The Heresy Of Having To “Pray” To Be Saved
By: David J. Stewart
March 2016
(Thread)

THE SIMPLICITY THAT IS IN CHRIST, OR THE DANGER OF ADDING “PRAYING” TO THE GOSPEL.

2Co 11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

2Co 11:4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

In hindsight, the main reason why I struggled with the assurance of my salvation as a teenager was because I had never heard a clear, simple, presentation of the Gospel.

Ironically, I was faithfully attending an Independent Fundamental Baptist Church, & also enrolled into the church's Christian school (& I dearly loved them all then, & still do today).

Albeit, from the very beginning, my only conception of the plan of salvation was in the format of: 1-2-3, pray (or 1-2-3, follow me)...

All men are sinners (Romans 3:23).

There is a penalty for sin (Romans 6:23).

Jesus Christ DIED on the tree for our sins, was BURIED and RESURRECTED (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).

Simply PRAY & ask Jesus to save you.

It was that FOURTH, added & unnecessary step, to God's simple plan of salvation that caused me 7 years of intense emotional pain, worry, tears, concern & frustration. In my mind, I kept wondering if I had “PRAYED” correctly.

I must have PRAYED the sinner's PRAYER fifty times during the next 7 years, each time attempting to ensure that I was really saved. I PRAYED out of fear & worry.

I had been repeatedly taught that the way to be saved is to “PRAY” in response to believing the three aforementioned Biblical facts.

I was taught that you have to “ASK” God to save you. Nothing could be further from the truth. You do not have to “ASK” God to save you, because He has already promised in 1 Corinthians 1:21, “TO SAVE THEM THAT BELIEVE.”

Respectfully, I even went to my beloved pastor at age 17 & told him that I was struggling with the assurance of my salvation. So he concluded that if I wasn't sure, it must mean that I wasn't saved, so he led me in a sinner's “PRAYER”!

Oh boy, that was the whole problem, that is, praying to be saved!!! Consequently, I still worried that I might miss out on Heaven & go to Hell. https://twitter.com/SouledOutWorld/status/1250635403738087424

I'm not criticizing my pastor individually, for this is the popular method of soul-winning in thousands of churches all across America.

I am not saying that all those people didn't get saved who said a sinner's prayer, but I am saying that like me, many of them have been misled & confused concerning exactly what the Gospel is and what God expects of them to be saved.

This is what happens when well-meaning men ADD to the Gospel.

Remember, when you BELIEVE the Gospel, you are saved right there! You don't have to “pray” a prayer to be saved. To “pray” is not required by God. It is a false doctrine to teach that praying is mandatory to be saved.

All God expects is that we acknowledge our sinnership & then BELIEVE THE GOSPEL to be saved. Neither does a person have to “ask” Jesus to save them. Nor does a person have to “say 'Jesus is Lord'” or “turn from their sins” to be saved.

Beware of extra requirements which well-meaning preachers often ADD to the Gospel. For example:

Beware of those who say you must “invite Jesus into your life” to be saved, or “tell Jesus you want Him to come into your heart & transform your life.”

You'll hear these heresies & these things may sound good, but they do not constitute the Gospel. These are a false Gospel. Also, it is heresy to tell someone to “turn away from sin” to be saved, which phrase isn't even found in the Bible.

Pastor Harry Ironside (1876-1951) taught a Free Grace view of the Gospel, which is THE TRUTH! Amen! Consider further the following excellent quote by Dr. Ironside...