This biblical teaching is a production of The Walk Ministries with Pastor Jeno Shaw. You can watch the video below, and then read the teaching notes that follow.
The Sinner’s Prayer?
What is it?
The sinner’s prayer is a prayer to say out loud in order to repent and accept Jesus Christ and to become a Christian.
Is it in the Bible?
Surprisingly, it is NOT in the Bible, which explains why there are so many different versions of it. Since the Sinner’s prayer is NOT in the Bible, is this man’s doing? It was made popular by Billy Graham but did not originate with him. So it seems preachers like Billy Graham have taught the sinner’s prayer, and it’s not even in the Bible!
I’m telling you this so you’re not caught off guard when someone accuses you of doing something that’s not in the Bible.
So then does Proverbs 16:25 apply here?
Proverbs 16:25 (KJV)
“There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”
If someone throws this scripture at you, first of all, I don’t recommend arguing at all because both sides will have their heels dug in and nobody wins. Even if there’s a clear loser, the loser will most likely not admit it.
Here’s a sinner’s prayer I use often:
Dear Lord Jesus,
I believe You are the Son of God. I come to You as a sinner. I believe that You died on the cross and shed Your blood for all my sins and rose from the dead on the third day to be my Lord and Savior. I now repent of all my sins and personally accept You, Jesus, into my heart and into my life. Thank You for giving me the free gift of eternal life. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Lord and Savior. Thank You for forgiving all my sins. I submit myself to You and promise to live for You, as You reveal yourself to me through Your word. Make me the kind of person You want me to be. From this moment on, I belong to You, I no longer belong to this world or to the enemy of my soul. In Jesus name. Amen!
So as you can see, the sinner’s prayer is not about death but life! It’s honoring and recognizing Jesus Christ!
John 14:6 (KJV)
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
It is through Jesus Christ that we become saved. And if you notice, the name Jesus Christ is ALWAYS BEING ATTACKED! DISRESPECTED!
Example: Someone using a hammer misses and hits their thumb. They don’t say, “That hurts!” People will never say “Ahh, Buddha” or “Ahh, Muhammad.” No, they say, “JHC,” instead!
That’s one example but it stretches across races and social barriers. People just don’t disrespect the fake ones, only the real one. Think about it!
So where does that leave us?
If it’s not in the bible then why is it handed down generation to generation? If I did pray it, then am I really saved? What do I do now?
I will show you how to discern
As Christians, we need to learn how to discern for ourselves. I will show you how to discern in this situation. First of all, as Christians, we have to learn to filter everything through our spirit. Before I engage someone, I filter my emotions through my spirit man. I never want to act out through my flesh, so I try to come from a foundation of peace. The Holy Spirit will guide you if you ask Him.
I will give you some examples here. What we are going to be looking for is good fruit. If the fruit is rotten, then it’s bad for us.
- Halloween- It has ghosts, the dead, skeletons, and a horror scary theme based off of fear. There’s speculation it’s the devil’s birthday. Witches love to use this time. The fruit here is bad!
- Christmas- December 25 is probably NOT Jesus’ birthday, but wait, let’s continue to look at it. It’s a season of love, giving, forgiveness, joy, and family, so you see, it has good fruit.
- Sinners Prayer- It’s not in the bible, but let’s continue looking. It’s about recognizing, honoring, and accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. It’s about going from darkness to light. This has good fruit!
Because it’s not in the Bible, the sinner’s prayer has many variations to it. So which ones do you use? Well, I recommend that the sinner’s prayer, whichever you use, has these basic elements.
- Admission/repentance of sin
- Recognizing Jesus as Lord and Savior of your life
I’m quite fond of the book, Pilgrim’s Progress, which was written in 1678. It’s said that the early Americans had two books in their hands. Number one was the Bible, and number two was the book, Pilgrim’s Progress.
It is in this book that we may be seeing an early form of the sinner’s prayer.
Okay, first, let me set this up. You have two people here talking. One of them is a hungry sinner looking to be set free. Remember yourselves when you were tired of this world and you knew there had to be something else and you were hungry; you were desperate. Well, this is it!
