The Sinner’s Prayer
Most Christians will be familiar with what has become known as ‘The Sinner’s Prayer’. It consists of a few sentences along the lines of: ‘Dear God (or Lord Jesus), I confess that I am a sinner. I have done wrong things and not pleased you. I need your forgiveness. Jesus, I believe that you died and shed your blood on the cross for me and that God raised you from the dead. Please forgive me of my sin. Come into my heart and make me new. I confess you as my Lord and Saviour. Thank you for saving me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.’
Millions of people have been led to ‘receive Christ’ through a prayer similar to this. Interestingly, this kind of ‘Sinner’s Prayer’ is not found in the Bible. Scripture does state however that if we ‘confess with [our] mouth the Lord Jesus and believe with [our] heart that God has raised him from the dead, [we] will be saved’ (Rom. 10:9). A person does not have to pray a sinner’s prayer to be saved, but they do need to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:30-31).
The popular sinner’s prayer originated in America and was popularised by crusade evangelist Billy Graham (as well as fellow American evangelists Billy Sunday and Bill Bright). It became an easy way for people to lead others to faith in Christ, either one-on-one or in a Christian meeting or evangelistic crusade.
The purpose of this blogpost is not to question the validity of using a sinner’s prayer in this way. Rather, I would like to suggest an alternative prayer which is both biblical and broader in scope than the typical sinner’s prayer which is very individualistic.
The Lord’s Prayer
My proposed alternative is the model prayer taught to his disciples by Jesus himself. What we call, ‘The Lord’s Prayer’ (Matt. 6:9-13).
‘Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.
Amen.’
This prayer guide or outline has all the important components of someone making Jesus Lord but also gives them a kingdom perspective from the outset.
Our Father in heaven. It starts with relationship. Specifically our relationship with the creator God who made the universe. Becoming aware that the Most High God is enthroned in heaven. Who also is our Father and wants us to join his family. The focus is therefore on God rather than on ourselves and our sin. If someone wants to make Jesus Lord, they will already be aware of their own shortcomings and need for him to change their life.
Hallowed by your name. Our response is praise and worship. Bowing the knee and giving him the praise that only he deserves. This demonstrates a change of heart and mind – true repentance.
Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Recognition that Jesus has a kingdom and that through his death and resurrection, his kingdom has come. All authority has been given to him. He is King of kings and Lord of lords. New birth is our entrance into his kingdom. It is a pledge of allegiance.
He is not only to be acknowledged as Lord of our own lives but also over everything else. His will is to be outworked in us but also in every place, society, culture and nation. We have a responsibility to be his kingdom representatives, manifesting heaven on earth.
Give us this day our daily bread. Recognition that God is our source. Every breath comes from him. And he is also our provider for all that we need. This reinforces the need for faith and trust in God for our daily life.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. We can receive God’s forgiveness because of what Jesus has done, our Advocate and High Priest who forever makes intercession for us. As we freely receive, we can also extend forgiveness to those who sin against us. This reinforces God’s desire for us to walk in love.
And do not lead us into temptation. God doesn’t tempt us to evil. The meaning is more along the lines of ‘do not let us yield to temptation’. God is our source of grace and mercy in times of need. This reinforces our ability through the help of the Holy Spirit to walk in victory.
But deliver us from the evil one. God has translated us from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of his dear son, Jesus Christ (Col. 1:13). Satan’s power has been broken. We are delivered and have been set free! We are now citizens of God’s kingdom and light has overcome the darkness.
For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. The prayer ends by turning our attention away from ourselves and back to who Jesus is and God’s eternal plan and purpose. It highlights our priorities.
The sinner’s prayer is very limiting in this respect and fails to take into account Jesus’ commission to disciple the nations in order that the whole earth is filled with the knowledge of God as the waters cover the sea (Isaiah 11: 1-9). We are not only saved but have also been invited to join with the King of the universe to do our part in seeing his everlasting kingdom established on Earth. It is not about us, but about him. The power and the glory belongs to King Jesus!
Amen. So be it! Our word of agreement.
So as an alternative prayer guide for someone responding to the gospel of the kingdom and making Jesus Lord, I think it’s rather good, don’t you?
1. Relationship
2. Worship
3. Lordship
4. Source
5. Love
6. Victory
7. Deliverance
8. Priorities: King & Kingdom
The Bible is all about Jesus Christ, from beginning to end. With this prayer, every aspect is fulfilled in Jesus Christ!
(Photo by Ben White on Unsplash)