Don't Let People Confuse You About Your Salvation

Romans 3:4, “God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.”

A man hears the gospel and believes it to be saved. But then he hears someone say that if he didn't pray a sinner's prayer, he isn't really saved. So he prays to ask God to save him. Then someone else says he didn't really get saved if he didn't publicly confessed the name of Jesus. So he tells others that he trusted Jesus as his personal Savior. Then someone tells him that he didn't really get saved if he only believed in his mind, but not with his heart. So he worries about his sincerity in the matter and is confused. Then someone tells him that if he still indulges in sinful bad habits, he has never repented and is not saved. Another person tells him that if he isn't following Christ in obedience, he isn't saved. And on and on it goes!

What saith the Scripture? 2nd Timothy 1:7, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” Dear reader, God doesn't want you to become a basket case of religious scrupulosity. God wants all of His redeemed children to have total peace of mind, especially concerning His promise of eternal life.

Let me say without debate that the life you and I choose to live has absolutely nothing to do with God's free gift of eternal life. Romans 6:1, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” The dear Lord doesn't want us to live in unrepentant sin, but if we do, His grace will abound so that we can never be in jeopardy of losing His gift of eternal life. As believers we always fall “in grace,” but never “from grace.” Only a lost person who tries to get to Heaven by keeping the works of the law has fallen from grace (Galatians 5:4).

I went through a nightmare for many years, being misled by preachers. I trusted Jesus as my personal Savior at age 13. But due to the unbiblical sinner's prayer, I was confused and couldn't find peace concerning the assurance of God's salvation. In the Christian high school that I attended in Chicago at our Baptist church, I finally mustered up the courage at age 17 to go ask my Baptist pastor for his help with my fear of not being saved. I had often cried, literally, worried sick for the previous 4 years that I might die in my sins and end up in Hell.

I kept wondering if I left something out when I prayed the sinner's prayer. Since I couldn't remember what I had prayed, I worried. So, I started asking for God to save me again and again and again, probably 50 times at least over those 4 miserable years. I would read religious tracts line by line, and carefully agree with each point, and then I would pray again and ask God to save me, as directed in the tract. I would then tell myself that I am saved, but it just didn't resolve my fears, worry and tears. What if I missed Heaven? What if I ended up burning in Hell forever? I was terrified.

So, I mustered up the courage one school day to go talk to my pastor, with the teacher's permission. I remember as I approached his office door that it felt like I was going to talk to God. I knocked on his door and he welcomed me into his office, and I told him of my concerns, fear and inability to settle my assurance. He assumed that since I didn't know I was saved, it surely must mean that I wasn't. Respectfully said, that was his first blunder.

Then my pastor made his second big blunder. He did the worst possible thing he could have done, he led me in another sinner's prayer. Oh boy, that was the whole problem! He prayed and I followed after him, and he assured me that I was saved. But I went home scared, still uncertain if I was really saved. He called my parents to tell them I had received Christ that day, and then he announced to the entire church congregation the following Sunday that I got saved. Now that everyone thought I was saved, I was afraid to tell anyone that I still feared that I wasn't. I felt trapped in my miseries of uncertainty that I was saved. I did trust Jesus with all my heart, mind and soul as my Savior, but I just couldn't find the peace that I was saved. In hindsight, I was afraid of something that I did not fully understand, and that stupid sinner's prayer was hindering me from learning what I needed to know.

My Dad was a preacher, who water baptized me weeks after my pastor assumed that I was saved, because he led me in another sinner's prayer. But I still remember how scared I was on the day I was baptized, thinking about 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝟭𝟲:𝟭𝟲, “𝗛𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗱; 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝘁𝗵 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝗺𝗻𝗲𝗱.” Would I be damned for getting baptized, still not knowing if I am saved? I felt trapped and went ahead with the baptism, but I was still worried and uncertain about my salvation.

I went off to Hyles-Anderson College at age 18, not knowing that I was saved. I was hoping to settle my fears at Bible college. Unfortunately, that fear stuck with me for the next 8 years during Bible college, because the First Baptist Church of Hammond and their Bible college all use the sinner's prayer. Now, I am not criticizing my home Bible college and the people whom I love, cherish and am indebted to who investing in my life as a young man training to be a preacher. But the fact of the matter is that FOR ME AT LEAST, the sinner's prayer was toxic.

