Question: "What is the prayer of salvation?"

Answer: Many people ask, “Is there a prayer I can pray that will guarantee my salvation?” It is important to remember that salvation is not received by reciting a prayer or uttering certain words. The Bible nowhere records a person’s receiving salvation by a prayer. Saying a prayer is not the biblical way of salvation.

The biblical method of salvation is faith in Jesus Christ. John 3:16 tells us, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Salvation is gained by faith (Ephesians 2:8), by receiving Jesus as Savior (John 1:12), and by fully trusting Jesus alone (John 14:6; Acts 4:12), not by reciting a prayer.

The biblical message of salvation is simple and clear and amazing at the same time. We have all committed sin against God (Romans 3:23). Other than Jesus Christ, there is no one who has lived an entire life without sinning (Ecclesiastes 7:20). Because of our sin, we have earned judgment from God—death (Romans 6:23). Because of our sin and its deserved punishment, there is nothing we can do on our own to make ourselves right with God. As a result of His love for us, God became a human being in the Person of Jesus Christ. Jesus lived a perfect life and always taught the truth. However, humanity rejected Jesus and put Him to death by crucifying Him. Through that horrible act of killing the only truly innocent man, however, our salvation was obtained. Jesus died in our place. He took the burden and judgment of our sin upon Himself (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus was then resurrected (1 Corinthians 15), proving that His payment for sin was sufficient and that He had overcome sin and death. As a result of Jesus’ sacrifice, God offers us salvation as a gift. God calls us all to repent of our sins (Acts 17:30) and have faith in Christ as the full payment of our sins (1 John 2:2). Salvation is gained by receiving the gift God offers us, not by praying a certain prayer.

Now, that does not mean prayer cannot be involved in receiving salvation. If you understand the gospel, believe it to be true, and have accepted Jesus as your salvation, it is good and appropriate to express that faith to God in prayer. Communicating with God through prayer can be a way to progress from accepting facts about Jesus to fully trusting in Him as Savior. Prayer can be connected to the act of placing your faith in Jesus alone for salvation.

Again, though, it is crucially important that you do not base your salvation on having said a prayer. Reciting a prayer cannot save you! If you want to receive the salvation that is available through Jesus, place your faith in Him. Fully trust His death as the sufficient sacrifice for your sins. Completely rely on Him alone as your Savior. That is the biblical method of salvation. If you have received Jesus as your Savior, by all means, say a prayer to God. Tell God how thankful you are for Jesus. Offer praise to God for His love and sacrifice. Thank Jesus for dying for your sins and providing salvation for you. That is the biblical connection between salvation and prayer.

beleive on the Lord Jesus Christ- and thou shalt be saved.

Metanoia means a transformative change of heart

a Transformative change of the heart is simply going from denying that Christ is Lord to one where you accept Him as Lord and Savior- You believe He existed, and is Savior, and has a Sovereign right to expect that we accept Him in order to be saved.

Some preach that you must renounce all sin before you can be saved- (something called lordship salvation)- this isn’t true- God saves sinners, not perfect people- if we were capable of renouncing all sin, then we would not need a savior- Al that God asks of us is to have a transformation view of His Son- to believe that He truly is the Christ who died for our sins.

Metanoia means to have a ‘change of mind’ to go from thinking “God You have no right to demand that I believe that Christ was God” to “God I humbly accept that Christ is God and that I need to accept Him as Savior in order to be saved” - that’s it-

The modern worn for Metanoia is Repentance- Repentance does NOT mean you must become sinless in order to be saved (such nonsense is preached by lordship salvation preachers)- it does NOT mean you must turn from all your sins before Christ will save you- Repentance does NOT mean you must do a complete U-Turn from sin before God will accept you- Repentance simply means that you must have a change of heart about Christ-

Repentance means that you stop trying to save yourself by your good works- and you accept that you infact can not save yourself, and accept that only Christ can save you- this is the ‘Change of Heart’ that Metanoia is talking about

Metanoia/Repentance means that you accept that you are a sinner in need of salvation- many folks think they are ok because they ‘don’t do such and such’ and that God will accept them on the person’s terms- This is a stubborn and rebellious “Self-Righteous” mind that must be changed before a person can be saved- and only God can bring that change of mind- the sinner is not capable of having that change of mind on his or her own- their sin nature won’t allow it-

As Dr. Mark G. Cambron puts it:

[[The Greek word for repent is metanoeo, which, translated into English is: to change ones mind. It does not mean to turn from sin. That would add works to salvation.

Repentance for salvation means a change of mind from men’s ideas of salvation and religion, to an acceptance of Gods only way of salvation.

Many teach repentance for salvation incorrectly, by including some form of human effort or righteousness, such as willingness to turn from sin, or turning from sin. This is heresy and has confused many people. It adds works to salvation and causes many to not understand Gods great gift. It is probation, not salvation. It is completely unscriptural. It is Galatianism and a counterfeit of the gospel.]]

