What is the sinners prayer? , Is it biblical?

“Preachers often tell lost people that they need to ‘pray the sinner’s prayer.’ Exactly what is this ’sinner’s prayer’? Is this prayer biblically based? If not, where did it come from?”

The sinner’s prayer is a prayer a person prays to God when they understand that they are a sinner and in need of a Savior. Saying a sinner’s prayer will not accomplish anything on its own. A true sinner’s prayer only represents what a person knows, understands, and believes about their sinfulness and need for salvation.

Although the sinner's prayer is not found anywhere in Scripture, there are a couple of passages people use to justify it. Some religious leaders believe Acts 2:21 warrants a person saying a sinner's prayer for salvation. The Apostle Peter said, "whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Acts 2:21). But we have to truly understand this verse before we go about claiming to be saved.

Is the “Sinner’s Prayer” in the New Testament?

The sentiments of this prayer are not found anywhere in the literature of the New Testament as it pertains to the alien sinner’s responsibility under the law of Christ.

A careful study of the conversions in the book of Acts will reveal that in not a single instance is the lost sinner instructed or encouraged to “pray” for his or her salvation.

Rather, those honest souls who longed for redemption were admonished to believe on the Lord (Acts 16:31), repent of their sins and be immersed for the forgiveness of their sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16) in order to enjoy a relationship with Christ (Gal. 3:27) and enter his spiritual body (1 Cor. 12:13).

Luke 18:13 is called the sinner's prayer in Scripture: “God be merciful to me the sinner!” In actually, there is no prefabricated, fool-proof prayer to recite or say to God that guarantees salvation because it's a matter of the heart's motive. One must have a penitent heart seeking God through Jesus in faith.

In John 9:31, the Bible says, “Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him.” Many have latched onto this statement as though it was an absolute truth – i.e., that God will NEVER hear a sinner's prayer.

John 9:31 declares, “We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will.” It has also been said that “the only prayer that God hears from a sinner is the prayer for salvation.” As a result, some believe that God does not hear and/or will never answer the prayers of an unbeliever. In context, though, John 9:31 is saying that God does not perform miracles through an unbeliever. First John 5:14-15 tells us that God answers prayers based on whether they are asked according to His will.

What about Acts 2:21?

Some claim that Acts 2:21 is a prooftext for the so-called sinner’s prayer. Let’s compare this verse with several others from the same book, the same author.

“And it shall be, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved (Acts 2:21).

“And Peter said unto them, Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).

“And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized and wash away thy sins, calling on his name” Acts 22:16).

The claim that Acts 2:21 provides authority for the “sinner’s prayer” is baseless. The “call” contemplated in this passage was fulfilled when penitent sinners surrendered to the terms of the gospel plan of redemption explicitly announced later on the same occasion.

The “forgiveness of sins” (Acts 2:38) is the equivalent of “saved” (Acts 2:21). Accordingly, the “call” of verse Acts 2:21 is obviously a generic term which embraces the “repent ... and be immersed” which was commanded of believers in verse Acts 2:38.

Moreover, this calling-obedience connection is further established in Acts 22:16. Note that the very act of submitting to the Lord’s command to be immersed is the manifestation of “calling” on his name.

Saying “Lord, Lord” Is Not Enough.

Scripture elsewhere makes it very clear that the mere act of calling out the Lord’s name in an attempt to access divine mercy in the absence of obedience is an exercise in futility.

“Not everyone who says unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he who does [present tense—persistently does] the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Mt. 7:21).

Again, the Savior pointedly inquired:

“And why do you call me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things that I say?” (Lk. 6:46).

God does make promises that are applicable to all (saved and unsaved alike) such as Jeremiah 29:13: “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” This was the case for Cornelius in Acts 10:1-6. But there are many promises that, according to the context of the passages, are for Christians alone.

Because Christians have received Jesus as the Savior, they are encouraged to come boldly to the throne of grace to find help in time of need (Hebrews 4:14-16). We are told that when we ask for anything according to God’s will, He hears and gives us what we ask for (1 John 5:14-15).

Prayer Is for the Child of God.

