Truly, truly, I tell you, he who believes has eternal life.

— John 6:47

30 Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household.”

— Acts 16:30-31

He saved us, not by the righteous deeds we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.

— Titus 3:5

Pray in the Spirit at all times, with every kind of prayer and petition. To this end, stay alert with all perseverance in your prayers for all the saints.

— Ephesians 6:18

22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’

23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’

— Matthew 7:22-23

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

Grace, mercy and salvation from Christ to you.

There are two more confusions about the gospel and salvation — believe plus pray the sinner’s prayer and just say yes to Jesus. A person is saved based on faith in Christ and not because of praying a prayer. There is no example in the Bible of a person being required to pray a prayer in order to be saved. If prayer were required for salvation, God would have plainly communicated that to us. Prayer is a good work, and we already know we are not saved by doing works. Praying the sinner’s prayer is not wrong. the Bible urges believers to pray without ceasing and to pray at all times, but prayer is not a requirement for salvation for unbelievers. Faith in the gospel is what saves, not being led by someone to pray a prayer.

While “just say yes to Jesus” may seem like a very positive response to the gospel message, it is not synonymous with “believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be save.” This statement is confusing, as it does not specify that we are to believe in Christ’s death and resurrection for salvation. Salvation is not based on a “yes” statement to the Lord or a positive attitude towards Jesus. We know from the Word of God that our good attitude or works do not save us. In Matthew 7:22-23 Jesus gave us an example, saying that on that day many will say to Him that in His name they prophesy, cast out demons and perform many miracles but Jesus will declare to them that He never knew them and ask them to depart from Him.