Sinner's prayer

Origins

The Sinner's prayer, as popularly known today, has roots in Protestant Christianity. Some affirm that it evolved, in some form or another, during the early days of the Protestant Reformation, as a reaction against the notion of justification by means of meritorious works. Others believe it originated as late as the 18th century revival movement. Paul Harrison Chitwood, in his doctoral dissertation on the history of the Sinner's prayer, argues that it originated in the early 20th century.

Evangelists such as Billy Graham and evangelistic organizations such as Campus Crusade for Christ brought the concept to prominence in the 20th century. Televangelists often ask viewers to pray a Sinner's prayer with them, one phrase at a time, to become a Christian. Quite commonly, such a prayer appears at the conclusion of a tract and is recited in a religious service or other public service as an invitation for congregants to affirm their faith, sometimes as part of an altar call. It is said to happen many times every day around the world—in one-to-one conversations between friends, relatives, and even strangers; in pastors' offices; via email; in online chat rooms; in addition to both small and large worship services.

Typical examples

An early proponent of the sinner's prayer was the well-known American evangelist D. L. Moody.

An early version of what some would consider the Sinner's prayer is found in Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan, published in 1678, Ninth Stage, Chapter 18:

God be merciful to me a sinner, and make me to know and believe in Jesus Christ; for I see, that if his righteousness had not been, or I have not faith in that righteousness, I am utterly cast away. Lord, I have heard that thou art a merciful God, and hast ordained that thy Son Jesus Christ should be the Savior of the world; and moreover, that thou art willing to bestow him upon such a poor sinner as I am—and I am a sinner indeed. Lord, take therefore this opportunity, and magnify thy grace in the salvation of my soul, through thy Son Jesus Christ. Amen.}}

Various other versions of the prayer include:

Support

The Peace with God organization, and other evangelistic organizations and preachers, messengers (delegates) to the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) 2012 annual meeting reaffirmed the Sinner's prayer after some debate:

Criticisms

Inauthentic conversion

David Platt, a prominent Southern Baptist pastor in Birmingham, Alabama, has said that "Many assume they are saved simply because of a prayer they prayed. It's not that praying a prayer in and of itself is bad—but the question in John 2–3 is what kind of faith are we calling people to?" Speaking at The Verge Church leaders' conference said the emphasis on the Sinner's prayer is "unbiblical and damning." He continued:

Platt says he is concerned that some people "say they believe in Jesus[...] say they have accepted Jesus[...] say that they have received Jesus, but they are not saved and will not enter the kingdom of heaven". While he affirmed that people calling out to God with repentant faith is fundamental to attaining eternal life (salvation), he said his comments about the "sinner's prayer" have been deeply motivated "by a concern for authentic conversions".

Subsequently, he has written:

Francis Chan, a well-known evangelical Christian, has made statements that contradict the Sinner's prayer and emphasizing baptism and the Holy Spirit.

It has been noted that hundreds of millions adhere to a belief system and practice of salvation that was largely unheard of until relatively recent times. The concept that one can pray to invite Jesus into their heart, and the idea that baptism is merely an outward sign, are modern developments. The practice of the ‘sinner’s prayer,’ in particular, is often traced to the evangelistic campaigns of Billy Sunday in the early 20th century, though the phrase ‘receiving Christ into your heart’ became formalized as a prayer of conversion for non-Christians during the missionary movements of the nineteenth century.

Possibly shallow, or insincere commitment

A second and related criticism is that many believers fail to mature as Christians after their supposed conversion using the Sinner's prayer. An article in Christianity Today claims that "mediocrity and hypocrisy characterize the lives of many avowed Christians".

The writer encourages believers to go beyond a Sinner's prayer and "embark on a life fully devoted to the love of God, the love of neighbor, the moral practice of God's will, and radical, costly discipleship". "Love of God" and "Love of neighbor" are the Great Commandments (see also Disciple (Christianity)).

