The "Sinners Prayer"

[endure4salvation]

shadow2b, you stated that the theif on the cross wasn't baptized, and this is true, but also remember that baptism wasn't a commandment of God until after Jesus was resurrected.

As for the rest of you all, there have been some great posts on both sides. I am learning a lot here.

My main reason for this thread is because I know a guy personally that went on a mission trip and when he came back he told me that he had XX number of decisions for Christ and that some of them were missionaries.

I proded him as to what he was talking about and basically, he states that if someone has never prayed the prayer that they are unsaved...even if you have confessed that Jesus is Lord and have repented of your sins and have grown in Christ and have been baptised and all the other things that go along with being a professed believer in Jesus.

I was shocked!!!! So I just wanted to get some more information.

[tsth]

I'd like to inject something in here. This was a skit one of my Biblical professors at college presented to the class. It really made me think.

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He told the class that he was playing the part of Jesus, and that he had just finished a teaching. Then he said something like, "If you need to come forward for prayer or counseling, I have here up front 12 very well trained disciples whom you can speak with, who will pray with you...."

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Kind-of puts a different twist to the way things tend to be done these days.

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But there was a part two. One of the students whom he had given a part to (with script) came rushing up front.

"Master! Master! I need to speak with you!"

The teacher, as Jesus, responded, "Yes, how may I help you?"

"I have an urgent question I need to ask you."

Somehow in the opening dialog, they indicate that this is "the rich young ruler." He, of course asks what he needs to do to receive eternal life.

Jesus then draws out for him the plan of salvation, with the old, "There's a gap of sin separating you from the Father. I have come to build a bridge over that gap so that you may cross and access the Father...."

"You mean I can get saved and still be a rich young ruler?"

Jesus"Sure! We can even use your testimony on how you became saved to reach others with my message...."

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:x:

Makes one wonder what kind of Gospel we are preaching, I think.

:runs out door before any rotten tomatoes are thrown at her:

For those who may or may not be familiar with that particular story in the Bible...............Jesus and I repeat........Jesus did not say to that rich young ruler, yes you may bow your head, say a prayer and that riches thing, well, we'll deal with that AFTER YOUR SAVED.

I did not want that message to be lost in the telling nebula. Not throwin any tomatoes here.

Any by the way, did anybody happen to NOTICE MY PREVIOUS 2 POSTS???? I found it odd that they, along with JesusIsLord's posts, were totally neglected, as if they weren't VALID???? How can that be, that in our glory of our own opinions, we will totally disregard what Jesus says about the matter???

In His Truth,

Suzanne

[Anonymous]

Oh Lord, hear the cry of my heart, know that I love and believe in you...

You are the Savior who took my place and became the sacrifice for my sins. Lord, I know that I am a sinner, please forgive me. I promise to live my life, as much humanly possible for you. Come dwell in me and let me be your servant!

Thank-you Lord for 15 awesome years ~

Pam

AP

[Guest shadow2b]

  Any by the way, did anybody happen to NOTICE MY PREVIOUS 2 POSTS???? I found it odd that they, along with JesusIsLord's posts, were totally neglected, as if they weren't VALID???? How can that be, that in our glory of our own opinions, we will totally disregard what Jesus says about the matter???

OUR OPINIONS??????? I thought everyone quoted a scripture & were NOT necessarilly

NEGLECTING anyones post or insight into the vaRIOUS scriptures, BUT were just CONtributing

what they thought might shed some light on the subject-----------errre i wrong on this??????

------THERE WILL BEe PEeeeeAAAAAAACE IN THE VALLLLLLEEEEYYYYYY-------------------

[Guest Evangelist Dare]

Tell me children how do we take it upon ourselves to rob the Lord of His Glory..what do we have to boast in?

you say repentance is just turning from our evil ways.

i beg to differ and base it on the word of God and not man.

oh i am so good that i can just turn from all my evil ways as a sinner...i am lost blind and now i can do it on my own to turn from all evilness...

Not SO ACCORDING TO THE WORD.

Repentance is more than turning away....Godly sorrow worketh to repentance and repentance to salvation.

what kind of sorrow?

Godly sorrow.

where did we get that Godly sorrow?

and how can we decide one day to not walk in evil and then accomplish it on our own. we cannot do it without God putting a new heart and His spirit within us...

A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

Eze 36:27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do [them].

Eze 36:28 And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.

Eze 36:29 I will also save you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you.

Eze 36:30 And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen.

Eze 36:31 Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that [were] not good, and shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations.

Eze 36:32 Not for your sakes do I [this], saith the Lord GOD, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel.

