The Sinner's Prayer Will Not Save Your Soul or Make You a Child of God

For decades in America, maybe centuries, Protestant churches have taught their congregations to recite and believe in the “Sinner’s Prayer,” as a means to salvation, to become a child of God (a Christian), and to be born again. After repeating this prayer, many people, hundreds of thousands even millions from the past, believe they are saved and are heaven bound. This is simply not true based on scripture and the instructions of Jesus Himself.

“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.”

The prayer itself does not include the specific instructions from Jesus or the Apostles that would guarantee their souls will go to God when they die. The wording and concept of the prayer is merely an acknowledgement of God and His offering of eternal life to unbelievers. It takes certain passages from the Holy Bible and presses them together into a form of a religious creed that does not biblically fulfill the true standards of salvation.

Jesus clearly says in St. John 3: 3,5 that a person must be born again, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God…Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” This instruction from the Lord requires that the unbeliever must be water baptized and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, which will empower and possess their souls, literally, not figuratively.

The Apostles also taught that a person must repent of their sins and do the same as Jesus asked. Acts 2:38 repeats this method saying, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” Throughout the book of Acts, people received the Holy Ghost after laying on of hands by the disciples.

No one and nowhere in the scriptures are people reciting the “Sinner’s Prayer,” in order to be saved or born again. As stated, there are passages that ask unbelievers to confess with their mouths, Romans 10:9, (which the devil does also yet will not be saved), ask for forgiveness of sins, which alone does not save anyone, and acknowledge that Jesus rose from the dead.

James 2:19 says, “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.” Simply believing and confessing does not make a person a child of God or guarantees them entrance into the kingdom of God. Only the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost, as stated in Titus 3:5.

The Sinner's Prayer says:

Heavenly Father, I come to you in prayer asking for the of my Sins. I confess with my mouth and believe with my heart that Jésus is your Son, And that he died on the Cross at Calvary that I might be forgiven and have Eternal Life in the Kingdom of Heaven. Father, I believe that Jesus rose from the dead and I ask you right now to come in to my life and be my personal Lord and Savior. I repent of my Sins and; will Worship you all the day's of my Life! Because your word is truth, I confess with my mouth that I am Born Again and Cleansed by the Blood of Jesus! In Jesus Name, Amen.

To just say the words “I confess with my mouth that I am born again,” does not in no way make a person actually born again. They must receive the gift of the Holy Ghost like the people in Acts did on the day of Pentecost, which reads:

“And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” Acts 2:1-4.

And after they receive the Holy Ghost, Jesus says these things will follow them that truly believe, “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” St. Mark 16:17, 18.

People receive actual power after they receive the gift of God. If they do not have the power of the Spirit, their soul will not rise from the dead into eternal life and the Kingdom of God. There is scripture after scripture that testifies to the power of God through the Holy Spirit and no one can conjure up this power by simply saying they have it. This is false doctrine and an easy and deceptive way pastors have made entrance into the Kingdom.

They offered this false way into the kingdom to build membership into their churches, not into the kingdom of heaven. So, in essence, there have been in times past and currently, millions of people who have recited this false creed who believe they are saved and born again when they are not. There are many denominations of Christianity in the United States that teach this false doctrine such as Lutheran, Presbyterian, Baptist, Episcopalian, and many others that have misinterpreted the Word of God where it pertains to salvation.

Some churches have broken the prayer down to use only the “accepting the Lord as a Personal Savior” part, but neither does that gain entrance. Without the power of the gift of the Holy Ghost, people wonder why they do not change in heart and mind and why they return to their old sins and fall into temptations and lust of the flesh after they recite this prayer.

Romans 5:5 says, “and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” Without the love of God in their hearts, no one can change in heart or mind. That is why the Law of righteousness did not work and the Spirit was sent through Jesus Christ and His grace. The physical efforts of the flesh or individual will power does not work.

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.” St. John 10 1, 2.

Jesus says, “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” St. Matthew 7:13, 14.

People must go the way taught by Jesus himself and stop listening to these false preachers and teachers. Belonging to the church is easy after repeating the “Sinner’s Prayer,” but getting into the Kingdom of God takes faith and belief in the Holy Ghost and the power that follows.

Please read our ebook, "Embracing Holiness: Unlocking the Basics of Salvation"