Tinky Posted March 12, 2013 Group: Diamond Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 200 Topics Per Day: 0.04 Content Count: 1,602 Content Per Day: 0.30 Reputation: 291 Days Won: 8 Joined: 10/24/2009 Status: Offline Birthday: 01/01/1986 Share Posted March 12, 2013 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner." (Luke 18:13) Evangelists have often urged lost men and women to pray this "sinner's prayer" if they desired to be saved. The account does say that this publican, after praying thus, "went down to his house justified" (v. 14). But there is more here than appears on the surface. It is not merely God's mercy that is needed for He has already been merciful to let us continue to live at all. The word translated "merciful" is used only one other time in the New Testament and is there translated "make reconciliation for." Speaking of the saving work of Christ, it says that He came "to make reconciliation for the sins of the people" (Hebrews 2:17). It is also closely related to the words for "propitiation" and "mercy seat." This parable of the Pharisee and the publican is set in the context of the Jewish temple worship, where sinners would bring their sacrificial offerings to cover their sins, knowing that "it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul" (Leviticus 17:11). Such sacrifices were completely worthless, however, if offered in a spirit of religious pride and/or self-righteousness, like those of the Pharisee. There must be repentance and faith in God's promise of forgiveness through the death of an innocent substitute, pre-figuring the true Lamb of God whose coming death would truly make eternal reconciliation for the sins of the people. The publican prayed in this vein, and he was saved. In our day, on the other side of the cross, a sinner's saving prayer must say, in effect: "God, be propitiated to me on the basis of the death of Christ for my sins." Such a prayer, offered in sincere repentance and faith in God's promise, brings justification before God - Henry Morris Ph.D. http://www.icr.org/article/7008/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmuffet Posted March 13, 2013 Group: Royal Member Followers: 34 Topic Count: 1,992 Topics Per Day: 0.48 Content Count: 48,690 Content Per Day: 11.77 Reputation: 30,343 Days Won: 226 Joined: 01/11/2013 Status: Offline Share Posted March 13, 2013 http://www.gotquestions.org/sinners-prayer.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gdemoss Posted March 13, 2013 Group: Royal Member Followers: 8 Topic Count: 59 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 4,402 Content Per Day: 0.98 Reputation: 2,154 Days Won: 28 Joined: 02/10/2012 Status: Offline Birthday: 04/26/1971 Share Posted March 13, 2013 A little more on the Greek word used there for 'Merciful' as it is also used in the following verses in the Septuagint OT. Psa 65:3 Iniquities prevail against me: [as for] our transgressions, thou shalt purge them away. Psa 78:38 But he, [being] full of compassion, forgave [their] iniquity, and destroyed [them] not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath. 2Ch 6:30 Then hear thou from heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and render unto every man according unto all his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou only knowest the hearts of the children of men:) Exd 32:14 And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people. Lam 3:42 We have transgressed and have rebelled: thou hast not pardoned. The man standing before God was simply asking for forgiveness from God for having been a sinner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedMomma Posted March 13, 2013 Group: Advanced Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 7 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 142 Content Per Day: 0.03 Reputation: 34 Days Won: 1 Joined: 06/30/2010 Status: Offline Birthday: 10/17/1971 Share Posted March 13, 2013 Very interesting gdemoss thanks for the scriptures too you gave me a good place to start! Gbu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joi Posted March 14, 2013 Group: Royal Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 506 Topics Per Day: 0.11 Content Count: 1,922 Content Per Day: 0.41 Reputation: 173 Days Won: 4 Joined: 06/12/2011 Status: Offline Share Posted March 14, 2013 The man standing before God was simply asking for forgiveness from God for having been a sinner. You do not think he was just coming to God for salvation but rather asking forgiveness for simply being a sinner? I am not sure I am reading this as you intend it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gdemoss Posted March 14, 2013 Group: Royal Member Followers: 8 Topic Count: 59 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 4,402 Content Per Day: 0.98 Reputation: 2,154 Days Won: 28 Joined: 02/10/2012 Status: Offline Birthday: 04/26/1971 Share Posted March 14, 2013 The man standing before God was simply asking for forgiveness from God for having been a sinner. You do not think he was just coming to God for salvation but rather asking forgiveness for simply being a sinner? I am not sure I am reading this as you intend it. Interesting that you see a difference between the two. When the thief on the cross came to salvation he saw Jesus for who he was. He spoke openly to others confessing his sin and Jesus to be innocent and then turned to him and simply asked him to remember him when he came into his kingdom. Nice sinners prayer. It has been and always will be the same thing, confession followed by a request for forgiveness. The end result is the offender realigns himself to walk with God rather than continue in his sin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joi Posted March 14, 2013 Group: Royal Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 506 Topics Per Day: 0.11 Content Count: 1,922 Content Per Day: 0.41 Reputation: 173 Days Won: 4 Joined: 06/12/2011 Status: Offline Share Posted March 14, 2013 Ok, I agree! I do not think it necessary to have everyone pray the same prayer as is often put forth to people to pray. I think that God hears our intent and takes it from there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gdemoss Posted March 14, 2013 Group: Royal Member Followers: 8 Topic Count: 59 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 4,402 Content Per Day: 0.98 Reputation: 2,154 Days Won: 28 Joined: 02/10/2012 Status: Offline Birthday: 04/26/1971 Share Posted March 14, 2013 Ok, I agree! I do not think it necessary to have everyone pray the same prayer as is often put forth to people to pray. I think that God hears our intent and takes it from there. I prayed this one when I came to believe that there was a God: "God, I offer myself to Thee--to build with me and to do with me as Thou wilt. Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will. Take away my difficulties, that victory over them may bear witness to those I would help of Thy Power, Thy Love, and Thy Way of life. May I do Thy will always!" From there the "God of the Universe" took me up on my offer and 5 years later brought a man to me bearing the gospel of Jesus Christ. Two days later I prayed again in a very tearful outburst that I cannot possibly recite again as it was simply my heart being poured out before God in a plea to be saved from eternal death as I confessed my sin before him, asked for forgiveness and pleaded with him to come into my life and keep me from continuing on in the same sin I had always done. He came. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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