Reformed. Christianity. Evangelism. Modern Culture.
By Todd Friel of Wretched Radio
The music weeps, the preacher pleads, “Give your heart to Jesus. You have a God shaped hole in your heart and only Jesus can fill it.” Dozens, hundreds or thousands of people who want to get their spiritual life on track make their way to the altar. They ask Jesus into their heart.
Cut to three months later. Nobody has seen our new convert in church. The follow up committee calls him and encourages him to attend a Bible study, but to no avail. We label him a backslider and get ready for the next outreach event.
Our beloved child lies in her snuggly warm bed and says, “Yes, Daddy. I want to ask Jesus into my heart.” You lead her in “the prayer” and hope that it sticks. You spend the next ten years questioning if she really, really meant it. Puberty hits and the answer reveals itself. She backslides. We spend the next ten years praying that she will come to her senses.
Telling someone to ask Jesus into their hearts has a very typical result, backsliding. The Bible says that a person who is soundly saved puts his hand to the plow and does not look back because he is fit for service. In other words, a true convert cannot backslide. If a person backslides, he never slid forward in the first place. “If any man is in Christ, he is a new creation.” (II Cor.5) No backsliding there.
Brace yourself for this one: with very few if any exceptions, anyone who asked Jesus into their hearts to be saved…is not. If you asked Jesus into your heart because you were told that is what you have to do to become a Christian, you were mis-informed.
If you have ever told someone to ask Jesus into their heart (like I have), you produced a false convert. Here is why.
1. It is not in the Bible. There is not a single verse that even hints we should say a prayer inviting Jesus into our hearts. Some use Rev. 3:20. To tell us that Jesus is standing at the door of our hearts begging to come in.
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock.” There are two reasons that interpretation is wrong.
The context tells us that the door Jesus is knocking on is the door of the church, not the human heart. Jesus is not knocking to enter someone’s heart but to have fellowship with His church.
Even if the context didn’t tell us this, we would be forcing a meaning into the text (eisegesis). How do we know it is our heart he is knocking at? Why not our car door? How do we know he isn’t knocking on our foot? To suggest that he is knocking on the door of our heart is superimposing a meaning on the text that simply does not exist.
The Bible does not instruct us to ask Jesus into our heart. This alone should resolve the issue, nevertheless, here are nine more reasons.
2. Asking Jesus into your heart is a saying that makes no sense. What does it mean to ask Jesus into your heart? If I say the right incantation will He somehow enter my heart? Is it literal? Does He reside in the upper or lower ventricle? Is this a metaphysical experience? Is it figurative? If it is, what exactly does it mean? While I am certain that most adults cannot articulate its meaning, I am certain that no child can explain it. Pastor Dennis Rokser reminds
us that little children think literally and can easily be confused (or frightened) at the prospect of asking Jesus into their heart.
3. In order to be saved, a man must repent (Acts 2:38). Asking Jesus into your heart leaves out the requirement of repentance.
4. In order to be saved, a man must trust in Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31).
Asking Jesus into your heart leaves out the requirement of faith.
5. The person who wrongly believes they are saved will have a false sense of security. Millions of people who sincerely, but wrongly, asked Jesus into their hearts think they are saved but struggle to feel secure. They live in doubt and fear because they do not have the Holy Spirit giving them assurance of salvation.
Read the rest of the article here.
Editor’s Note: “If we do not preach about sin and God’s judgment on it, we cannot present Christ as Saviour from sin and the wrath of God. And if we are silent about these things, and preach a Christ who saves only from self and the sorrows of this world, we are not preaching the Christ of the Bible . . . Such preaching may soothe some, but it will help nobody; for a Christ who is not seen and sought as a Saviour from sin will not be found to save from self or from anything else”
A Twisted Crown of Thorns ® 
Sir,
I appreciate you trying to help in one since of the way.But the bible does speak of backsliding… I am a Christian…BORN AGAIN….BLOOD BOUGHT …. BUT WE STILL HAVE A WILL AND WE CAN STILL IN OUR FLESH CHOOSE TO SIN…WIN WE DO WE AT THAT MOMENT CHOOSE TO WALK AWAY FROM JESUS HE IS NOW NO LONGER OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR. BUT WITH WELCOME ARMS WE CAN REPENT OF THAT SIN AND COME BACK TO HIM… DOES THAT MEAN I DO THIS SIN TONIGHT AND REPENT TOMORROW AND DO THE SIN AGAIN OVER AND OVER AND THAT BE REPENTANCE..NO !!!! REPENTANCE MEANS TO TURN FROM…I DO BELIEVE THAT MANY PEOPLE WALK DOWN ISLES THINKING THEY GOT BORN AGAIN AND DID NOT..HOW CAN I SAY THIS …BECAUSE I WAS ONCE THERE..WHEN I TRUELY GOR BORN AGAIN I WAS STANGING IN MY KITCHEN FLOOR AND RAISED MY HANDS TO THE AIR LOOKING UP TO THE LORD AND SAID WITH EVERYTHING WITHIN ME ….WHATEVER YOU WANT HERE I AM…TRUE SURRENDER…. I THEN HAD SPIRITUAL EYES TOO SEE…HE CREATED A CLEAN HEART WITHIN AND RENEWED AN UPRIGHT SPIRIT WITHIN ME…NOW BORN AGAIN…. I HAVE WALKED OFF FROM THE LORD AND REPENTED AGAIN SINCE BEING BORN AGAIN…THIS IS WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO JUDGE OURSELVES LEST WE BE JUDGED BY HIM(GOD,JESUS CHRIST). THIS IS WHY THE TEACHING ONED SAVED ALWAYS SAVED IS A LIE FRO THE PIT OF HELL !!! WE Can’t SERVE TWO MASTERS AT ONE TIME..GOD SAID WE WILL LOVE ONE AND HATE THE OTHER !!!!…BE BLESSED PAM STEPP…..