“Hopeful: He bid me go to him and see. Then I said it was presumption. He said, No; for I was invited to come. [Mt 11:28] Then he gave me a book of Jesus’ inditing(writings), to encourage me the more freely to come; and he said concerning that book, that every jot and tittle thereof stood firmer than heaven and earth. [Mt 24:35] Then I asked him what I must do when I came; and he told me I must entreat(to ask earnestly) upon my knees, [Ps 95:6] [Dan 6:10] with all my heart and soul, [Jer 29:12,13] the Father to reveal him to me. Then I asked him further, how I must make my supplications to him; and he said, Go, and thou shalt find him upon a mercy-seat, where he sits all the year long to give pardon and forgiveness to them that come. I told him, that I knew not what to say when I came; and he bid say to this effect:
“God be merciful to me a sinner, and make me to know and believe in Jesus Christ; for I see, that if his righteousness had not been, or I have not faith in that righteousness, I am utterly cast away. Lord, I have heard that thou art a merciful God, and hast ordained that thy Son Jesus Christ should be the Savior of the world; and moreover, that thou art willing to bestow him upon such a poor sinner as I am—and I am a sinner indeed. Lord, take therefore this opportunity, and magnify thy grace in the salvation of my soul, through thy Son Jesus Christ. Amen.” — Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan, published in 1678
This is beautiful, isn’t it?
So in conclusion, although the sinner’s prayer cant be found in the Bible in its totality, we know it bears good fruit. So I will continue to use the sinner’s prayer as a way to lead people to salvation because of its good fruit.
I hope this video blesses you.
I love you all. Stay blessed!
Pastor/Coach Jeno
The Sinner’s Prayer?
What is it?
The sinner’s prayer is a prayer to say out loud in order to repent and accept Jesus Christ and to become a Christian.
Is it in the Bible?
Surprisingly, it is NOT in the Bible, which explains why there are so many different versions of it. Since the Sinner’s prayer is NOT in the Bible, is this man’s doing? It was made popular by Billy Graham but did not originate with him. So it seems preachers like Billy Graham have taught the sinner’s prayer, and it’s not even in the Bible!
I’m telling you this so you’re not caught off guard when someone accuses you of doing something that’s not in the Bible.
So then does Proverbs 16:25 apply here?
Proverbs 16:25 (KJV)
“There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”
If someone throws this scripture at you, first of all, I don’t recommend arguing at all because both sides will have their heels dug in and nobody wins. Even if there’s a clear loser, the loser will most likely not admit it.
Here’s a sinner’s prayer I use often:
Dear Lord Jesus,
I believe You are the Son of God. I come to You as a sinner. I believe that You died on the cross and shed Your blood for all my sins and rose from the dead on the third day to be my Lord and Savior. I now repent of all my sins and personally accept You, Jesus, into my heart and into my life. Thank You for giving me the free gift of eternal life. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Lord and Savior. Thank You for forgiving all my sins. I submit myself to You and promise to live for You, as You reveal yourself to me through Your word. Make me the kind of person You want me to be. From this moment on, I belong to You, I no longer belong to this world or to the enemy of my soul. In Jesus name. Amen!
So as you can see, the sinner’s prayer is not about death but life! It’s honoring and recognizing Jesus Christ!
John 14:6 (KJV)
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
It is through Jesus Christ that we become saved. And if you notice, the name Jesus Christ is ALWAYS BEING ATTACKED! DISRESPECTED!
Example: Someone using a hammer misses and hits their thumb. They don’t say, “That hurts!” People will never say “Ahh, Buddha” or “Ahh, Muhammad.” No, they say, “JHC,” instead!
That’s one example but it stretches across races and social barriers. People just don’t disrespect the fake ones, only the real one. Think about it!
So where does that leave us?
If it’s not in the bible then why is it handed down generation to generation? If I did pray it, then am I really saved? What do I do now?
I will show you how to discern
As Christians, we need to learn how to discern for ourselves. I will show you how to discern in this situation. First of all, as Christians, we have to learn to filter everything through our spirit. Before I engage someone, I filter my emotions through my spirit man. I never want to act out through my flesh, so I try to come from a foundation of peace. The Holy Spirit will guide you if you ask Him.
I will give you some examples here. What we are going to be looking for is good fruit. If the fruit is rotten, then it’s bad for us.