Although Pastor Jack Hyles (1926-2001) preached some great sermons, and he was correct on the gospel, he strongly promoted using the sinner's prayer, which obscured the truth FOR ME and prevented me from resolving my issue. Ironically, I have heard more helpful sermon by Brother Hyles since I have graduated (especially over the past 10 years), than all my time in Bible college. I was so busy laboring in the 'B' Bus Ministry, working various secular jobs, providing for my family, et cetera, that I missed most of Dr. Hyles' sermons while in college. I taught a Sunday School class every Sunday morning, and I worked on Wednesday evenings, so I was only able to hear Brother Hyles Sunday evenings.

One of the sermons that has helped me, which I've only heard in recent years (now at age 59) for the first time is titled, "FUNDAMENTALIST HERESY." In this sermon Brother Hyles explains that prayer does not save us, but faith. Inviting Jesus into one's heart doesn't save anyone, faith does. For whatever reason, I didn't get the answers I needed while attending Hyles-Anderson College. I did sit on the edge of my seat during all those years, learning new helpful truths about salvation, trying to complete the puzzle. As I said, I am not criticizing my beloved home college, but I have gratefully learned to present the gospel without the sinner's prayer, which has never been a problem. It is the sinner's prayer that causes problems!

I am forever grateful to the folks at Florida Bible College and Calvary Community Church in Tampa, whose godly pastors' A. Ray Stanford (1916-2012), Hank Lindstrom (1940-2008), Max D. Younce (1935-2023) and Ralph Yankee Arnold have opened my eyes to the clarity of the gospel. I cherish this quote...

“There is power in this Gospel message. Most people just don't know how to present it... The clarity of the Gospel is what makes it easy for them to believe.”—Pastor Yankee Arnold, “WHY GRACE CAN SAVE THE WORST MAN!”

God used the prolific writings of my long time ministry friend of 20 years, Pastor Max D. Younce, who is a graduate of Florida Bible College, to solidify my salvation beliefs. In particular, it was his wonderful book titled, "SALVATION AND THE PUBLIC INVITATION," that helped settle my assurance of salvation once and for all, and I have never doubted God's gift and promise of salvation for one second since. PRAISE GOD!

To clarify, there is nothing wrong if someone wants to accompany their faith with a sinner's prayer, but every soulwinner has a solemn duty to make sure a lost sinner understands that praying, asking, publicly confessing or calling is NOT required to get to Heaven. 𝘚𝘢𝘭𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵, 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵'𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘏𝘪𝘮 𝘣𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩. I learned that great quote from Dr. Younce. I miss my ministry friend.

Furthermore, a lost sinner should never have to walk down a church aisle to learn how to be saved. Dr. Younce addresses this primary problem in his book. Preachers who require people to walk an aisle are adding an unnecessary step to God's simple plan of salvation. Likewise, no one should ever be required to pray a sinner's prayer to be saved, when God is already freely offering eternal life as a gift to whosoever simply believes that Jesus did it all for them.

I exhort you dear friend to get grounded and settled in the inspired King James Bible, and avoid listening to the incompetent herd of misguided, confused and foolish neo-evangelical preachers today who will have you all turned around, confused and worried about your salvation if you let them. Romans 3:4a, “God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar...” And please don't leave off the last portion of the verse, in Romans 3:4b, “...as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.” I love that warning! It means if what you are preaching and teaching aligns with what God is saying in His inspired Word, then you WILL BE vindicated on Judgment Day. But if what you are telling people is unbiblical and false teaching, then you will be in serious trouble with God (Proverbs 30:5-6).

That all being said, I DO NOT use the sinner's prayer anymore, and have not used it for twenty years; but if I did use it, I would absolutely make sure to explain that prayer is not required to be saved. For the ungodly toxic New IFB (Independent Fundamental Baptist) movement to mandate a sinner's prayer to get to Heaven is utter theological incompetence. They are deliberately obscuring the gospel with manmade garbage. John 6:47, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.”