THE SENTENCE THAT SAYS ONED SAVED ALWASYS SAVED SHOULD HAVE SAID ONCE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED IS A LIE FROM THE PIT OF HELL…
THE ONLY WAY TO HEAVEN AND OUR HEAVENLY FATHER IS THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST THE ANNOINTED ONE AND HIS ANNOINTING….ASK HIM TO KEEP YOU …HE WILL KEEP YOU IF YOU WANT TO BE KEPT…. IT IS ONLY THROUGH JESUS SOMEONE AGUIRES SALVATION..APART FROM JESUS THERE IS NO WAY…JOHN 14:6 SAYS JESUS IS THE WAY THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE !!!! THAT IS BIBLE NOT PAM…..
It’s exegesis, not eisegesis. I’m not sure if you are being serious or not, because if you are being serious, then I don’t agree with you, and if you are not being serious, it’s just not funny! I hope this doesn’t come out in CAP LOCKS…
Well, Pam is right. Hebrews 11:26 says is there if we sin willingly, there remains no remission of sin. God gives us free will to make decisions. He doesn’t put a lock on the sin box of our souls and we just live sin free 🙂 Asking Jesus into your heart is acknowledging He is the Son of God, He died on the cross for our sins, and rose on the third day. Where did I get that.. “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9) After saying that prayer, we have to walk according to the convictions God gives us. So, if we stray away from them, well, we are sinning willingly and thus backsliding. I have backslidden before, it is possible. I was in church for 1 1/2 years, but because of difficulties in my life, I felt God had betrayed me, and I made a conscience decision to leave. But now, I have asked God into my heart again, but everyday, I make the decision with God’s help, to stay on the right path that he is given me. And let me tell you, it is the best decision I could have ever made. Things that happen in our lives, happen most of the time because of our own decisions!
I find it very hard to believe that once a person is TRULY “Born-Again,” that they can walk away from the faith. If they are successful in his/her attempt, he/she was NEVER a child of God (born-again, filled with the Holy Spirit!) Take a look at Heb 12:7-9. For if a person is TRULY a child of God, the Lord will come for them. The same power that put them there will keep them there: “..that He who began a good work in you will carry it out…” (Paul Washer speaks very clearly on this.) If still not clear let’s take a look at Rom 8:30, “And to those He predestined, he also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified.” This is God’s promise, that once He called and justified us through the blood of Jesus Christ, He will continue to sanctify (cleanse and make holy) us, then on that day, we who are His will be glorified through the Son.
Blacksliding: if you are TRULY a child of God, this word is not apart of your vocabulary or behavior. Do we realize the true meanings of Jesus’ parables? They weren’t about believers and unbelievers, but about TRUE children of God and false converts (sheeps and goats; wheat and weeds…still not understanding? If you think about these terms in context of true life, they grow and thrive amongst each other, so do people in church settings…”backsliders (false converts) and new creatures (God’s children). And why am I making such a bold conclusion, because i was a product of the “Ask Jesus into Your Heart Movement” if you could call it a movement. I rememebr upwards of 10-15 times of doing altar calls and asking Jesus into my heart. I spent 10 years of my life (I’m 21 now) thinking that I was saved and a Christian until I met and befriended my now brother and Christ, and I came to a point of repentance and a firm reliance on the blood and work of Christ (in the Bible, that is what it means to “believe”), and I can say without any doubts that I’m a child of God…the sin once loved, I now loath and abhor. I’m not the same. I have put my hand to the plow.
Also, one last comment about being born-again and turning back to sin. Heb 6 and 10 give VERY FRIGHTENING warnings about tasting salvation and turning back to sin. You in fact CRUCIFY Christ all over again. Heb 6:4-6, “4.It is IMPOSSIBLE for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5. who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, 6. IF THEY FALL AWAY, TO BE BROUGHT BACK TO REPENTANCE, BECAUSE TO THEIR LOSS THEY ARE CRUCIFYING THE SON OF GOD ALL OVER AGAIN AND SUBJECTING HIM TO PUBLIC DISGRACE.”
