Is Salvation Accepting Jesus Into My Heart?

[Piper]

A few years ago, I read an article that said "Do not tell children to ask Jesus into their hearts." It laid out that salvation was confessing Jesus as Lord and believing in the heart that God had raised him from the dead, not "accepting Jesus into my heart."

Thoughts?

 

[KenH]

Salvation is God placing His elect, those whom He chose before the world began and gave to His Son to be their Surety(Who lived perfectly righteous and, having their sins imputed to him, died for and paid their sin debt, and His perfect righteousness imputed to them), within the hearing of the gospel of Christ, the Holy Spirit opens their hearts to understand the gospel, they are regenerated by the Holy Spirit, who gives the elect the gifts of faith and repentance, and they are preserved until they are finally brought into the presence of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Christ met ALL of the conditions for God's elect. There is nothing for them to "do", as much of what calls itself Christianity today teaches. To add any conditions violates the command of God, as seen in the type of the altar in the Old Testament - Deuteronomy 27:5 And there shalt thou build an altar unto the LORD thy God, an altar of stones: thou shalt not lift up any iron tool upon them.

The least bit of human work in the matter of salvation pollutes the whole process.

 

[37818]

A few years ago, I read an article that said "Do not tell children to ask Jesus into their hearts." It laid out that salvation was confessing Jesus as Lord and believing in the heart that God had raised him from the dead, not "accepting Jesus into my heart."

Thoughts?

Yes. Children should understand salvation is a gift by believing, because of Christ's finished work on the cross. Romans 5:8, Romans 6:23, 1 John 5:11-13, John 3:16, John 6:47, Hebrews 8:12.

Not forgeting from Romans 10:9, ". . . believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, . . ."


But we as adults need to understand this too.

But here are two references not used. But should be noted.

Galatians 4:6, ". . . And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. . . ."

Ephesians 3:17-19, ". . . That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. . . ."

 

[taisto]

A few years ago, I read an article that said "Do not tell children to ask Jesus into their hearts." It laid out that salvation was confessing Jesus as Lord and believing in the heart that God had raised him from the dead, not "accepting Jesus into my heart."

Thoughts?

The method of "accept Jesus into your heart" is a tradition passed down from the camp meetings of Charles Finney where emotional pleas to enact conversion became the norm.

The problem is that there are now preachers who are declaring that all you have to do is say the "Sinners Prayer" and you are saved.

The truth is that the gospel must be preached. Rebels must "hear" Jesus voice and respond to this awakening, in faith, or they will perish.

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for “Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.” But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says, “I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation; with a foolish nation I will make you angry.” Then Isaiah is so bold as to say, “I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.” But of Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”
(Romans 10:14-21)

 

[tyndale1946]

The method of "accept Jesus into your heart" is a tradition passed down from the camp meetings of Charles Finney where emotional pleas to enact conversion became the norm.

The problem is that there are now preachers who are declaring that all you have to do is say the "Sinners Prayer" and you are saved.

The truth is that the gospel must be preached. Rebels must "hear" Jesus voice and respond to this awakening, in faith, or they will perish.

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for “Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.” But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says, “I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation; with a foolish nation I will make you angry.” Then Isaiah is so bold as to say, “I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.” But of Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”
(Romans 10:14-21)

John 3: 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

Can you control the wind?... Then being born again is in Gods hands NEVER mans!... Brother Glen

 

[Marooncat79]

There’s a lot made about asking Jesus into your heart

it’s not Biblical, but this post will cause a stir

 

[Deacon]

“Asking Jesus into one’s heart” is a euphemism, it’s an indirect expression for ‘truly believing’.

It has some merit but in this age of excessive literalism its time has passed.

Rob

 

[MrW]

John 1:12-13; 3:3; 3:14-21. Acts 2:21; 16:31.

 

[JD731]

A few years ago, I read an article that said "Do not tell children to ask Jesus into their hearts." It laid out that salvation was confessing Jesus as Lord and believing in the heart that God had raised him from the dead, not "accepting Jesus into my heart."

Thoughts?

If one accepts the premise that Jesus abides in the heart of the believer it raises the question of how he got there. Did he just magically enter in one day? I just heard a fundamentalist pastor say this very week that one should not say he received Jesus into his heart. The doubt that is raised by questions like this makes one wonder if modern day professing Christians believes in the actual indwelling of Christ in the body of the believer.

Eph 3:17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

Rom 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead (separated from God) because of sin; but the Spirit is life (in the body) because of righteousness.

Verse 11 says so:

11 But if the Spirit of him (God the Father) that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he (the Spirit of God the Father) that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his (Jesus Christ's) Spirit that dwelleth in you.

Ro 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

IOW, God the Father will give the Spirit of Christ, who is life, and who is Christ's righteousness, to dwell in the body of those who believe in him.