Lack of biblical presence

Another criticism of the Sinner's prayer is that passages used to support it actually are not about the lost repeating a prayer in order to become Christians. The Sinner's prayer is often employed in conjunction with Revelation 3:20 and Romans 10:9–10, 13. Revelation 3:20 is employed to teach that Christ is knocking at the door of one's heart, and when a lost person asks him to come inside, Jesus comes into the sinner's heart. Romans 10:9–10, 13 are employed to affirm that one must confess with their mouth—say, the Sinner's prayer—in order to become a Christian. However, the Baptist Greek professor Thomas Ross argues that Revelation 3:20 is about members of a church turning to the Lord, not about Christ entering into the heart of the lost. He provides 14 reasons that Revelation 3:20 is not about the lost asking Jesus into their hearts to become saved. He similarly argues that Romans 10:9–14 refers to Christians confessing Christ publicly before men and manifesting a life of prayer, rather than to the lost becoming saved by a one-time repetition of the Sinner's prayer.

Another form of this criticism of the Sinner's prayer states that simply praying the Sinner's prayer does not actually grant salvation to the one praying. One essay on the topic from the "Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry" asserts that "The 'Sinner's Prayer' is, today, an effective tool of Satan to dupe people into believing they are saved when they are not":

Absence of the Sinner's prayer in historic Christianity

Other opponents of the Sinner's prayer point out that no classic Christian confession of faith from any evangelical denomination in Christendom affirms that one must say the Sinner's prayer to be saved; on the contrary, Baptist, Presbyterian and other Reformed, and other evangelical groups unanimously teach justification by faith alone. They argue that the Sinner's prayer is a modern deviation from orthodox evangelicalism and a deviation from classic evangelical methods of evangelism. The Sinner's prayer was not practiced before the 1700s. Therefore, to say that it is the way to be saved is to say that prior to the 1700s no-one was saved.

Doctrine of baptismal regeneration

Baptismal regenerationalists—those Christians who believe that when one is baptized in water is the actual moment that an individual receives salvation—include Roman Catholics, Lutherans, some Anglicans, the Churches of Christ, International Churches of Christ, and Christian churches and churches of Christ. This is based on passages in the New Testament that some interpret to require water baptism for salvation.

In what is termed the Great Commission of Jesus just prior to his Ascension in Matthew 28:18–20, he instructed his followers to go, make disciples, teach them, and baptize them, as Jesus was baptized in water by John the Baptist. His disciples baptized converts, though John 4:1 states that "Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples" did. Opponents of baptismal regeneration understand baptism to be a means of identifying with Christ, and that when performed by immersion it is symbolic of his death, burial and resurrection. Some dispensationalists believe the baptism that saves a person is the Baptism with the Holy Spirit that Jesus gives, and not water baptism (1 Peter 3:21). Many other evangelicals and fundamentalists recognize that texts such as Mark 16:16, John 3:5, and Acts 2:38 refer to baptism in water, but argue that such verses, interpreted in their context, provide no support whatsoever for baptismal regeneration. Historic or Landmark Baptists affirm that the baptism with the Holy Spirit was a completed event that took place in the first century and is not for today, arguing that texts employed to support baptismal regeneration are actually totally consistent with justification by faith alone (James 2:18–26).

Roman Catholics, Lutherans, and Orthodox churches also teach that forgiveness is received in baptism (although they practice this in the "Christening" with water of infants or adult converts). A leading Roman Catholic authority defines "baptism" in the following fashion:

Evidence presented to advocate baptism being necessary for salvation includes the conversion of Saul of Tarsus (the Apostle Paul). After Christ had told Saul to enter Damascus where Saul would be told what he "must" do, Saul was blind for three days and was praying during this time. Ananias arrived, cured Paul of his blindness and baptized Saul.

Others see it as an example of apparently instantaneous salvation coming through repentance without water baptism or any kind of work, citing the assurance Jesus gave to the penitent thief on a cross next to him during the crucifixion.

