The biblical evidence tells me that getting saved, by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, is a miraculous event. The Holy Spirit shows up in power and changes things: Same person, but now with new life inside. The believing one goes from being a “child of wrath” to a child of God. This work is not the result of a mere human decision, much less of a religious ritual like raising a hand; walking an aisle; performing a ceremony; or repeating a prayer.
Happily, this is an irreversible work. God does this miracle. He has no plans to change it back. He who began this work will be faithful to complete it.
Some would label my position as “once saved always saved.” As far as it goes, I guess that’s fine. But in my denominational circles, once saved always saved has come to mean something different. And I hate this different meaning. I’m at war with it.
It has come to mean that once a sinner is coaxed, cajoled, or coerced into saying a “sinner’s prayer,” it’s now a sin for us to doubt that they are eternally saved. They can pray the magic prayer one time when they’re six at Vacation Bible School, then grow up to be a drug-dealing sexual miscreant who enjoys kicking puppies, and we’ll celebrate at their funeral (because they were killed in a shootout with a rival gang) that they are now enjoying the wonders of heaven.
To repeat, once you are saved, you will not be lost. I rejoice in that idea. The problem is that not everyone is really saved who claims to be. Does that sound harsh? It is the clear teaching of the New Testament, including from the lips of Jesus himself. In Matthew 7 he promised to send a bunch of professing believers to hell. They claim his name but live lawlessly. He’s going to tell them, “I never knew you.”
Frankly, I don’t care if you prayed the Sinner’s Prayer. It’s not an eternal “get out of jail free” card.
What I care about (because I see the scripture caring about it) is whether you have truly exercised faith in Jesus. If you prayed that kind of prayer with real faith, fine. Beautiful! Did you really believe the message of the gospel? That’s the hinge on which all of this turns.
The Bible teaches that the faith that saves us also changes us. That’s not an option. It is supposed to make us obedient followers of God in our everyday lives. It should bring real and observable, though imperfect and gradual, transformation. We should begin walking in what the book calls “good works.”
The night I was converted, I had been calling myself a Christian for years, ever since my church told me I was one. But I had no faith. I did not trust the Lord. I wasn’t interested in doing his will. I was a confessing Christian who deserved death and hell. I’m not upset with you if you’re in the same place right now, but I am worried for you.
Believe now in the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved, even if no one is there to lead you in a prayer.