Prayer of Salvation - Our First Real Conversation With God
The "prayer of salvation" is the most important prayer we'll ever pray. When
we're ready to become a Christian, we're ready to have our first real conversation
with God, and these are its components: " We acknowledge that Jesus Christ is
God; that He came to earth as a man in order to live the sinless life that we
cannot live; that He died in our place, so that we would not have to pay the
penalty we deserve. " We confess our past life of sin -- living for ourselves
and not obeying God. " We admit we are ready to trust Jesus Christ as our Savior
and Lord. " We ask Jesus to come into our heart, take up residence there, and
begin living through us.
1 - It Begins With Faith in God When
we pray the prayer of salvation, we're letting God know we believe His Word
is true. By the faith He has given us, we choose to believe in Him. The Bible
tells us that "without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes
to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently
seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6). So, when we pray, asking God for the gift of salvation,
we're exercising our free will to acknowledge that we believe in Him. That demonstration
of faith pleases God, because we have freely chosen to know Him.
2 - Confessing Our Sin When we pray the prayer
of salvation, we're admitting that we've sinned. As the Bible says of everyone,
save Christ alone: "For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God"
(Romans 3:23). To sin is simply to fall short of the mark, as an arrow that
does not quite hit the bull's-eye. The glory of God that we fall short of is
found only in Jesus Christ: "For it is the God who commanded light to shine
out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge
of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:6). The prayer
of salvation, then, recognizes that Jesus Christ is the only human who ever
lived without sin. "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we
might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21).
3 - Professing Faith in Christ as Savior
and Lord With Christ as our standard of perfection, we're now acknowledging
faith in Him as God, agreeing with the Apostle John that: "In the beginning
was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was
in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him
nothing was made that was made" (John 1:1-3). Because God could only accept
a perfect, sinless sacrifice, and because He knew that we could not possibly
accomplish that, He sent His Son to die for us and pay the eternal price. "For
God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes
in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16).
4 - Say It & Mean It. Do you agree
with everything you have read so far? If you do, don't wait a moment longer
to start your new life in Jesus Christ. Remember, this prayer is not a magical
formula. You are simply expressing your heart to God. Pray this with us: "Father,
I know that I have broken your laws and my sins have separated me from you.
I am truly sorry, and now I want to turn away from my past sinful life toward
you. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that your
son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive,
and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and
reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help
me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name I pray,
Amen."
5 - I've Prayed It; Now What? If you've
prayed this prayer of salvation with true conviction and heart, you are now
a follower of Jesus. This is a fact, whether or not you feel any different.
Religious systems may have led you to believe that you should feel something
- a warm glow, a tingle, or some other mystical experience. The fact is, you
may, or you may not. If you have prayed the prayer of salvation and meant it,
you are now a follower of Jesus. The Bible tells us that your eternal salvation
is secure! "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in
your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans
10:9). Welcome to the family of God! We encourage you now to find a local church
where you can be baptized and grow in the knowledge of God through His Word,
the Bible.
- See more at www.allaboutgod.com and www.ebible.com