- Halloween- It has ghosts, the dead, skeletons, and a horror scary theme based off of fear. There’s speculation it’s the devil’s birthday. Witches love to use this time. The fruit here is bad!
- Christmas- December 25 is probably NOT Jesus’ birthday, but wait, let’s continue to look at it. It’s a season of love, giving, forgiveness, joy, and family, so you see, it has good fruit.
- Sinners Prayer- It’s not in the bible, but let’s continue looking. It’s about recognizing, honoring, and accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. It’s about going from darkness to light. This has good fruit!
Because it’s not in the Bible, the sinner’s prayer has many variations to it. So which ones do you use? Well, I recommend that the sinner’s prayer, whichever you use, has these basic elements.
- Admission/repentance of sin
- Recognizing Jesus as Lord and Savior of your life
I’m quite fond of the book, Pilgrim’s Progress, which was written in 1678. It’s said that the early Americans had two books in their hands. Number one was the Bible, and number two was the book, Pilgrim’s Progress.
It is in this book that we may be seeing an early form of the sinner’s prayer.
Okay, first, let me set this up. You have two people here talking. One of them is a hungry sinner looking to be set free. Remember yourselves when you were tired of this world and you knew there had to be something else and you were hungry; you were desperate. Well, this is it!
“Hopeful: He bid me go to him and see. Then I said it was presumption. He said, No; for I was invited to come. [Mt 11:28] Then he gave me a book of Jesus’ inditing(writings), to encourage me the more freely to come; and he said concerning that book, that every jot and tittle thereof stood firmer than heaven and earth. [Mt 24:35] Then I asked him what I must do when I came; and he told me I must entreat(to ask earnestly) upon my knees, [Ps 95:6] [Dan 6:10] with all my heart and soul, [Jer 29:12,13] the Father to reveal him to me. Then I asked him further, how I must make my supplications to him; and he said, Go, and thou shalt find him upon a mercy-seat, where he sits all the year long to give pardon and forgiveness to them that come. I told him, that I knew not what to say when I came; and he bid say to this effect:
“God be merciful to me a sinner, and make me to know and believe in Jesus Christ; for I see, that if his righteousness had not been, or I have not faith in that righteousness, I am utterly cast away. Lord, I have heard that thou art a merciful God, and hast ordained that thy Son Jesus Christ should be the Savior of the world; and moreover, that thou art willing to bestow him upon such a poor sinner as I am—and I am a sinner indeed. Lord, take therefore this opportunity, and magnify thy grace in the salvation of my soul, through thy Son Jesus Christ. Amen.” — Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan, published in 1678
This is beautiful, isn’t it?
So in conclusion, although the sinner’s prayer cant be found in the Bible in its totality, we know it bears good fruit. So I will continue to use the sinner’s prayer as a way to lead people to salvation because of its good fruit.
I hope this video blesses you.
I love you all. Stay blessed!
Pastor/Coach Jeno
The Sinner’s Prayer?
What is it?
The sinner’s prayer is a prayer to say out loud in order to repent and accept Jesus Christ and to become a Christian.
Is it in the Bible?
Surprisingly, it is NOT in the Bible, which explains why there are so many different versions of it. Since the Sinner’s prayer is NOT in the Bible, is this man’s doing? It was made popular by Billy Graham but did not originate with him. So it seems preachers like Billy Graham have taught the sinner’s prayer, and it’s not even in the Bible! I’m telling you this so you’re not caught off guard when someone accuses you of doing something that’s not in the Bible. So then does Proverbs 16:25 apply here? Proverbs 16:25 (KJV) “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” If someone throws this scripture at you, first of all, I don’t recommend arguing at all because both sides will have their heels dug in and nobody wins. Even if there’s a clear loser, the loser will most likely not admit it.
