by Garland M. Robinson
No, the Bible does not teach this!
I too read or hear of this often. It may sound good to people, but
the so-called "sinners prayer" for salvation is not found in the
Bible. As a matter of fact, no where is an alien sinner told to
pray anything.
Saul of Tarsus is a good example of
a sinner praying. From the time he had seen the bright light on the
road to Damascus till the time Ananias told him what to do to be
saved three days later, the Bible says "...he was three days
without sight, and neither did eat nor drink" (Acts 9:9). It
is certainly reasonable that Saul was praying during this time. He
was so disturbed and concerned that he would not eat or drink
anything! Acts 22:16 confirms he was not saved on the road to
Damascus nor during the three days he was surely praying, for he
was still in his sins! Ananias, a disciple of the Lord, taught him
the Gospel and what he MUST DO (Acts 9:6) to be saved and then
said, "And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be
baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of
the Lord." If anyone could have been saved through prayer and
before water baptism, surely it would have been Saul! But, such is
not possible. That is not the plan of God.
Friend, you can pray what some man
tells you to pray all day long and it won't save you. Souls are not
saved by prayer. Souls are saved by "obeying the gospel" (cf. 2
Thessalonians 1:7-8; 1 Peter 4:17). In obedience to the Gospel,
there must be a "likeness" of the death burial and resurrection of
our Lord. Romans 6 tells us what the likeness is, "Know ye
not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were
baptized into his death ? Therefore we are
buried with him by baptism into death: that like
as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father,
even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been
planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be
also in the likeness of his resurrection . Knowing this,
that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of
sin might be destroyed ...Being then made free
from sin ..." (Romans 6:6,18; Acts 22:16).
Are you praying or obeying? Follow
what God says, not what man says. Are you ready to obey?