I humbly agree with Pastor Jack Hyles (1926-2001) that prayer is not necessary to be saved.
Dr. Jack Hyles on a 'Sinner's Prayer' for Salvation
Granted, it is natural for most converts to pray at the time of faith, but the Bible is very clear in Romans 10:14 that we are saved at the moment of FAITH, and not calling or praying (i.e., asking to be saved. When a sinner walks down a church aisle in response to a salvation invitation, they are simply going down front to find out what just happened. They were saved before they even left their pew, at the moment they BELIEVED the Gospel.
Having said that, I am opposed to pastors who require people to walk an aisle to learn how to go to Heaven. Every preacher should tell sinners how to be saved in their pew, regardless of whether they want to come forward. It is a grave sin to add an additional step to God's simple plan of salvation, when God only requires that someone BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST to be saved.
I don't know when I was saved. I didn't think to write it down. I remember a place, an experience and calling upon Jesus in faith to save me around 1979 or 1980. Since I know that I am saved, I do not worry about the year. But everyone should definitely remember a place and a time when you knew that you were a needy sinner, and you put your trust in Jesus as your personal Savior.
I learned a great truth from Pastor Bob Gray Sr. years ago, which is that Jesus does NOT forgive sin. Jesus has already paid for everyone's sins with His precious blood (1st Peter 1:18-19), which is why eternal life is offered to us as a “free gift” (Romans 5:15-18). A gift need only be taken, not merited. Dr. John MacArthur foolishly taught that salvation is an exchange, a trade of sorts. ...
I do not scold pastors for using the sinner's prayer. Even Pastor Jack Hyles (1926-2001), who emphasizes in this sermon excerpt that you don't have to pray to get saved, chose to use a sinner's prayer in the Roman's Road presentation of the Gospel. So, I am okay with pastors using the sinner's prayer, providing that they explain it is faith and not prayer that saves a sinner, which is exactly what Brother Hyles is doing in this needful and helpful video excerpt.
In this book, Dr. Younce strongly criticizes the needless practice of requiring sinners to walk down a church aisle to find out how to go to Heaven, which practice I hate. ...
God only knows how how people are burning in Hell forever, all because some selfish pastor refused to tell them how to be saved in their pew. The reason why Pastor Younce's book helped me so much is because I was saved in a pew. I had always felt guilty for being too shy to walk forward as a young teenager, wondering if it would have made a difference if I had that day.
In the years to follow I read Chick Tracts and every piece of religious literature I could get my hands on, searching for answers to settle my ongoing struggle with the assurance of God's free gift of salvation. Oh that I would have had this wonderful book by Michael P. Bowen, "I NEVER KNEW YOU," when I needed answers. This great book would have cleared my dark stormy skies...
I have not doubted my salvation in decades, because I now by God's wondrous grace fully comprehend His great plan of salvation. I gleaned this great quote from Brother Younce: "Salvation is not doing your best, it is having Christ's best put to your account through receiving Him by faith." I love that truth!
So, I do not use the sinner's prayer, nor do I recommend that others use it. There is absolutely nothing wrong with accompanying one's faith with a sinner's prayer, which is essentially asking God to save you, and that is just fine. However, I do take offense and stand firmly against those preachers today who insist that you cannot be saved without praying or calling (asking) to go to Heaven. No such requirement is taught in the inspired King James Bible.
My ministry friend Onorato (Norm) Diamante on YouTube has been verbally attacked (by a particular pastor in Texas), called an "idiot" and "a child of the Devil" for faithfully preaching the biblical truth that you don't have to pray to be saved. Well, Pastor Jack Hyles and myself agree with Onorato.
I have heard numerous preachers down play this issue, asking what's the big deal. But they are the one's making it a big deal, by denying that you can get to Heaven without asking, calling or praying to be saved. What saith the Scripture? ๐๐ผ๐ต๐ป ๐ฒ:๐ฐ๐ณ, “๐ฉ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐น๐, ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐น๐, ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ป๐๐ผ ๐๐ผ๐, ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐น๐ถ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐๐ต ๐ผ๐ป ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ต ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐น๐ฎ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐น๐ถ๐ณ๐ฒ.”
And although Jesus did invite the Samaritan woman in John 4:10 to "ask" Him for the Living Water, there is not one mention in the remainder of the chapter about any of the Samaritans asking Jesus to save them. There is no mention of anyone "asking" to be saved, they simply believed on the dear Savior and were saved. Here is what we read...
Having said that, I am opposed to pastors who require people to walk an aisle to learn how to go to Heaven. Every preacher should tell sinners how to be saved in their pew, regardless of whether they want to come forward. It is a grave sin to add an additional step to God's simple plan of salvation, when God only requires that someone BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST to be saved.
I don't know when I was saved. I didn't think to write it down. I remember a place, an experience and calling upon Jesus in faith to save me around 1979 or 1980. Since I know that I am saved, I do not worry about the year. But everyone should definitely remember a place and a time when you knew that you were a needy sinner, and you put your trust in Jesus as your personal Savior.
I learned a great truth from Pastor Bob Gray Sr. years ago, which is that Jesus does NOT forgive sin. Jesus has already paid for everyone's sins with His precious blood (1st Peter 1:18-19), which is why eternal life is offered to us as a “free gift” (Romans 5:15-18). A gift need only be taken, not merited. Dr. John MacArthur foolishly taught that salvation is an exchange, a trade of sorts. ...