Eze 36:33 Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also cause [you] to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be builded.

so if God did it then how do we take credit for it?

how do we glory in ourselves when God has done it?

2Cr 5:17 Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

so if God did it how does man see that he has changed from his evil ways.....

if it were not for the spirit of God in us we would be the same wretched vile creatures that we once were.

so where is the repentance in this ? if God made us new creatures in Him so that we could live a holy righteous life , where is it that man takes the crdit for that?

i dont get it. when my heart was convicted by God of my sins i saw the wretchedvile sinner that i was and i was broken and ashamed and i wanted God's forgiveness and mercy. and HE gave it when i asked His forgiveness for all of my sins and i trusted Him as my saviour to do that.....

now when i repented of my sins and received Him as my saviour,,,,,,something happened.

what?

I was no longer that vile wretched sinner that i was.....i was changed.....I NO LONGER WANTED TO SIN......

I HAD NEW DESIRES.....PRAISE GOD.....I FELT SOOOOOOOOO DIFFERENT.....I HATED THAT SIN THAT WAS IN ME AND I FELT SO DIFFERENT . I NOW HAD THE POWER IN ME TO TURN FROM MY EVIL WAYS.BECAUSE JESUS CHRIST WAS NOW IN ME TAKING UP RESIDENCE.

DID I DO THAT BY TURNING AWAY FROM SIN? IF REPENTANCE IS TURNING AWAY FROM SIN ON OUR OWN WE ALL WOULD FAIL.

REPENTANCE IS MORE....BECAUSE GOD GIVES US THAT DESIRE TO SERVE HIM, GOD GIVES US THAT DESIRE TO TURN AWAY FROM SIN.GOD DID IT ALL BECAUSE HE GAVE US HIS SPIRIT TO TURN FROM OUR EVIL WAYS.....GOD MADE US NEW CREATURES.NOT US, NOT US, NOT US....

SO IF REPENTANCE UD TURNING AWAY FROM EVIL OURSELVES, THEN CHILDREN WE WOULD NOT NEED THE SPIRIT OF GOD IN US...

WE COULD ALL DO IT ON OUR OWN WITHOUT GOD'S HELP.

BUT WE CANT ON OUR OWN. WE DO NOT HAVE TH EPOWER IN US WITHOUT CHRIST JESUS LIVING IN US.

SO YOU SEE REPENTANCE IS MORE THAN US DECIDNG WE ARE GOING T TURN FROM EVIL....

GODLY SORROW WORKETH REPENTANCE TO SALVATION.......

JESUS HIMSELF SET THE EXAMPLE TO ASK FORGIVENESS ....HE SET THAT EXAMPLE AND TOLD US DIRECTLY AS WELL....IF WE CONFESS OUR SINS HE IS FAITHFUL AND JUST TO FORGIVE US OUR SINS AND TO CLEANSE US FROM ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS...

HOW DO WE GLORY IN ANYTHING? WHEN IT IS GOD WHO DID IT ALL, WHO GAVE US THE POWER TO TURN FROM SIN , TO KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS AND HIS STATUTES AND WALK UPRIGHTLY BEFORE HIM...

T IS GOD WHO DID THE WORK WHEN WE MADE A CHOICE TO SERVE HIM AND WE ONLY MAKE THAT CHOICE WHEN WE SEE BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD BRINGING CONVICTION ON OUR HEARTS AND OPENING OUR EYES THAT WE ARE INDEED LOST HOPELESS VILE SINNERS IN NEED OF FORGIVENESS AND HIS GRACE TO MAKE US NEW CREATURES IN HIM....

WE DO NOT HAVE ONE THING TO GLORY IN CHILDREN....

Isa 59:2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid [his] face from you, that he will not hear.

And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Urijah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchiah, and Hashum, and Hashbadana, Zechariah, [and] Meshullam.

Neh 8:5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up:

Neh 8:6 And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the LORD with [their] faces to the ground.

Neh 8:7 Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law: and the people [stood] in their place.

Neh 8:8 So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused [them] to understand the reading.

Neh 8:9 And Nehemiah, which [is] the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day [is] holy unto the LORD your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law.

The people wept when they heard the word of God and the word brought conviction that they were sinners....

GRACE GRACE GRACE GOD'S GRACE.....WE OWE IT ALL TO HIM......

AND TO HIM BE ALL GLORY HONOUR POWER AND DOMINION.....BLESSED BE THE PRECIOUS LAMB THAT WAS SLAIN.....