Prayer is an avenue of communication between a “child of God” and his heavenly Father. The model prayer begins: “Our Father in heaven” (Mt. 6:9). One becomes a child of the Father by means of the born-again process (Jn. 3:3-5), not by praying

God hears a sinners prayer but may not choose to help until the sinner chooses to no longer sin,

Saul’s Prayers Did Not Save Him.

Saul of Tarsus prayed for three days after arriving in the city of Damascus, yet his sins were not washed away until he was immersed in water in obedience to the divine command (Acts 9:11; 22:16). If there ever was a case of the “sinner’s prayer” being exercised, surely this was it. Yet his prayers did not avail in removing his sins.

we have all been given free will to sin or not, if the sinner wishes to change their ways and prove it by actual sustained change, help will follow,

it also may matter what this sinner prays for, selfish desires will bring results that correspond to the amount of learning that is required,

The first aspect of a sinner’s prayer is understanding that we are all sinners. Romans 3:10 proclaims, "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one." The Bible makes it clear that we have all sinned. We are all sinners in need of mercy and forgiveness from God (Titus 3:5-7). Because of our sin, we deserve eternal punishment (Matthew 25:46). The sinner’s prayer is a plea for grace instead of judgment. It is a request for mercy instead of wrath.

The second aspect of a sinner’s prayer is knowing what God has done to remedy our lost and sinful condition. God took on flesh and became a human being in the Person of Jesus Christ (John 1:1,14). Jesus taught us the truth about God and lived a perfectly righteous and sinless life (John 8:46; 2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus then died on the cross in our place, taking the punishment that we deserve (Romans 5:8).

Jesus rose from the dead to prove His victory over sin, death, and hell (Colossians 2:15; 1 Corinthians chapter 15). Because of all of this, we can have our sins forgiven and be promised an eternal home in Heaven - if we will just place our faith in Jesus Christ. All we have to do is believe that He died in our place and rose from the dead (Romans 10:9-10). We can be saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone. Ephesians 2:8 declares, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God."

Saying the sinner’s prayer is simply a way of declaring to God that you are relying on Jesus Christ as your Savior. There are no "magical" words that result in salvation. It is only faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection that can save us. If you understand that you are a sinner and in need of salvation through Jesus Christ, here is a sinner’s prayer you can pray to God: "God, I know that I am a sinner. I know that I deserve the consequences of my sin. However, I am trusting in Jesus Christ as my Savior. I believe that His death and resurrection provided for my forgiveness. I trust in Jesus and Jesus alone as my personal Lord and Savior. Thank you Lord, for saving me and forgiving me! Amen!"

It is employed at the conclusion of various revival services in appeals to convince sincere people to “get saved.” It frequently is found as the ending in religious tracts or in books urging folks to “repeat these words from the bottom of your heart.”

If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination. ~ Proverbs 28:9

" Where Did the “Sinner’s Prayer” Come From?

The sinner’s prayer model probably evolved in some form or another in the early days of the Protestant Reformation movement, as a misguided reaction against the Roman Catholic dogma of justification by means of meritorious works.

For example, Jacobus Faber (c. 1450-1536), who has been called “the father of the French reformation” (though he never formally left the Catholic Church), wrote a commentary on the epistles of Paul in 1512. This was five years before Luther’s break with the Roman Church in Germany. In this volume, Faber argued that justification is obtained through faith without works ( McClintock & Strong 1969, p. 441).

Later, rebelling against the “merit works” system of Romanism, Luther would contend that salvation is on the basis of “faith alone.” According to one biographer, Luther exclaimed:

“I, Doctor Martin Luther, unworthy herald of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, confess this article, that faith alone without works justifies before God” (D’Aubigne 1955, p. 56).

So convinced was Luther of this proposition that, when producing his own translation of the New Testament, he altered the text of Romans 3:28 to read: “a man is justified by faith only.” The word “only” is not in any Greek manuscript available. Luther even rejected the divine origin of the book of James because of its emphasis on “works” in addition to faith.

To believe, therefore, that a sinner may be justified from sin, by simply praying the sinner’s prayer as a substitute for obedience to the plan of salvation, is to labor under a delusion that is void of biblical support.

Undoubtedly, many who offer the sinner’s prayer are exceedingly sincere. Sincerity alone, however, is unavailing (Prov. 14:12; Acts 23:1; 26:9)."