The Sinner's Prayer

Back in the day when I was on my way to becoming a follower of Jesus, the Sinner's Prayer was a hot item in evangelism circles.  Anyone who showed up at the altar with a heavy load of sin was likely to soon be joined by some eager believer who was ready to coach them in repeating the Sinner's Prayer.  For the helper at the altar getting some repentant soul to pray the Sinner's Prayer was considered a great spiritual victory.  Once it was prayed, the helper was free to go find another ready to repeat the words of salvation.  Of course, coming to Christ is not quite as simple as repeating a few words.  

Certainly, it is more simple than some folks would choose to make it, but it is not the words repeated which seal the deal.  It is the grace of God.  It is the spirit of the heart.  The Sinner's Prayer is not one found in some liturgical worship resource.  It is a loosely worded prayer which says in different forms,  "Lord, I am a sinner.  I ask you to forgive me.  I believe in your Son, Jesus Christ, who died for my sins, and now I ask Him to come into my heart.  I ask this in the name of Jesus, Amen."   There is nothing wrong with the prayer, but it is not some magical word which causes holy mystery to happen in our lives.  It is simply one expression of what may be in our heart and which needs to spoken to the Heavenly Father who sent His Son to the die on the cross for our sake.   

There are, of course, other prayers which could be classified as a Sinner's Prayer.  The 51st Psalm is a rather long example.  Isaiah 6:5 is a much shorter one as we hear Isaiah saying, "Woe is me!  I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and live among a people of unclean lips..."  The Sinner's Prayer is a prayer useful in the beginning, but it is not the only time on the road of faith that we will need to pray such a prayer.