is it biblical to ask Jesus into your heart?

God knows the heart. He knows whether or not the person is asking because he thinks it might be a safety net and then he can go on with his life however he wants, or if the person is pleading "Please take over; I'm a mess."

I asked the second one. God said "Here I am and you are mine." In other words, when I 'asked', He invaded by life, put me to death in the old person, and is raising up a new one that I like a whole lot better!

It is not works to submit.

 

The fault lies with "easy" language we have adopted over time. Heart is the seat of emotions in literature, philosophy and even in scripture. It does not refer, in these instances, to the organ known as the heart.

For a time, we often invited people to receive Jesus into their lives. This may be closer to the truth, but conversion is even more than that. We simplify it because we can't adequately explain the divine/human aspects involved in the process of one coming to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Both the mind and the soul/spirit must be involved in a conversion experience. One need not know all there is to know, but should have a basic understanding of what they are responding to. The soul's response is more than an emotional experience, but we might humanly see it as being emotional response.

Cheers,

Jim

 

Jesus said, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." Rev. 3:20

When Christ is knocking on your heart's door, you need only to invite Him in. This invitation would include recognition, sorrow, and turning (repenting) of your sin.

The Bible is clear that the Father must draw men to the Lord.
John 6:44 "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day."

If the convicting power of the Holy Spirit and the drawing power of the Father are present, then you may assuredly invite the Lord into your heart.

I guess it depends. If you believe in the Lord and at the same time make a conscious decision to trust Him for your soul's salvation, then it could be the same. Just believing is not enough. The devils believe and tremble.

We have to place our faith in the fact of God's Word, then we are saved.

 

Acts 2:21 And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the Name of the Lord Shall be Saved." NKJV.

I think people come to a point where the Holy Spirit has lead them to God and they respond by calling to Him. A Sinners prayer is certainley calling on the Lord in order that you might be Saved.

This is where Christianity is so different to the other religions of the world. It is not earnt, simply asked for. God gives you your salvation there and then and accepts you into a covenant relationship with Him through the death and ressurection of Jesus Christ. All the other world religions can offer you is a works based hope that you might earn something. Yet through a simple prayer you can truly find Life!

 

The answer to the second half of your question is clearly No. I have heard people who would reject Christ, mouth the Lord's prayer. True prayer comes from the heart, not the mouth.It is possible to pray without faith, just not effective. The prayer though, "Jesus come into my heart, or Jesus save me." could be an acceptable prayer to God, if it is given with faith from the heart. Romans 10:13 Whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Blessings, WP

 

Something i've wonderred for a while is, what does it take to really be saved? Is professing a belief in and actually believing in Christ enough to be saved?

For instance when I was 14 I accepted Christ at Church and sincerely believed that He was the Incarnation/Diety of etc. Between 14 and 22 I was living a very un Godly life but I never the less belived in God and that Christ is the Son of God. Was that enough? Since then i've rededicated my life, I believe that I have a personal relationship with him and i'm earnestly trying to live a Christian life etc. If I had died between 14 and 22 would I have been saved?

Is simply believing enough or is doing it in action a part of it? Is this what James meant when he said we're justified by works, that you have to walk the walk as well? Is this "easy believism" or "OSAS"??

Hope this made sense....

 

Travis:

You bring up a very important issue. The demons have a certain type of "faith" (Jas. 2). Simon Magus had a certain type of belief (Acts 8). Mere belief is not the same as saving faith. Faith goes beyond mere intellectual assent ("I believe there is a God," "I know that Jesus was raised from the dead," etc.). Faith has to do with embracing Christ, trusting Him completely for salvation and forgiveness. The one who has true, saving faith is justified. Justification is by faith alone. We must never forget that salvation goes beyond justification. Justification is ALWAYS followed by sanctification (being conformed to the image of Christ; being made holy in a practical manner).

Where sanctification does not exist, justification has not taken place. Where Christ is not Lord, He is not Savior.

Rev. G

 

To answer the primary question, "Is it biblical to ask Jesus into your heart?", the answer is no. The Scriptures speak of people needing to believe, to repent, to trust, to have faith in Christ, etc., but never is the phrase "asking Jesus into your heart" used. In dealing with this issue, we should use the same terminology that the Scriptures use.