GOD BLESS EACH OF YOU MY DEAR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHRIST.......UNTIL THE SHOUT THAT WILL SURELY TAKE US OUT,,,,,Evang. dare

[tsth]

I guess I just don't get the "controversy"? Do we believe what Jesus says...........or not? It just seems to be pretty simple. Do we go by the standard set by Jesus Himself, or do we make our own? What did Jesus say about repentance? Was it necessary? He Himself said it was. So how do we dare question that? What is there to debate?

I shake my head. I am sad.

In His Love,

Suzanne

[Catsmeow]

Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Christ's death made it possible for us to come to repentence, which we could not do in our own strength.

We are able to repent because Christ's death and ressurection has given us a new nature, allowing us to put off the old man and put on the new man (new nature).

True repentence follows a change in man's thinking, (heart).

[Guest shadow2b]

  shadow2b, you stated that the theif on the cross wasn't baptized, and this is true, but also remember that baptism wasn't a commandment of God until after Jesus was resurrected.

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YEPPP i knowedd that but was just a slight try at subtil hugh--more--as "many" want to say that "IF you're NOT baptized in water you AIN'T saved------

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------ I guess I just don't get the "controversy"? Do we believe what Jesus says...........or not? It just seems to be pretty simple. Do we go by the standard set by Jesus Himself, or do we make our own? What did Jesus say about repentance? Was it necessary? He Himself said it was. So how do we dare question that? What is there to debate?

I shake my head. I am sad.

In His Love,

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Please DO-NOT be SAD SIS----I agree widd ya absolutely-----NO controversary HERE-------

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---Brother Timothy used to quote someone with "Preach the Gospel. When necessary, use words."

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WOWWWWWWWw---HAAaaaaaaaaa----LOVE THAT----- :LOL: :LOL: :LOL: :LOL:

:tongue: :tongue: ----GREAT------I think i'm gonna "borrow"steal??"that & use it OFTEN----------

-----------Gary--

[Guest Evangelist Dare]

it seems to me from some what has been said is that confessing ones sin is not important....

oh sinner just tell the Lord you are receiving Him as saviour and ALL IS WELL..

NOT SO ACCORDING TO THE WORD OF GOD.

OUR SINS MUST BE ACKNOWLEDGED TO GOD....

IF WE CONFESS OUR SINS HE IS FAITHFUL AND JUST TO FORGIVE US OUR SINS AND TO CLEANSE US FROM ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS.

A LOST PERSON WHO COMES TO THE LORD MUST REPENT OF HIS SINS...PERIOD.

I TELL YOU NAY , EXCEPT YE REPENT YE SHALL ALL LIKEWISE PERISH.....LUKE13

THE LORD SPOKE THRU HIS SERVANT HERE RECORDED IN THE BOOK OF ISA. ABOUT SIN.

Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:

Isa 59:2 But >>>your iniquities have separated between you and your God,<<< and >>>your sins have hid [his] face from you, <<<<that >>>he will not hear. <<<<

Isa 59:3 For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness

AND IF GOD SAID IT, THEN IT IS SO....

PETER PREACHED REPENT AND BE CONVERTED

Act 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;

John the baptist preached:

Mat 3:1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,

Mat 3:2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand

Mat 3:3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

Mat 3:4 And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.

Mat 3:5 Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan,

Mat 3:6 And were baptized of him in Jordan,

>>>>>>>> confessing their sins.<<<<<<<<<

>> If we confess our sins<< He is faithful and just to >>forgive us our sins <<<and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness...<<<

IF WE CONFESS THEM HE IS......

and Jesus instructed His disciples:

Mar 6:7 And he called [unto him] the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits;

Mar 6:8 And commanded them that they should take nothing for [their] journey, save a staff only; no scrip, no bread, no money in [their] purse:

Mar 6:9 But [be] shod with sandals; and not put on two coats.

Mar 6:10 And he said unto them, In what place soever ye enter into an house, there abide till ye depart from that place.

Mar 6:11 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.

Mar 6:12 And they went out, and preached that men should repent.

JESUS HIMSELF PREACHED ," REPENT YE AND BELEIVE THE GOSPEL."

WHOSE WORD SHOULD WE TAKE?

THE WORD OF GOD, NOT MAN.

what makes someone repent....

THE WORD OF GOD AND THE HOLY SPIRIT BRINGS CONVICTION ON OUR HEARTS AND AND WE SEE WHAT WRETCHED VILE SINNERS WE ARE AND .

GODLY SORROW WORKETH REPENTANCE TO SALVATION.

GOD BLESS,,,,,Serving Christ Jesus always, evang. dare

[RGR]

The rich young ruler was told to sell all he had because Jesus knew that it would interfere in this young man's walk with Him. I don't think this is at all an admonishment not to have earthly wealth, but rather not to let earthly wealth come before God.