Without further ado, here is a quote from Chuck Norris' Christian Resource Page online, in which he offers this suggested sinner's prayer to be saved:
"Jesus, I know that I have sinned against you. I know the truth is that I have sinned by my own choice, and I am the one responsible for it. I know that I have earned punishment from You, and that the fair punishment would be death. Jesus, I believe that You died in my place. Forgive me for my sin. I cannot cover or take my sin away, I am relying totally and only on You. You are the only one who can save me. I reject my sin, I turn away from it, I repent. Come into my life, take away my sin, and show me how to live my life in a way that is right and pleasing to You." [emphasis added] —Chuck Norris - FREE GIFTNow, the preceding emboldened statements may seem subtle and even insignificant to you, but they are very important to consider, because they are false! The “Gospel” as defined in 1st Corinthians 15:1-4 is that Jesus DIED on the cross for our sins, He was BURIED, and then after three days He miraculously bodily RESURRECTED from the dead. The only Biblical requirement to believe the Gospel, is to realize that you are a guilty sinner in the sight of a holy God, otherwise why would you need a Savior?
So that's it in a nutshell. That is “the simplicity that is in Christ” (2nd Corinthians 11:3-4). To be saved, you simply come as you are, as a guilty SINNER, receiving a risen Christ's sacrifice on the cross as full payment for your sins. Even a small child can do that!
But according to Chuck Norris, from his suggested prayer to be saved that I just quoted to you, he says MORE is required. Chuck says: “I reject my sin” and “I turn away from it, I repent.” By adding these unbiblical requirements to be saved, Mr. Norris has perverted the Gospel, placing the burden to change upon the sinner, instead of the transforming power of God in the life of every believer.
When I was saved at age 13, I knew I was a sinner, but no one required me to stop anything to receive the gift of God, which is eternal life. I simply believed on the name of Jesus Christ from my church pew, believing the 'GOOD NEWS' (i.e., Gospel), and was eternally born-again. Immediately, God's indwelling Holy Spirit began to work, convicting me about the sins in my life. This is how salvation works dear friend—you simply trust Jesus Christ as your personal Savior,and He washes the stain of your sins away with His precious blood, and then the Holy Spirit begins to work on you!
But this is very different than what Chuck is teaching, which is the heresy of Lordship Salvation (or, Calvinism). It is very wrong to tell a lost sinner that they must reject and turn away from sin to receive the free gift of God. Ironically, Chuck Norris' titled his article: “FREE GIFT.” Okay, well, if eternal life is a free gift (and is truly is), then why does a person have to reject and turn away from their sins to obtain it? That doesn't make sense!
In fact, to tell someone to turn away from their sins is equivalent to requiring them to KEEP THE LAW OF GOD to be saved. Romans 3:19-20, “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” This passage of Scripture is very helpful, because it teaches us that the PURPOSE for God's law is to show men their sinnership, “FOR BY THE LAW IS THE KNOWLEDGE OF SIN.”
That knowledge of sin then points humanity to Jesus Christ, so they can be saved by grace through FAITH ALONE. Please don't miss that! Galatians 3:24-26, “ Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” There is no mention in ANY of these Bible passages about rejecting or turning away from one's sins to be saved. Unfortunately, Chuck Norris has been deceived by corrupted Bible teachers, who are Satan's ministers of unrighteousness (2nd Corinthians 11:13-15).
The truth is that we are saved BY FAITH ALONE, without works. Just like the popular hymn says, you come to Christ, “JUST AS I AM!” You don't need to be willing to REFORM to be saved. The new birth is not reformation; It is not rehabilitation; nor is it education; It is REGENERATION by the seed of the Word of God. 1st Peter 1:23, “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” So please don't believe anybody (like Chuck Norris) who tells you that if you want to be saved, you must first reject and turn away from your sins, because that is a counterfeit plan of salvation which cannot produce the new birth.
Jesus Christ paid your sin debt on Calvary's cross, so that you wouldn't have to by burning in Hell forever! Forsaking one's sins is a matter of discipleship, not sonship. You get saved by faith alone, and then God begins to deal with you about the changes He wants. God is not an absent parent. Hebrews 12:6-7 teaches that God scourges and disciplines His children when we disobey. Satan has used sincerely ignorant, but well-meaning preachers and layman who follow them, to pervert the Gospel. Since they don't fully understand grace, they corrupt the plan of salvation to compensate for their lack of understanding. Since they cannot grasp a professed believer who refuses to change their sinful ways, they add a requirement to “turn from sin” to be saved. The problem is that it is not Biblical.
A professed Christian who is living in open sin is being slothful to serve Christ, and God will assuredly deal with them. But that has nothing to do with the free gift of forgiveness of sins offered through the precious blood of Jesus. The truth is that every believer still has sin in their life. 1st Timothy 5:24, “Some men's sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after.” So the ridiculous idea that to be saved, a person must make an effort to turn away from their sins, is of the Devil. That is religion, not Christianity. You are a SINNER and Jesus is the blessed SAVIOR! It's that simple.
At salvation there is JUSTIFICATION by faith alone. In Heaven, there will be GLORIFICATION with Christ. Everything in between is SANCTIFICATION, as we are being conformed gradually into the image of Christ. Again, I did not write this article to be mean or make Chuck Norris look bad, but simple to warn everyone about a false plan of salvation, which Satan has crept into the churches. No where in the Bible can you show me a place where it requires someone to reject and turn away from sins to be saved. Eternal life is a gift, which cannot be merited or earned in the least way.
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