BTW: As stated elsewhere, the context of Rev. 3:20 is not evangelistic - it has to do with the need of a local church to repent.

 

Warm Christian greetings!

I take the point made earlier about Revelation 3 v 20; however, it was this verse that was used in September 1975 when I asked Jesus into my life, so I would not be too worried about using it in evangelism.

It is not unbiblical to "ask Jesus into your heart" providing it is done in all sincerity without any pretence. Jesus said that He would not turn away anyone who comes to Him (John 6 v 37).

Kind regards

Robert J Hutton

 

Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. What He told the church at Laodicea is not a different message than He has given everyone. He told the church there, "If ANYONE hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me."

That has traditionally been considered the door to the heart, or the self.

Regarding the seven churches of Revelation, there are many who consider them not only churches in and of themselves, but also respresentative of different types of churches and/or representative of churches through time. There are certainly churches today who say, in effect, along with the Laodicean church "I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing."

Are these actually believers, or are then pretenders? Or representative of pretenders. Christ is outside of them. He refers to them as both blind and naked, terms used in reference to the unredeemed in other places in the Bible.

And yet Christ loves them anyway and urges them to repent in earnestness.

However, the phrase 'ask Jesus into your heart' is so misused and abused that it has lost all meaning. Consider instead something like, "Lord, I give up. Please take over my life." Knowing that the evil tendencies of your heart have already produced some really rotten fruit, and are on the way to producing more; knowing that you cannot control it the way you once thought you could; wanting to change -- knowing you have to; and turning the whole mess over to Jesus -- that's what it's all about. He won't refuse if it's what you really mean and you are not just trying to play games with Him. He doesn't play games with lives.

 

Travis1980,

When I read your post, I thought that I was reading myself.

I to was saved when I was 10 years old. I got with the wrong crowd in high school and it took me 14+ years to come back to the Lord. I have been in fellowship with the Lord for 3 years now. I can't remember much about high school and the years in between, but thank God I do remember everything that night in June 1981 when I got saved. I to thought that I was not saved when I rededicated my life to the Lord, but when I went to the altar 3 years ago, it was like the good Lord said, "welcome home son." Just like the prodical son. Jesus promised never to leave us nor forsake us and that my friend is a great promise.

If you believe in your heart that you were on your way to hell because of your unpaid sins and Jesus paid that sin debt with his blood on the cross of Calvary, rose from the grave, then my friend you are saved. There was nothing that you could do. Jesus paid it all. So, therefore works is not part of salvation.

I believe what James was talking about was your faith is dead without works. He says nothing about salvation, if my memory serves me correctly. It's like having a car. If you don't put gas in it, its not going to go anywhere. Like a Christian that does nothing for God, they are not going anywhere in their Christain life, their faith is dead without works, not salvation. Jesus took care of that, THANK GOD.

I hope this post makes since, it is the longest yet with some interuptions. God bless.

 

Interesting question but how can you ask Jesus into your cold and stony heart unless that heart is changed by God into a heart of flesh?... Some were pricked in the heart and other were cut to the heart!... Brother Glen

 

So many verses in scripture refer to the heart. The concept of "asking Jesus into our hearts" fits in with the biblical usage. The "heart" is the core of our being, and that's where our belief needs to be. A core value is something to which we hold dear and don't compromise on.

Biblical belief is an active, trusting faith. Not simply recognizing some fact, but putting our very lives on the line for our faith.

Of the many verses that relate to the heart, these are some of my favorite. . .

Romans 10:8-10

The trust in Jesus is from the heart, and true repentance is an evidence of that faith.

 

I have a concern with metaphors such as this, especially in our culture. People are easily led by the idea that "visualization=actualization."

In example, a young person is sitting through an invitation - with eyes closed - and is being told to "get off the throne of your heart, and let Jesus sit there." This person might visualize the activity in his mind, thinking he has done exactly what was asked of him. There may be some dissapointment on his part when this does not manifest itself in his actions.

In summation, people are often presented with a metaphor as the existential solution, the final point upon which action must be taken. I submit that the final point should go beyond metaphor and into a real and physical explanation of the very thing we are trying to describe.

(sorry i don't have time to organize that more succinctly)

jh