God the Father, who knows the heart, gives the Spirit of Life, on the condition of repentance toward him, (who is offended by our sins) and faith in Jesus Christ, who is his provision for removing our sins from our account. This is what we must believe and if the dear reader does not believe it, he is in serious deception.


Ga 3:14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Ga 3:2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

Ga 3:3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?

There is no New Testament doctrine more sure than this doctrine, that Christ dwells in the heart of the believer and he is received by faith (believing) in his person and his work on the behalf of sinners to redeem them.

Ro 10:8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

This truth is taught so clearly in the NT it makes me wonder how anyone could get this wrong.

There are many avenues one can take when discussing this.

Praise God!

 

[Deacon]

Acts 16:14 (ESV): One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul.

 

[JD731]

Acts 16:14 (ESV): One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul.

Is paying attention to Paul the same thing and equal with receiving Jesus Christ to dwell in the heart, and if your answer is "yes," the second question, what comes first, paying attention to Paul, or the indwelling of Christ in the heart?

Ga 3:2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

Remember, The Spirit of Christ (Life) is the gift of God the Father that he gives to all those who believe in his person and work (he is the son of God and he died in our place to reconcile us to God, He is the only one who can). This requires repentance toward God the Father and faith in Jesus Christ.

 

[JonC]

If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

 

[MrW]

Salvation is repenting and trusting the Lord Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Saviour, whatever phraseology you use.

 

[Silverhair]

The simple answer is that we must humble ourselves before God and confess our sinful nature.

Luk 18:13 "But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, the sinner!'
Luk 18:14 "I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted."

I do not think it is our place to tell God whom or how He will save, do you?

 

[Deacon]

Acts 16:14 (ESV): One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul.

Is paying attention to Paul the same thing and equal with receiving Jesus Christ to dwell in the heart, and if your answer is "yes," the second question, what comes first, paying attention to Paul, or the indwelling of Christ in the heart?.

A better question is: Does the heart “hear”?

If the answer is “no,” it would help you to recognize that that expresssion is idiomatic rather than literal.

Accepting Jesus into one’s heart is an idiomatic expression, not meant to be taken in a literal fashion, similar to what we hear today when we say a person’s hardened heart has softened.

Rob

 

[JD731]

A better question is: Does the heart “hear”?

If the answer is “no,” it would help you to recognize that that expresssion is idiomatic rather than literal.

Accepting Jesus into one’s heart is an idiomatic expression, not meant to be taken in a literal fashion, similar to what we hear today when we say a person’s hardened heart has softened.

Rob

I disagree, Deacon. Consider this very literal statement.

John 4:24
God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

He is also omnipresent. He can be, and is, at any place and every place he chooses to be at the same time. This is not true of Jesus in his body. This does not mean he is not God but it does mean he really is literally a man since his incarnation. One must stop and think about these things for a minute. God is a trinity. He is to be considered in three persons yet one person. Do not ask me to comprehend that perfectly but do ask me to believe it is true because that is how God has revealed himself to our understanding through his word, his very own testimony.

Consider that Jesus must live in the heart of a believer and by the Spirit living in the body is the same thing and equal with Jesus living in the body because the spirit and Jesus are one. If A man, though religious and moral, has not Jesus in his heart he has not life. We know the Spirit is Life. So, Jesus Christ is both God (he is the Spirit) and a glorified man (he is a body with a soul and the Spirit indwelling it) and will be forever.

5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

6 This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.

7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.

9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.

10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.

11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

You should give more thought to your theological position, I think.

The physical Jesus is actually sitting in a single place beside the Father and at his right hand on his throne and will be there until God's predetermined time.

Acts 2:34 For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,
35 Until I make thy foes thy footstool.

 

[tyndale1946]

Hebrews 8: 7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.

8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:

9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.

10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:

11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.

12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

13 In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away... Brother Glen

 

[Revmitchell]

A few years ago, I read an article that said "Do not tell children to ask Jesus into their hearts." It laid out that salvation was confessing Jesus as Lord and believing in the heart that God had raised him from the dead, not "accepting Jesus into my heart."

Thoughts?

Romans 10:9-10

 

[Silverhair]

Hebrews 8: 7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.

8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:

9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.

10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:

11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.

12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

13 In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away... Brother Glen

As God says He will make a new covenant but the people also have to do their part, you do understand that right?

A covenant is drawn up when two parties agree on a contract. The contract spells out stipulations that the parties must honor and a condition that, in case either party fails to meet the requirements of the contract, the contract loses its binding force.

Christ is the mediator of a better covenant, one that is written on the heart. Those that freely trust in the risen Lord will partake of this new covenant.

 

[MrW]

Nitpickers. Straining at gnats.

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. Acts 16:31.