and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord,” Acts 22:16.
Notice three things.
1. Paul heard the Lord speak. He became convinced he had been wrong in persecuting Christians.
2. He became penitent as demonstrated by his not eating or drinking.
3. He was baptised.
The next example is the conversion of a Gentile. This is found in Acts 10. Peter had to have a demonstration from the Holy Spirit to show him that God wanted Gentiles to be saved as much as the Jews. Peter finds himself in the house of Cornelius, “A devout man, and one believed, and their faith led them to be baptised, Acts 10:48. Again, no sinner’s prayer.
In Acts 16, we find Paul in Philippi, where he comes into contact with a woman named Lydia.
Here, Lydia and those in her household heard the Word preached by Paul. They believed and were baptised. No prayer saying, “Lord Jesus, come into my heart.”
Later on in this same city, Paul and Silas find themselves in prison. It was midnight, and they were praying and singing. Suddenly, an earthquake jarred the doors of the prison open.
The jailer was about to kill himself realizing he would be held responsible for the escape of the prisoners. Paul cries out to him that everyone is still there. The jailer was so overcome that he cried out and said the following.
Again, we see repeated what we have already observed in every case of conversion. He and his household believed, repented and were baptised. No sinner’s prayer is said by anyone in that house.
In Acts 18:8, we learn that “Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptised.” Again, no little prayer was said by anyone.
Paul re-baptised twelve men who had been baptised under John’s baptism, Acts 19:1-5, which was no longer valid at that time. He insisted they be baptised “In the name of the Lord Jesus.”
It was so important that he insisted these twelve men be baptised correctly, Acts 19:1-10. In these nine examples, we see the same pattern repeated each time. In every case, their faith produced obedience to the command of baptism, for the remission of their sins, and not a prayer asking the “Lord Jesus to come into my heart.”
The so-called “sinners’ prayer” is nowhere to be found in the New Testament. It is an invention of men, certainly not authorised by the Lord.
When Christians sin, and they will, they follow the instructions of the apostle John.
These were specific instructions given to Christians, not to non-Christians, James 5:16. For the Christian, praying for his or her forgiveness is appropriate and scriptural.