“Thus in a sense we pay the ultimate price for salvation when our sinful self is nailed to a cross. ...It is an exchange of all that we are for all that Christ is. And it denotes implicit obedience, full surrender to the lordship of Christ. Nothing less can qualify as saving faith.” ('The Gospel According to Jesus,' p. 140)
Sadly, John MacArthur (1939-2025) is now burning in Hell forever without hope. His counterfeit plan of salvation that required "full surrender" to Christ's Lordship could not produce the required new birth to enter into God's Kingdom. We see this truth demonstrated in Matthew 7:21-23. They devoutly followed Jesus in dedicated service, but failed to ever rest in the finished redemptive work of Christ.
No, Mr. MacArthur, salvation is NOT an exchange of all that we are for all that Christ is; it is NOT a trade of sorts! It is a FREE GIFT! You don't have to "ask" for a gift, you simply receive it by faith (by taking God at His written Word), to accept Christ's sacrifice on the cross as full payment for your sins, believing that He was buried, but then miraculously resurrected from the dead three days later. This is the true Gospel which saves according to 1st Corinthians 15:1-6.
I do not scold pastors for using the sinner's prayer. Even Pastor Jack Hyles (1926-2001), who emphasizes in this sermon excerpt that you don't have to pray to get saved, chose to use a sinner's prayer in the Roman's Road presentation of the Gospel. So, I am okay with pastors using the sinner's prayer, providing that they explain it is faith and not prayer that saves a sinner, which is exactly what Brother Hyles is doing in this needful and helpful video excerpt.
When I got saved I worried for several years that I might not be saved. I was fearful because I was focusing on the sinner's prayer. Since I couldn't remember what I had prayed, I just figured I would ask God to save me again, and again, and again, and again for over 10 years, wallowing in needless fear, mental anguish, tears, frustration, uncertainty and worry. No one has ever properly presented God's simple plan of salvation to me. Although I knew that prayer does not save a man, faith does, I still associated getting saved with the sinner's prayer, and that effectively blocked my brain from seeing the simplicity that is in Christ.
I had stopped worrying about God's free gift of salvation long before I had finally obtained perfect peace that solidified my salvation beliefs from Pastor Max D. Younce's helpful book: “SALVATION AND THE PUBLIC INVITATION”...
In this book, Dr. Younce strongly criticizes the needless practice of requiring sinners to walk down a church aisle to find out how to go to Heaven, which practice I hate. ...
God only knows how how people are burning in Hell forever, all because some selfish pastor refused to tell them how to be saved in their pew. The reason why Pastor Younce's book helped me so much is because I was saved in a pew. I had always felt guilty for being too shy to walk forward as a young teenager, wondering if it would have made a difference if I had that day.
In the years to follow I read Chick Tracts and every piece of religious literature I could get my hands on, searching for answers to settle my ongoing struggle with the assurance of God's free gift of salvation. Oh that I would have had this wonderful book by Michael P. Bowen, "I NEVER KNEW YOU," when I needed answers. This great book would have cleared my dark stormy skies...
I have not doubted my salvation in decades, because I now by God's wondrous grace fully comprehend His great plan of salvation. I gleaned this great quote from Brother Younce: "Salvation is not doing your best, it is having Christ's best put to your account through receiving Him by faith." I love that truth!
So, I do not use the sinner's prayer, nor do I recommend that others use it. There is absolutely nothing wrong with accompanying one's faith with a sinner's prayer, which is essentially asking God to save you, and that is just fine. However, I do take offense and stand firmly against those preachers today who insist that you cannot be saved without praying or calling (asking) to go to Heaven. No such requirement is taught in the inspired King James Bible.
My ministry friend Onorato (Norm) Diamante on YouTube has been verbally attacked (by a particular pastor in Texas), called an "idiot" and "a child of the Devil" for faithfully preaching the biblical truth that you don't have to pray to be saved. Well, Pastor Jack Hyles and myself agree with Onorato.
There is no mention of the 3,000 sinners who were saved on the Day of Pentecost praying or asking to be saved, they simply "gladly received" Peter's Gospel message (Acts 2:41) and were born again.
Nor is there any mention of Cornelius and his companions calling, praying or asking to be saved, they simply believed the GOOD NEWS that they heard preached unto them and were converted (Acts 10:43-44; Galatians 3:2). Faith is the only righteous thing that I can do.
I have heard numerous preachers down play this issue, asking what's the big deal. But they are the one's making it a big deal, by denying that you can get to Heaven without asking, calling or praying to be saved. What saith the Scripture? ๐๐ผ๐ต๐ป ๐ฒ:๐ฐ๐ณ, “๐ฉ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐น๐, ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐น๐, ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ป๐๐ผ ๐๐ผ๐, ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐น๐ถ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐๐ต ๐ผ๐ป ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ต ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐น๐ฎ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐น๐ถ๐ณ๐ฒ.”
And although Jesus did invite the Samaritan woman in John 4:10 to "ask" Him for the Living Water, there is not one mention in the remainder of the chapter about any of the Samaritans asking Jesus to save them. There is no mention of anyone "asking" to be saved, they simply believed on the dear Savior and were saved. Here is what we read...
John 4:39-42, “And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did. So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days. And many more believed because of his own word; And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.”
Let me give you a good illustration. Let's say that it is your birthday and I mail you a birthday present. It arrives by UPS on your birthday and you are holding the gift in your hands with excitement, anticipating what might be inside. Oh boy! Would you call me on the phone, or send me an email, asking if you can open your gift? No, of course not, that would be silly! So what in the world makes someone think that receiving a gift from God is any different? Why would you need to pray to ask God for a gift that He is already freely offering you?
In the cases of the 3,000 Jews saved at Pentecost in Acts 2, and Cornelius and his friends in Acts 10, and the Roman jailer in Acts 16:30-31—there is no mention of anyone "asking" to be saved, they simply believed on the dear Savior and were saved. Shame on any pastor who tries to make you feel bad or stupid for simply believing that faith is enough to get to Heaven.
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