Heaven: A new Message from Billy Graham

Happy Birthday Billy Graham - 96 years old today.

Sinner's Prayer from video...

Dear Heavenly Father, I know that I am a sinner.  And I ask for Your forgiveness.  I believer Jesus died for my sins. And rose from the dead.  I turn from my sins. I repent from my sins.  I invite You to come into my heart and my life.  I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior.  In Jesus' Name. Amen.

I have a problem with the sinner's prayer as presented.

The only necessary items are:

I know that I am a sinner.  And I ask for Your forgiveness.  I believe Jesus died for my sins. And rose from the dead.

The turning, repenting, trusting and following will all come later and are FRUITS.  Salvation is not a fruit bearing event.

In fact, promising to "repent" (what the biblical word means and how it is used today are not the same thing) can keep thinking folks from being able to BELIEVE the gospel of the Lord.

We, as sinners, cannot promise to never sin again ~ our part of the deal will always fall through.  That is why salvation does not depend on us or our works such as not sinning.

The thing is we ARE sinners, we NEED a Savior and we can only appropriate salvation by FAITH (believing).


(Jarhead packs up soapbox...)