An opposing position here is that the penitent thief was dying under the older Mosaic law which did not require baptism (cf. Mikveh) and that before Christ's death he had authority and did forgive many without any of the salvation requirements found after his death, burial and Resurrection found in the rest of the New Testament. Additionally, it is unknown whether the thief had been baptized at a stage in life before being crucified. John the Baptist and Jesus' disciples already had baptized many individuals.

Baptismal regenerationists refer to water baptism as the "washing of regeneration", (1 Corinthians 6:11/John 3:5) believing it to be part of the "born again" conversion experience in the Bible. The passage states, "And now why tarriest thou? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord". Opponents of baptismal regeneration argue that vast numbers of texts in the Gospel of John, the only specifically evangelistic book of the New Testament (John 20:31), promise eternal life to every single believer (John 1:12; 3:16, 18, 36; 5:24; 6:47, etc.) and so demonstrate that eternal life is received by faith alone before baptism. Similarly, while texts affirm that those who do not repent and believe are damned (Luke 13:3; John 3:18, 36), The Bible also shows that the unbaptized are damned, according to baptismal regenerationists. (Mark 16:16/Revelation 22:14). Advocates of the Sinner's prayer also believe verses such as Romans 10:13 show that people are saved before baptism when they pray and ask to be saved, while evangelical and fundamentalist opponents of the Sinner's prayer believe that a defense of the Sinner's prayer gives opponents of justification by faith alone security by enshrining a human tradition over the Biblical mandate to repent and believe to receive eternal life (Mark 1:15). Moreover, opponents of the Sinner's prayer reference Romans 6:3–5 to assert that the audience of the book of Romans was already baptized, and, therefore, were being instructed to call on the name of the Lord after they had heard and believed the message being preached (Acts 10:14–17). Other verses such as Acts 22:16 suggest that baptism and "calling on His name" are complementary actions required for forgiveness of sins.