Here’s a sinner’s prayer I use often:
Dear Lord Jesus, I believe You are the Son of God. I come to You as a sinner. I believe that You died on the cross and shed Your blood for all my sins and rose from the dead on the third day to be my Lord and Savior. I now repent of all my sins and personally accept You, Jesus, into my heart and into my life. Thank You for giving me the free gift of eternal life. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Lord and Savior. Thank You for forgiving all my sins. I submit myself to You and promise to live for You, as You reveal yourself to me through Your word. Make me the kind of person You want me to be. From this moment on, I belong to You, I no longer belong to this world or to the enemy of my soul. In Jesus name. Amen! So as you can see, the sinner’s prayer is not about death but life! It’s honoring and recognizing Jesus Christ! John 14:6 (KJV) “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” It is through Jesus Christ that we become saved. And if you notice, the name Jesus Christ is ALWAYS BEING ATTACKED! DISRESPECTED! Example: Someone using a hammer misses and hits their thumb. They don’t say, “That hurts!” People will never say “Ahh, Buddha” or “Ahh, Muhammad.” No, they say, “JHC,” instead! That’s one example but it stretches across races and social barriers. People just don’t disrespect the fake ones, only the real one. Think about it!
So where does that leave us?
If it’s not in the bible then why is it handed down generation to generation? If I did pray it, then am I really saved? What do I do now?
I will show you how to discern
As Christians, we need to learn how to discern for ourselves. I will show you how to discern in this situation. First of all, as Christians, we have to learn to filter everything through our spirit. Before I engage someone, I filter my emotions through my spirit man. I never want to act out through my flesh, so I try to come from a foundation of peace. The Holy Spirit will guide you if you ask Him. I will give you some examples here. What we are going to be looking for is good fruit. If the fruit is rotten, then it’s bad for us.
- Halloween- It has ghosts, the dead, skeletons, and a horror scary theme based off of fear. There’s speculation it’s the devil’s birthday. Witches love to use this time. The fruit here is bad!
- Christmas- December 25 is probably NOT Jesus’ birthday, but wait, let’s continue to look at it. It’s a season of love, giving, forgiveness, joy, and family, so you see, it has good fruit.
- Sinners Prayer- It’s not in the bible, but let’s continue looking. It’s about recognizing, honoring, and accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. It’s about going from darkness to light. This has good fruit!
Because it’s not in the Bible, the sinner’s prayer has many variations to it. So which ones do you use? Well, I recommend that the sinner’s prayer, whichever you use, has these basic elements.
- Admission/repentance of sin
- Recognizing Jesus as Lord and Savior of your life
I’m quite fond of the book, Pilgrim’s Progress, which was written in 1678. It’s said that the early Americans had two books in their hands. Number one was the Bible, and number two was the book, Pilgrim’s Progress. It is in this book that we may be seeing an early form of the sinner’s prayer. Okay, first, let me set this up. You have two people here talking. One of them is a hungry sinner looking to be set free. Remember yourselves when you were tired of this world and you knew there had to be something else and you were hungry; you were desperate. Well, this is it! “Hopeful: He bid me go to him and see. Then I said it was presumption. He said, No; for I was invited to come. [Mt 11:28] Then he gave me a book of Jesus’ inditing(writings), to encourage me the more freely to come; and he said concerning that book, that every jot and tittle thereof stood firmer than heaven and earth. [Mt 24:35] Then I asked him what I must do when I came; and he told me I must entreat(to ask earnestly) upon my knees, [Ps 95:6] [Dan 6:10] with all my heart and soul, [Jer 29:12,13] the Father to reveal him to me. Then I asked him further, how I must make my supplications to him; and he said, Go, and thou shalt find him upon a mercy-seat, where he sits all the year long to give pardon and forgiveness to them that come. I told him, that I knew not what to say when I came; and he bid say to this effect: “God be merciful to me a sinner, and make me to know and believe in Jesus Christ; for I see, that if his righteousness had not been, or I have not faith in that righteousness, I am utterly cast away. Lord, I have heard that thou art a merciful God, and hast ordained that thy Son Jesus Christ should be the Savior of the world; and moreover, that thou art willing to bestow him upon such a poor sinner as I am—and I am a sinner indeed. Lord, take therefore this opportunity, and magnify thy grace in the salvation of my soul, through thy Son Jesus Christ. Amen.” — Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan, published in 1678 This is beautiful, isn’t it? So in conclusion, although the sinner’s prayer cant be found in the Bible in its totality, we know it bears good fruit. So I will continue to use the sinner’s prayer as a way to lead people to salvation because of its good fruit. I hope this video blesses you. I love you all. Stay blessed! Pastor Jeno