If you claim in you know in your heart that you are saved:….
Jer 17:9 “For the heart of man is deceitfully wicked above all things. Who can know it?
If you are saying to yourself “I know, that I know, that I know that I’m saved!”
Pro 16:25 “For there is a way that seems right to a man that leads unto death.”
What to do? Examine ourselves to see if we’re in the faith. 2 Cor. 13:5
Take the test of Scripture: Go to 1John and see if you complete all of the test answers (it’s an all or nothing test)
1. Walking in the Light
2. Confession of Sin
3. Obedience
4. Love for the Brethren
5. Hatred of the World
6. Perseverance in Doctrine
7. Righteousness
8. Spirit’s Testimony (the true assurance)
9. Discipline (Heb 12:5-8)
I encourage us to listen to sermons by Paul Washer and the like, and to examine such sermons with Scripture. Go to heartcrymissionary.com and look under “Sermons.” I pray that we all become more enlightened in Scripture and the hidden things of God, that he has promised to reveal to us!
Thank u 🙂
I agree with many of the comments, but I don’t think it is possible to repent totally of EVERY sin. Some sins people are able to not committ again, like murder, rape, etc… but to say that one has repented of EVERY single sin is not possible. I can’t say that I won’t be quick to anger, that I won’t ever yell at someone, that I won’t ever have a sexual thought, or that I won’t ever lie again. I will TRY to not to those ever again, but I can’t say that I won’t ever sin again. We are all sinners and to never sin again is not possible. What we can do is make a conscious effort not to sin again.
I’ve got to say, I agree. for the first part of my life (up until freshman year of high school) I knew I was ready to die. I did not, however, realize the tremendous error I had made in not realizing that that’s only half… no, only a tiny sliver of what it means to be in christ. I know now that I am not only ready to die, but I’m ready to live.
I think it is important to remember that coming to Christ is a process, a process we will not complete while we are on earth. I can’t remember the exact day I got saved, but I know even after I first got saved, I still sinned, heavily. But, if anyone dared to pay attention, they would have seen a progression from the person I was to the person I am today. And guess what, I am still growing. So do not be surprised if that new convert is still sinning, God has to work that stuff out of them. But here’s the difference, when you accept Christ it is not you against your sin, it is you and Christ standing together facing your sin. His grace and mercy is what helps to get it out of our lives. I thank God for His patience, that He doesn’t expect me to get it right right away, but realizes that being in Christ is a whole new ball game. Paul said he fed the new Christians milk, realizing that they were not yet able to eat meat. It’s because walking in faith is a process and we don’t get it all at the start…
Nicole thanks alot for that post. Many people come to Christ for many reasons. The Bible says God draws people to Christ. The natural reaction to hearing the gospel is rejection of the message unless God has made you begin to come alive and respond to it. The Bible says man is fallen and has sinned and this has seperated us from a Holy God who will not tolerate sin. As a sinner you are alienated from God,dead in trespasses in which you willingly walk, following the course of this world, living in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and are by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. Probably a good way to know if you have been regenerated is to see if you still conitinue willingly in the sin you once enjoyed. Make no boast of anything but the cross…for the walk you now take is by faith in the one who died for you.
Man has no ability to ‘accept Christ’ or ‘invite Jesus into their hearts’. If you are basing your salvation on a work you’ve done, you may very well NOT be saved. All of mankind is dead in sin {Eph. 2:1} and simply cannot choose Jesus. This is where the doctrine of grace must be understood, ‘for by grace are you saved, through faith; that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God, not of works, lest any man boast’–Eph. 2:8,9 This one passage throws the free-willers for a loop. Here is a link to a highly recommended video on Eph. 2:8,9–http://defendingcontending.com/2009/05/04/the-gift-of-faith/
The one prayer I find in scripture concerning salvation is found in Luke 18,
“God, be merciful to me, a sinner”. This was a prayer wrought by God, coming from a heart broken over its condition…sinful and separated from God. A heart that grieves over its crimes against a Holy God is the one He looks upon {Psalm 34:18, 51:17}. To repeat some words spoken out of being caught up in the moment saves no one, the heart must first be made ready, it must be plowed and plowed as the preacher/evangelist expounds on sin. The bad news of man’s hopeless condition must precede the goods news of the finished work of God’s own Son on the cross. This will be followed by evidence of a changed life, or regeneration {the new birth}. This is a lifelong process as we mature in Christ. However, one cannot mature if they are following a different gospel, a gospel of easy believism or salvation by works.
Lyn
Thank you Lyn.
People seem to be intermingling salvation (justification) with sanctification … these need to be defined, yes we are ‘sanctified’ in justification that is set apart at that moment in time .. but then there is the on-going process of sanctification, becoming holy, being transformed by the renewing of our minds through the word of God into the image of His Son. Once saved always saved is not the reformed view on salvation – it is that the true saints will persevere until the end. Father God guards the salvation of His people so that they will not ever totally fall away.
ps. as Paul Washer says Jesus God is far too big to ‘come into your heart’.