| The Sinner's Prayer, Part 1 |
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| Written by David Lawrence |
| Monday, July 04 2005 00:00 |
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Recently a lady asked me for the Biblical basis of "the sinner's prayer." Her pastor uses the term regularly, and she has doubts that it is scriptural. This topic is certainly a question worthy of our study. The context of the term has to do with receiving pardon from the guilt of sin, of the very transition from darkness to light, of a person becoming a Christian. It is as though we looked at John 5:24 ("I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life; he has crossed over from death to life.") and asked the questions, "At what point does one make the crossing? When does faith become saving faith?" Before investigating the matter of the sinner's prayer as a possible answer to these questions, we need to pause for a moment and establish with firm conviction the fact that nothing the sinner does in any way forms the ground of his/her justification. Justification is by faith, and by faith alone. This truth is established with the utmost clarity and precision in Holy Scripture. Unfortunately, many obscure, neglect, or even deny this truth. Paul asserted clearly in his sermon in Pisidian Antioch, as recorded in Acts 13:38-39, "Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses." It is through Christ that people receive justification from all guilt. It is never through law, through what one does in obedience to God's commandments. And every believer is justified. The mixing of any kind of works-righteousness into the gospel results, as Paul teaches plainly in the Galatian letter, in a corrupt gospel that is no gospel at all (Gal. 1:7-9). To be continued. |
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