You didn’t grow up going to church. Sure your parents took you every now and then for Christmas or Easter, but that was about it. Now You have a friend who has been pestering you for years to come to church. You finally break down, you finally relent. The contemporary music is more exciting than you thought it would be. The congregation is almost getting swept away in the music. Then the pastor brings a riveting message and he is a phenomenal speaker. The worship leader then starts singing Softly and Tenderly Jesus is Calling. The preacher is summoning unbelievers to come forward during the time of the invitation. You can’t really explain it, but you feel compelled to walk forward. You get to the front and a gentleman asks you if you want to ask Jesus into your heart? Should you do it? Should you ask Jesus into your heart?
Let’s see what the Bible says. The verses that say you should ask Jesus into your heart are…drum roll please – none! There isn’t a single verse in the Bible that tells you to ask Jesus into your heart. So if the Bible doesn’t tell you to do this, doesn’t that make asking Jesus into your heart unbiblical? I’m afraid it does. So why do so many churches, especially churches in America still use this method? Why do they push people to ask Jesus into their heart? Asking Jesus into your heart so you can go to Heaven and avoid Hell is not the Gospel.
In Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus says Not every one that says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? and in your name have cast out devils? and in your name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess to them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity. He also said, Enter in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way which leads to life, and few there be that find it (Matthew 7:13-14).
My heart breaks thinking about the millions of people who think that they have had some kind of religious experience and they are counting on that experience or moment to save them. They will be shocked one second after they die and they are screaming in Hell. They will be even more shocked when they stand before God on Judgment Day and realize that they missed the mark; that they really never were saved after all. They will recognize that asking Jesus into their heart didn’t make them a Christian. That it didn’t save them from eternal damnation.
Now please do not misunderstand me, I’m not saying that you will automatically go to Hell when you die just because you asked Jesus into your heart or if you said the sinner’s prayer in the past. It is possible that God, in His great mercy saved you in spite of being told to ask Jesus into your heart and/or to reciting the sinner’s prayer. I’m sure that some people have been truly convicted and at the time of their conviction, they were really converted. They were really saved. They were transformed. They were born again.
But there’s probably a much larger group of people who wrongly think that they can live their life anyway that they want to, all because they asked Jesus into their heart. They have a low view of God’s mercy and grace. They may believe that they can take advantage of that mercy and grace and sin all they want to; all because they asked Jesus into their heart. I used to be one of those people. Salvation is not a decision, a profession, an experience or church membership.
In Luke 6:46 Jesus says, And why do you call me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? Titus 1:6 states, They profess that they know God; but in their works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and to every good work reprobate. This verse tells us that you can’t deny Christ by your works. If your words say one thing and your actions say another, you need to examine yourself and see if you are really in the faith. Salvation is the free gift from God, but you are a changed person when God truly saves you. A truly born again believer no longer wants to live their former life. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (2 Corinthians 5:17). Through the power of the Holy Spirit, they are transformed.
If asking Jesus into your heart is not biblical, then what is the biblical way of salvation? Jesus is the only way (Acts 4:12). Jesus said I am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father but by me (John 14:6). Jesus is very clear that He is the only Savior. He also called people to repent – and He said this a lot! Repent ye, and believe the gospel (Mark 1:15). Repent or you will likewise perish (Luke 13:5). Jesus also sent His 12 disciples out and later on the seventy disciples and they were told to preach that men should repent.
So repentance is most definitely a part of salvation. You must truly recognize that you are a great sinner in need of a great Savior. You must recognize your need for salvation in order for you to truly be saved. Repentance is changing your mind. You no longer trust in your own goodness to save yourself. You look to the finished work of Jesus on the cross to save you. Acts 3:19 states, Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. God grants you repentance; He grants you a change of mind toward Himself and toward your sinful desires. And when God converts you, your sins are wiped clean; they are blotted out (Revelation 1:5).