When you add self effort to salvation- you ‘salvation’ is conditional upon your efforts- if you fail (and you WILL fail) you have proven, ‘in the eyes of lordship salvation preachers’, that you were not serious about your salvation works when you became saved. Such preaching is heresy. God never ever requires us to give up sins in order to be saved- And He tells us that salvation is eternal and NOT conditional upon our works-

Salvation simply means Metanoia/Repentance, which simply means, as Dr Cambron points out, “to change ones mind. It does not mean to turn from sin. That would add works to salvation.”

That isnt Lordship salvation the way you described it.
Yes we are to denounce all sin BUT what does that mean? It means Gods way is best, that to transgress His laws is sinful and so someone who is a believer MUST denounce all sin BUT know that, as you rightly said we are not perfect. We will still sin and when I do I run to the cross for forgiveness. BUT i still need to denounce all sin in that it is evil. Denouncing all sin doesnt mean that one will live a sinless life.

In your description of Lordship Salvation I believe you do not understand it. It simply means that when one becomes a believer in Christ they will act like it. They will walk in a manner worthy of Christ. They will walk daily one step in faith and one step in repentance. They will strive to live for God and obey Him NOT as a means for salvation or for forgiveness but rather BECAUSE they are saved and forgiven. They do it out of love for What Christ has done and what the Father has provided in the death of His Son and because of the application of that salvation by the Spirit. They will walk in newness of life knowing that there will be a struggle between the flesh and the Spirit for their lives. They will know that they cannot have Jesus as Saviour UNLESS they have Him as Lord as well.

The position of the “non-Lordship” perspective is that Jesus can be your “Saviour” but you never have to accept Him as Lord of your life. That one can say a prayer, walk an aisle and live like a “hellion” even though they claim Christ as Saviour. That “doctrine” and way of thinking has tarnished the church.

The whole biblical concept of repentance is a turning from sin. Yes it involves a change of mind BUT that chnage of mind leads to a newness of life where the sin we once held dear is not noxious and reprehensible to us. This of course doesnt happen right away but rather does over time in a christians life.

The main points of differentiation between the 2 views is that the Lordship position takes the verses,,,I have been crucified with Christ, i no longer but Christ lives in me...at face value. If one claims to be a believer..act like it.

Salvation is gained by faith (Ephesians 2:8), by receiving Jesus as Savior (John 1:12), and by fully trusting Jesus alone (John 14:6; Acts 4:12), not by reciting a prayer.

How does Jesus know that you've received him, trusted him??? Does he just read your mind??? At some point doesn't the sinner, even in his head, tell Jesus, "I believe in you"..."I trust you to be my Savior"...Don't you have to acknowledge at some point that you made that decision to Jesus??? Isn't that a prayer???

Act_2:21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Don't we need to reach out to Jesus???

Luk_18:13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

To me, that is the sinners' prayer...

[[It simply means that when one becomes a believer in Christ they will act like it.]]

Sorry- but I’ve spoken with many folks who practice it and they deny that the church at corinth, and the ephesian church i believe, who were living in sin and rebellion, were ever really saved- despite Paul actually calling them brothers in Christ. They claimed their continual living in sin was proof hey were not “Truly Saved”- Lordship Salvation does not allow for backsliding- period- You following comments are testament to that:

“They will know that they cannot have Jesus as Saviour UNLESS they have Him as Lord as well.”

“If one claims to be a believer..act like it.”

Many Born Again Christians are living in backslidden conditions- Their condition, in the eyes of Lordship Salvation proponents proves that ‘Christ is not Lord in their lives”, and this view simply isn’t biblical

[[The whole biblical concept of repentance is a turning from sin.]]

No I’m sorry, that is not true- Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved- period- it is not conditional upon your self effort to put away sin

I understand lordship salvation just fine thanks- I’ll not get into a long drawn out argument with you on this issue- You are welcome to your opinion but I disagree with it- As I have spoken with many LS proponents and it always boils down to them claiming the things you claimed while denying that they are claiming one must ‘act saved in order to be saved’

Repentance means that you stop trying to save yourself by your good works...

Repentance means what the Messiah said it means.

And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

Revelation, Catholic chapter three, Protestant verses one to six,
as authorized, but not authored, by King James

I think you forget that I also wrote this;
“BUT know that, as you rightly said we are not perfect. We will still sin and when I do I run to the cross for forgiveness. BUT i still need to denounce all sin in that it is evil. Denouncing all sin doesnt mean that one will live a sinless life.”

As I mentioned we will still sin and sometimes terribly BUT that is not the rule for a believer. For example, loose one for sure, lets look at a share of stock on the stock market as an example of the believer. For the “lordship salvation” view the price (sanctification) of the stock, say over 20 years, will show a net gain in price as one looks at the entire life of the stock. If one then looks at select time frames of the stock it will show signs of great gains, mild gains etc...It will also show signs of drop in value (call it backslidding if you’d like), sometimes small drops sometimes big. In light of all this the price (sanctification) of the stock will show a net rise. It MUST.

