Long time coming

I've wanted to talk about this for a long time, but haven't gotten around to it for many different reasons, but am now making time for it. Those of you who know me personally know that I am not a fan of the "Sinner's Prayer". I have for a while now, been opposed to this for numerous different reasons and now want to make my argument against it. Being reformed in my theology I cannot endorse or tolerate the "Sinner's Prayer" because it is come from bad theology and leads to bad theology. The methods used along side the sinner's prayer, such as the alter call are designed for one purpose; quick conversions. It is driven by a results oriented evangelism. This is particularly repulsive to me because when people feel that they must get results from their evangelism they have boasted. They claim responsibility for what is not theirs. Please allow me to elaborate.

Ephesians 2:8 "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast." I have debated this verse with friends and 'frenemies' alike and heard numerous defenses of their points grounded in the original greek, however, what I want to bring out in this verse is that the grace through faith unto salvation is a gift and not a work. I now want to show what a work is; work: Something that has been produced or accomplished through the effort, activity, or agency of a person or thing. (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/work). Salvation is not a work. Nor is grace. Nor is faith. Indeed even the people I have debated against would not disagree that faith is a work, they all adamantly say that faith is separate from works, yet they disagree that it is a gift. I am told by one that I must believe and accept Christ to be saved. Yet let's look at this with the understanding of the person whom said this to me; that faith is not a gift, but something man puts forth. 'I must exert effort to believe in goal of salvation' is what the man is saying, yet this is the very definition of a work! And Ephesians says that the grace through faith unto salvation is not a work!

Why did I bring up that aside? To demonstrate that though men may claim faith is not a work, may claim that faith is opposite of works, their actions and doctrines may say differently. Example Gratia: The "Sinner's Prayer". People are told that if they want to go to heaven / avoid hell / know Jesus / have prosperity and inner peace / etc etc etc... they need to pray this prayer and if they mean it, really mean it then Jesus will come into their hearts. Look at what has just been done. The salvation by grace through faith has just become a work. Why? Because it is now dependent upon what man puts forth; the sincerity of a prayer. Now that it is of man's acceptance, of his sincerity, man may boast and have the power to contradict Holy Scripture, right? Wrong. What happens is that Holy Scripture contradicts man. When 'salvation' is of the works of man it is no longer salvation.

Let me take a brief aside here and plainly state that I do not believe that all the people who have prayed the sinner's prayer are going to hell. Indeed I do believe that many of them are genuine in their faith as has been given to them by God whom has drawn them. Yet I must make painfully clear that I do believe multitudes of the people being sold this humanistic caltrop are not saved because they have 'saved' themselves.

Notice that I said those whose faith is sincere and are genuinely saved are saved not because of the prayer but in spite of it. It is because their faith has been given to them by God whom has drawn them. (John 6:44). Now look at how ridiculous it is to believe contrary to this. aka to believe that an unregenerate, unsaved individual can create faith and cry to God and be saved. Romans 8:7 "the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so." Sinful men / unsaved men, cannot submit to God's law. Why then do we suppose that they can beg forgiveness of sins convicted by the law? This is preposterous, but it is the notion that the sinner's prayer is founded on and the notion which the sinner's prayer perpetuates.

A favorite text of decisionalists whom support and defend the sinner's prayer is John 1:12 "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:" they then claim that you must receive him as if this is an action which man is able to undertake! What they neglect to do is read John 1:13: "Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." These people whom received Jesus did so not of the will of man. Yet the sinner's prayer and modern Christendom is willing to throw aside all scriptures which say such and misinterpret other passages to accomplish their means; defending the sinner's prayer and gathering in numbers as to how effective their evangelism is. Why do they do this? So that they may boast.

The sinner's prayer is not of God. It has no place in the church nor in evangelism. It is a wicked tool of man. Brothers and sisters I plead with you in joining me and standing against the sinner's prayer. Do not suffer it henceforth but instead cling to the holy word of God.

Soli Deo Gloria