Some Important points on the gospel

 We are told in the Bible how to receive salvation. We expected to have faith, not pray for our salvation.

 It is faith the needs to be present. Faith is the necessary component in your heart. Have you believed, trusted in the message of the gospel?

So many say they have prayed. But that is not what is asked of them by God.

 Prayer is communicating with God, asking God for our daily needs, expressing our struggles and dependence on him. With prayer faith must be present.

Heb. 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

We are not addressing seeking him or serving him in everyday life, but prayer in relation to salvation. Your prayer can acknowledge what is already in your heart. But that would mean you have already been converted by the truth by exercising faith.

Eph. 1:13-14 “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation ; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.”

If you are depending on your words in prayer to receive salvation, this is not much different than depending on baptism for salvation. It is a human work.

To exercise belief (faith) is a major doctrine connected to salvation

There is no place in the Old or New Testament that anyone prayed to receive salvation, at least that I have found. We are always told to believe- to have faith, in Jesus in what the New Testament says of him.

 No one was ever saved by saying a prayer any more than anyone was saved by water baptism. Throughout Scripture we find the instruction to believe unto salvation or repent, the recipients are not asked to pray.

So why is the church telling people to pray this salvation prayer to receive Christ? The way I see it, many have not explained the gospel in the message to have someone believe so they have them pray what they should have had explained in the first place. But to pray this by repeating words you hear is not allowing faith to be present.

 Throughout Scripture we find the instruction to believe unto salvation or repent, they are not asked to pray.

 This has become an important misnomer for evangelists. I believe this is why there are so many conflicts in the church. Conversion may not always equal spiritual birth.

After a message you should not be left with asking do you want Jesus to be your savior. A one line mention that you are a sinner is not sufficient, especially in out day we want to have people understand the offense and the solution. It especially is not sufficient if you are having them pray for salvation.

When the gospel is presented there are several key components that must be said. Or we are neglecting giving it.

One does not have to go in depth but the person must have correct knowledge to know what he is agreeing with.

The most important point is to have faith in the whole gospel message, not just a part, such as Jesus died for me. But He died for your sins and that He was resurrected, never die again. (Mk.1:1; Jn.3:18, 11:27; 20:21; Heb.4:14; Rom. 1:4; 1Jn.4:14; 5:12) Furthermore, this Jesus whom we believe in must be the Son of God, that is God in the flesh sent to earth from heaven by the Father or it becomes a superficial acceptance to say he died for you as man (which so many apparently believe)

As Rom 10:9-10 says “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

 Let’s not miss the procession, it is the heart that believes first before one can confess by their mouth.

You cannot say Jesus is Lord (YHWH) without believing this in your heart first or you would be only mimicking words you heard, that you repeat it. And this is where the problem lays. Faith must spring to life by hearing the word of salvation, not make words your salvation. This becomes the difference between genuine salvation and making members of a church. I would think that most pastors want the genuine who will become fruitful.

Let’s look at the scripture used for having to pray out loud at church or crusades

"Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.  But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.” (Matt 10:32-33)

I’m not saying this is completely wrong to do but we should at least know the correct interpretation. This is about a lifestyle. Whether it be in by evangelism or when the topic of Jesus comes up, one lets their faith be known to another, they do not deny him (as Peter did at the crucifixion). So it is not about a one - time confession out loud in salvation prayer. It means to continually confess him as Lord, to hold to him in the challenges.

And more importantly which is related to the gospel is the confession that Jesus is God in the flesh

1 John 4:2-3 (and 2 Jn.2:7) Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God.

Again, Eph. 1:13 “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.”

This truth includes that Jesus is God ( the son) He died and was raised bodily.