Notes

References

References

1. Olsen, Ted. (2012-06-20). "Southern Baptists Debate the Sinner's Prayer".
2. Burton-Edwards, Taylor. "Is the concept "saved, born-again" unique to evangelicals or Baptists? Does it apply to Methodists?". The United Methodist Church.
3. Fortson, Nina. "God's gift of Salvation". Asbury United Methodist Church.
4. Howard, Robert Glenn. "A Theory of Vernacular Rhetoric: The Case of the 'Sinner's Prayer' Online". ''Folklore'' 116.2 (2005): 175-91
5. Jackson, Wayne. (April 17, 2024). "The Sinner's Prayer - Is It Biblical? {{!}} ChristianCourier.com".
6. (6 November 2022). "How can I be saved?". Ward African Methodist Episcopal Church.
7. (2025). "What Must I Do to Be Saved?". Friendship Baptist Church.
8. (2015). "Knowing Jesus - and making Him known - is the heart of our mission". Church Of The Resurrection ([[Anglican Church in North America.
9. "Prayer of Salvation". St. Stephen's Anglican Church.
10. (2007). "Invite Jesus In". Bethel Lutheran Church ([[Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
11. "Steps to Peace with God". St. Mark's Lutheran Church.
12. (2014). "Prayer of Consecration". St. Paul Street Evangelization.
13. (5 June 2014). "Message For You! - Message with Salvation Prayer in 100+ languages".
14. "Barna Study of Religious Change Since 1991 Shows Significant Changes by Faith Group".
15. "Augsburg Confession, Article XII: Of Repentance". Bookofconcord.org.
16. Jackson, Wayne. "The 'Sinner's Prayer' — Is It Biblical?" ''Christian Courier''. [https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/368-the-sinners-prayer-is-it-biblical] Accessed 2 May 2013
17. Thomas Ross. (2014-10-13). "''The Sinner's Prayer: A Historical and Theological Analysis'', Paul Harrison Chitwood. (Ph. D. Diss, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2001)". Faithsaves.net.
18. Miano, Tony. "Why The Sinner's Prayer Is Unbiblical". Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry (CARM). [http://carm.org/sinners-prayer] 18 Mar 2013
19. [[Frank Viola (author). Viola, F.]] & [[George Barna. Barna, G.]] (2007) ''Pagan Christianity? Exploring the roots of our church practices'', Tyndale, p.104
20. {{Bibleverse. Exod.. 25:22; {{Bibleverse. Lev.. 16:2; {{Bibleverse. Num.. 7:89; {{Bibleverse. Heb.. 4:16
21. "The Four Spiritual Laws on the Campus Crusade for Christ website". Campuscrusade.com.
22. "How to Know God".
23. Lobo, Simon. (25 July 2014). "The Good News". Saint Paul Street Evangelization (Roman Catholic).
24. (20 June 2012). "Southern Baptists Debate the Sinner's Prayer".
25. Platt, David. "David Platt: What I Really Think About the 'Sinner's Prayer,' Conversion, Mission, and Deception". ''Christianity Today''. 6/28/2012 [http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2012/juneweb-only/david-platt-sinners-prayer.html]
26. Chan, Francis. (Feb 21, 2011). "Francis Chan - baptism".
27. "Brief History of the Sinner's Prayer (Prayer of Faith). Bible study on salvation and the sinner's prayer".
28. (29 June 2017). "The Sinner's Prayer: A Brief History of a Novel Practice".
29. (30 June 2016). ""Ask Jesus into Your Heart": A History of the Sinner's Prayer".
30. [[David P. Gushee]], "Jesus and the Sinner's Prayer: What Jesus says doesn't match what we usually say". ''Christianity Today, '' March 2007. http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/march/29.72.html
31. {{bibleverse. Revelation. 3:20
32. {{bibleverse. Romans. 10:9–10, {{bibleverse. Romans. 10:13
33. Thomas Ross. (2014-10-06). "''Will I Be Saved if I Ask Jesus to Come into my Heart or Repeat the Sinners Prayer?''". Faithsaves.net.
34. Thomas Ross. (2013-10-20). "''Is the "Sinner's Prayer" in Romans 10:9-10 or Romans 10:13? An Exegesis and Application of Romans 10:9-14 for Soulwinning Churches and Christians'', by Thomas Ross". Faithsaves.net.
35. "Christ's suit to the sinner, while he stands and knocks at the door. [microform] : A sermon preach'd in a time of great awakening, at the Tuesday-evening lecture in Brattle-Street, Boston, October 13. 1741. / By John Webb, M.A. Pastor of a church of Christ in Boston.".
36. {{Bibleverse. Matthew. 28:18–20
37. "Did Jesus Ever Baptize Anyone? – Baptist Bulletin".
38. Thomas Ross. (2013-12-12). "''Spirit Baptism: A Completed Historical Event; An Exposition and Defense of the Historic Baptist View of Spirit Baptism''". Faithsaves.net.
39. Walther, Carl Ferdinand Wilhelm. (2008). "Sermons and prayers for Reformation and Luther commemorations". Joel Baseley.
40. Attwater, Donald. ''A Catholic Dictionary''. New York, NY: Macmillan. 1961. p.45
41. {{bibleverse. Acts. 9:6
42. {{bibleverse. Acts. 9:9–11
43. {{bibleverse. Acts. 22:16
44. "CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Regeneration".
45. {{bibleverse. Luke. 23:39–43
46. Staten, Steven Francis. {{" 'The Sinner's Prayer:' Modern apostasy and false teaching that prevents men from being saved". [http://www.bible.ca/g-sinners-prayer.htm] Accessed 3 May 2013
47. {{bibleverse. Hebrews. 9:15–17
48. Jackson, Wayne. "What about the thief on the cross?". Christiancourier.com.
49. Compare the discussion at: http://faithsaves.net/baptismal-regeneration/