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Do Christians Need to Say The Sinners’ Prayer?
It is a heart-warming scene — people swarming to the front of the church in response to an altar call. These individuals have tears and their eyes as they express their longing to become saved. The church leaders are ready to pray with them and ask them to repeat the words of a version of the “sinners prayer.”
This prayer using this format usually contains:
- An admission that we have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God
- Repentance
- Asking for forgiveness
- A statement of belief that Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead
- A request for God to enter our hearts
- A commitment to live the Christian life in the future
Versions of the sinner’s prayer are all on the Internet. It is also called the “salvation prayer” or “consecration prayer.” However, these petitions are not anywhere in the Bible.
I have never said the sinner’s prayer during my Christian walk. I never had an aha moment at an altar call. As a matter of fact, I do not remember ever going to the front of a sanctuary to declare my beliefs.
Instead, like many Christians, I came to faith gradually over several years. I agree that these statements are steps that lead us…