Acts 17:30-31 says, And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commands all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. And 2 Corinthians 7:10 says, For godly sorrow works repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world works death. Godly sorrow is sorrow where you recognize that your sins are primarily against the great God of Heaven and earth. You receive this kind of sorrow when God opens your eyes to your sinfulness.
God is so gracious that at the same time He grants you repentance; He also gives you a measure of faith in Jesus (Romans 12:3). We are to have repentance toward God and faith to our Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 20:21). Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17). That’s why we have to preach the Gospel! Unrepentant sinners need to hear that they are sinners. They don’t have problems, they haven’t just made mistakes, they don’t just have addictions; they have a sin problem! Sin is sin. We need to call it what it is.
We all have a sin problem and Jesus is the only answer. Unbelievers need to hear that they are under God’s wrath. They need to hear that God is angry with them over their sins. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness (Romans 1:18). They need to hear that He that believes on the Son has everlasting life: and he that believes not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him (John 3:36).
Unrepentant sinners need to hear that there is nothing they can do to earn salvation. Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified (Galatians 2:16).
Salvation cannot be earned, it can’t be bought and God cannot be bribed. Sin must be punished and God in His glory cannot tolerate sin. If you die in your sins as an unrepentant sinner, then you will spend eternity separated from the love of God. You will suffer eternal damnation for your sins. You will spend life everlasting in torment and anguish in Hell. God takes sin very seriously. You only have to look at the cross of Jesus Christ to see how seriously God takes sin. The perfect sinless One bore the sins of the world upon Himself as He hung on the cross. He bore God’s wrath, God’s anger over sin while upon the cross. Turn to Jesus. Cry out to Him to save you. Jesus is the only way of salvation and God calls us to repent and to have faith in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Rolfe Barnard said it best: God doesn’t invite He commands men to repent. Somehow we’ve turned salvation into Jesus frantically rubbing His hands together hoping that people will invite Him into their hearts. This is unbiblical. Jesus never chased after anyone. He spoke truth. He told people that they needed to repent. He told them to believe the Gospel and He spoke plainly and bluntly about Hell (Mark 43-49). Yes, He cried over Jerusalem. Lost sinners do break His heart. But He did not tell us to invite Himself into our hearts. He told us to repent! Again, Acts 17:30 says that God COMMANDS all men everywhere to repent.
Please don’t miss this. If you spend your whole life rebelling against God, the same God that gives you every breath you take, the same God that has shown you mercy and grace to this point in your life by not snatching your very life from you; and you will foolishly die in your sins, then you will go to Hell. Hebrews 9:27 says It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment. Hebrews 10:31 states It is a fearfully thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
You will stand before God on Judgment Day and the Bible says that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Even if you mock God, hate God or say you don’t believe in Him, you will still confess that Jesus Christ is Lord on that day. But you see it will be too late. Even though you will confess Jesus is Lord on Judgment Day, if you never changed your mind about your sins and you never put your faith in Jesus during this lifetime, it will be too late. Even though you will utter the words (that maybe you don’t want to say) on Judgment Day, you WILL SAY THEM and you will still be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone. It will be too late to repent or change your mind at that time.
I’m asking you, I’m begging you, (I’m not Jesus so I do beg people to come to salvation), I implore you to repent and put your trust in Jesus. Don’t trust in your own good works; don’t trust in anything else to save you. Only Jesus saves! But you must receive the gift of salvation. You receive this wonderful gift by turning away from your sins and putting your faith in Jesus. That’s the biblical way to be saved. Jesus said except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
When you are truly saved, God takes away your heart of stone and gives you a heart of flesh (this is biblical – Ezekiel 11:19). When you are born again, you abhor the sins you once loved and you now love the God that you once hated. Even if you didn’t realize that you hated Him, you really did hate Him by sinning and rebelling against Him. Today is the day of salvation. Please don’t put this off. Don’t ask Jesus into your heart. Don’t trust a little prayer you uttered years ago, while you have continued living your life selfishly for yourself. Put your faith in Jesus and in Him alone. For by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).
(This message was lifted up in downtown Springfield, MO on February 14, 2014.)