In the Non-Lordship view the stock price may not rise at all and may even show a net decline for the life of the stock. Sorry but thats not biblical at all. And yes the Lordship view DOES allow for a period of “back slidding” but it does not recognize that as the NORM for the christian life.

What did Jesus say about the 4 soils? Only one soil, the last was about a saved person. What did He also say about
bearing fruit??? What does I John mean then but a means to see if we are truly walking in Christ and abiding in Him??? I could go on.

In your comments on Ephesians and corinth i would be interested to read the comments you mentioned in context. Also the way the acted and what they were castigated for by Paul still supports the Lordship view since Paul called on them to change!! Did he not? If called on them to change then that proves my point even better since that shows they way they were living was NOT the way a christian should be living and they were exhorted by Paul to live a more true christian life

nothing in that passage about Sardis is talking about losing salvation or being unsaved IF one does not live a completely holy life- Vs 5 would seem to indicate this, but not so- The passage is also not stating that only those who devote their lives to being spiritually perfected will get to be saved and ‘wear the white robs’- only those who overcome, ie are more spiritually motivated than others to strive to do God’s will, will be the ones to wear the white- this passage has nothing to do with salvation but rather with reward- many assume all Christians will wear white- there is no indication in God’s word that this is a fact- but there is indication that those who overcome, and become spiritually minded again, will be rewarded- not with salvation, but with honor-

As to Verse 5 seeming to suggest only the overcomers will not be blotted out- this is not true- all Christians will never be blotted out- this verse is simply an encouragement to all, and especially to those who rededicate their lives to serving Him- the overcomers- Those who turn from their carnal ways-

[[In verse 5, the overcomer is also promised he can never have his name erased from the Book of life. Could this suggest the possibility of the loss of salvation? Such a concept is totally contrary to the analogy of the faith in the New Testament which teaches us all believers are kept secure by the power of God and the finished work of Christ (cf. John 10:28-29; Rom. 8:38-39). As Charles Stanley so aptly put it, “Does it make any sense to say that salvation is offered as a solution for our sin and then to turn around and teach that salvation can be taken away because of our sin as well?”53

Because so many do not understand the nature of salvation as a finished work of God in Christ and are insecure in their faith, verses such as this are misunderstood as suggesting the possibility of the loss of salvation, or as a proof for the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints. This results in a fixation on what the verse does not say rather than on what it is saying in the context biblically, historically, and culturally. This verse was never intended as a warning. Instead, it is a promise of encouragement in view of the historical setting of John’s day. To say that verse 5 suggests the possibility of losing salvation is at best, an argument from silence.

If we understand the promise of 3:5 in its historical and contextual context, we will find that it is not dealing with the issue of losing or proving salvation at all. By the use of a figure of speech known as litotes (an affirmation expressed in negative terms), we have an emphatic declaration that stresses the certainty of the promise. In other words, a positive point is made by denying its opposite. This not only stresses the security of the believer—for every believer’s name is written in the book of life—but is a way of promising something special to the overcomer in the kingdom and eternal future.]]

https://bible.org/seriespage/7-message-sardis-rev-31-6

Like I said- You have your opinion, and I strongly disagree with it based on my studies of the word and discussing the issues with lordship salvation- You can read the churches i mentioned in context if you like- they are in the new testament- Paul called the carnal Christians brothers in Christ- and yup- He encouraged them to change- but he did NOT say ‘change or you are no longer my brothers in Christ’- Paul’s job obviously was to encourage new Christians to seek God- Something He always encouraged- and rightfully so- however- nowhere did he say that carnal Christians had lost their salvation, or were never saved to begin with-

As well Lot was a sinner- living an extremely carnal life, yet he was called a ‘righteous man’- David was a murderer and adulterer, yet still God called him a man after His own heart- Demus left Paul because he ‘loved the things of the world’ Yet Demus was a Christian who as paul describes, is saved ‘as if by fire’ or ‘escaping the fire’ meaning he chose the easy life, and his works amount to wood hay and stubble- but he is nonetheless saved still-

Again- I’ve been round and round with many folks over these exact same issues you bring up- I don’t really care to do so again- I have a lot of serious issues I’m dealing with right now- Briefly though you mentioned you ‘must denounce all sin’ (I assume you mean that to mean that you must do so in order to prove you are saved? Not sure why else you would say you must do so?) Nothing in the bible states one must denounce all sin in order to either be saved, or to keep their salvation intact-

It would be more correct to say “I SHOULD learn to hate sin and with God’s help, slowly, as He teaches me and I learn to submit more and more, forsake such sins- Because that is pleasing to Him- however, I will not lose my salvation if I should not learn to forsake all sin at salvation”

You have a curious mix of lordship salvation ideology and non lordship ideology- in one sentence you state something that is correct- then in the next breath claim the things I listed from you in my last post- it’s a weird mix-

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