A sinner's prayer is an evangelical term referring to any prayer of repentance, spoken or read by individuals who feel convicted of the presence of sin in their life and desire to form or renew a personal relationship with God through his son Jesus Christ. It is not intended as liturgical like a creed or a confiteor. It is intended to be an act of initial conversion to Christianity, and also may be prayed as an act of recommitment for those who are already believers in the faith. Often, at the end of a worship service, an evangelist will invite those desiring to "receive Christ" (become converted) to "repeat after me" the words of some form of a sinner's prayer. It also is frequently found on printed “gospel” tracts, urging people to “repeat these words from the bottom of your heart”.[1]
The prayer can take on different forms. There is no formula of specific words considered essential, although it usually contains an admission of sin and a petition asking that the Divine (Jesus) enter into the person's life. The use of the sinner's prayer is common within many Protestant churches such as Baptists, evangelicals, fundamentalists, Pentecostals, and charismatics. It is sometimes uttered by Christians seeking redemption or reaffirming their faith in Christ during a crisis or disaster, when death may be imminent. It is generally not used by Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Orthodox, Lutherans, and other ancient traditionally liturgical Christian Churches. Some have noted, however, that its content (though not its intended use) is typically quite similar to the Jesus Prayer of the Eastern Orthodox traditions.
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The Sinner's Prayer as popularly known today has roots in Christian Protestantism and can be found as early as the eighteenth century in revival movement.[1] A biblical example of this may be seen in the contrast related by Jesus between the prayer of a self-righteous Pharisee and that of a repentant tax collector humbling himself before the Lord.
He (Jesus) also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.[Luke 18:10-13]
An early proponent of the sinner's prayer was the well-known American evangelist D.L. Moody.[2] 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. The prayer is nowhere found in the Bible, but proponents often point to Romans 10:9-10, Luke 18:13-14, and Matthew 7:7 as their sources.
An early version of the Sinners' Prayer is found in Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan, published in 1678.
Ninth Stage. (Chapter 18)
Hopeful: He bid me go to him and see. Then I said it was presumption. He said, No; for I was invited to come.[Mt 11:28] Then he gave me a book of Jesus’ inditing, to encourage me the more freely to come; and he said concerning that book, that every jot and tittle thereof stood firmer than heaven and earth.[Mt 24:35] Then I asked him what I must do when I came; and he told me I must entreat upon my knees, [Ps 95:6] [Dan 6:10] with all my heart and soul, [Jer 29:12,13] the Father to reveal him to me. Then I asked him further, how I must make my supplications to him; and he said, Go, and thou shalt find him upon a mercy-seat, where he sits all the year long to give pardon and forgiveness to them that come.[3] I told him, that I knew not what to say when I came; and he bid say to this effect:
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 Saviour 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.
Heavenly Father, I know that I have sinned against you and that my sins separate me from you. I am truly sorry. I now want to turn away from my sinful past and turn to you for forgiveness. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that your Son, Jesus Christ, died for my sins, that He was raised from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become my Savior and the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You and to convict me when I sin. I pledge to grow in grace and knowledge of you. My greatest purpose in life is to follow your example and do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.
— GOD blesses you.[4]
One criticism comes from traditional Christians who believe that baptism is generally necessary for salvation, such as the Churches of Christ and Christian churches and churches of Christ. This doctrine is called baptismal regeneration[5] because of adherents' belief that the moment of salvation is experienced as the candidate emerges from immersion in water at the time of baptism.
One such critic has labeled the sinner's prayer an "apostasy" since the presumption is that salvation can instantly be received (prior to baptism) upon confessing one's sins and accepting Christ as Savior and Lord without water baptism.[6]
Others see it as an example of apparently instantaneous salvation coming through repentance without water baptism or any kind of work but saying and believing the Sinner's Prayer, citing the assurance Jesus gave to the penitent thief on a cross next to him during the crucifixion.[Lk 23:39-43]
An opposing position is that the penitent thief was dying under the older Mosaical 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.[Heb 9:15-17] Additionally, it is unknown whether the thief had been baptized at a stage in life before being crucified. John the Baptizer and Jesus' disciples already had baptized many individuals. See "What about the thief on the cross?
Evidence for 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,[Acts 9:6] Saul was blind for three days and was praying during this time.[Acts 9:9-11] Ananias arrived and cured Paul of his blindess and baptised Saul to wash away his sins. [Acts 22:16] Baptism is also called "washing of regeneration" and is part of the "born again" conversion experience in the Bible.
The absence of any specific example of conversion in the Bible through the Sinner's Prayer is also used by some to argue against it. Some say it creates within the sinner a false sense of security. Often cited as an example of salvation through repentance without baptism by water is found in the example of the penitent thief on a cross[Luke 23:39-43] Others suggest that the penitent thief on the cross was dying under the Mosaical law (which did not require Baptism), not during the time of the church (established on Pentecost over 7 weeks later), into which baptism signifies entrance. John the Baptizer and Jesus' disciples already had baptized numerous individuals in that part of the world, so it is theoretically possible that the thief could have been baptized before Jesus promised him eternal life.
A third major criticism is that many 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."
Anyone can, and most Americans do, "believe" in Jesus rather than some alternative savior. Anyone can, and many Americans sometimes do, say a prayer asking Jesus to save them. But not many 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.
— David P. Gushee[7]
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).
Does the reciter truly understand what the commitment to Christ really means? Praying a sinner’s prayer with someone who isn’t genuinely repentant may create a false sense of security in the one reciting it. According to John 6:44, if a sinner is ready to accept Jesus as Savior, a biblical prerequisite is that the sinner (Christian prospect) has been drawn by the Holy Spirit.