I was having dinner with my wife and her friend the other night. An interesting topic was discussed which I thought gave me new understanding on how the gospel was preached and how non-believers were initiated to the believing community.
I could not remember what led to this topic, but I do know that it was due to my dissatisfaction with how I perceived the gospel was currently preached, at least in the congregation where I attend Sunday services. The method which I am dissatisfied with is the over emphasis on what is commonly known as sinner's prayer. I do not know how widespread this practice is, but I have been told and trained that this was how a believer comes to receive Jesus Christ into their hearts as Lord and Saviour.
The dissatisfaction grew out of the fact that this way of preaching the gospel has concerned itself overly in the point of influencing, persuading and making (sometimes even to the extend of coercing and spiritual bribery e.g. healing, wealth, house in heaven etc.) the unbeliever to say the so-called sinner's prayer. But, when I reflect on the New Testament to find an instance where the gospel is preached in such manner, I often do not see a strong case for one (but I may be wrong).
I find that the problem with this method is the understanding that we are now saved because we made a prayer, an act, in one point of history and this single moment in time has assured us that we have done the necessary to, at least according to those who utilise such a method, inherit heaven. But I find that such a way of thinking about the preaching of the gospel and how a person is considered a Christian is too simplistic and could have serious ramifications on the way we live out our faith in the Lord.
One can just point to the one moment in time when we prayed the prayer to excuse ourselves of any need or burden to live or bear fruits worthy of repentance. And this might be happening and explains the lack of passion in our lives. As some scholars have pointed out, the belief that the sinner's prayer once confessed would give us the rights and the keys to heaven has caused us to neglect our duties for the Lord on earth and gave us a falsified gnostic goal of leaving the earth as soon as possible to be with the Lord in heaven.
I believe, as I shared over the dinner table that day, the gospel is a challenge to repent and follow the Lord's way and this belief is continuously worked out in godly fear and enabled through the Spirit, bearing fruits worthy of our repentance. When a person believes in this, and starts to act out (e.g. verbally professing that Jesus is Lord, prayer, worship, good deeds etc.) what he believes in, he has already shown himself to be a Christian even though he has not said the sinner's prayer. I believe that those who point to Romans 10:9-10 as the supporting verses for the method have misunderstood these verses. I will not do any exegetical explanations on this for the moment, but it is enough to point out that these verses to do not sustain the notion that one only needs to say a prayer (an act performed) at one point of his life to assure him of heaven. I believe that if one needs to perform any act to symbolise his belief in Christ or that he believes he is a Christian, it would be baptism. But this is not the end, once and for all thingy, because there is also another symbol that reminds us that we need to continue our faith until we are saved or finish the race. Communion.
I could not remember what led to this topic, but I do know that it was due to my dissatisfaction with how I perceived the gospel was currently preached, at least in the congregation where I attend Sunday services. The method which I am dissatisfied with is the over emphasis on what is commonly known as sinner's prayer. I do not know how widespread this practice is, but I have been told and trained that this was how a believer comes to receive Jesus Christ into their hearts as Lord and Saviour.
The dissatisfaction grew out of the fact that this way of preaching the gospel has concerned itself overly in the point of influencing, persuading and making (sometimes even to the extend of coercing and spiritual bribery e.g. healing, wealth, house in heaven etc.) the unbeliever to say the so-called sinner's prayer. But, when I reflect on the New Testament to find an instance where the gospel is preached in such manner, I often do not see a strong case for one (but I may be wrong).
I find that the problem with this method is the understanding that we are now saved because we made a prayer, an act, in one point of history and this single moment in time has assured us that we have done the necessary to, at least according to those who utilise such a method, inherit heaven. But I find that such a way of thinking about the preaching of the gospel and how a person is considered a Christian is too simplistic and could have serious ramifications on the way we live out our faith in the Lord.
One can just point to the one moment in time when we prayed the prayer to excuse ourselves of any need or burden to live or bear fruits worthy of repentance. And this might be happening and explains the lack of passion in our lives. As some scholars have pointed out, the belief that the sinner's prayer once confessed would give us the rights and the keys to heaven has caused us to neglect our duties for the Lord on earth and gave us a falsified gnostic goal of leaving the earth as soon as possible to be with the Lord in heaven.
I believe, as I shared over the dinner table that day, the gospel is a challenge to repent and follow the Lord's way and this belief is continuously worked out in godly fear and enabled through the Spirit, bearing fruits worthy of our repentance. When a person believes in this, and starts to act out (e.g. verbally professing that Jesus is Lord, prayer, worship, good deeds etc.) what he believes in, he has already shown himself to be a Christian even though he has not said the sinner's prayer. I believe that those who point to Romans 10:9-10 as the supporting verses for the method have misunderstood these verses. I will not do any exegetical explanations on this for the moment, but it is enough to point out that these verses to do not sustain the notion that one only needs to say a prayer (an act performed) at one point of his life to assure him of heaven. I believe that if one needs to perform any act to symbolise his belief in Christ or that he believes he is a Christian, it would be baptism. But this is not the end, once and for all thingy, because there is also another symbol that reminds us that we need to continue our faith until we are saved or finish the race. Communion.
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