Invite Jesus Into Your Heart?

Hanserd Knollys, The World to Come (London, 1681), pp. 35-36

"Secondly, Open your hearts to Christ, when he knocks at the Door of your Souls, and calls you to come to him, to receive him, and let him come into your hearts, and dwell in your hearts by his holy Spirit, and sanctifying Grace, Rev. 3.20. Behold I stand at the Door and knock, if any man hear my voice, and will open the Door, . . I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. If the Sinner be willing to open the door of his heart, Christ will come in by his holy Spirit, and HE will communicate of his Grace to his Soul."

John Bunyan, The Doctrine of the Law and Grace Unfolded (London, 1685), pp. 309-310

"Object[ion]: But, I am afraid the day of Grace is past, and if it should be so, what should I do then?
Answ[er]: . . . .First, doth the Lord knock still at the door of thy Heart by his Word and Spirit? If so, then the day of Grace is not past with thy Soul; for where he doth so knock, there he doth also proffer, and promise to come in and Sup, (that is, to Communicate of his things unto them) which he would not do, was the day of Grace past with the Soul, Rev. 3. 20."

Thomas Killcop, The Pathway to Justification (London, 1660), p. 19

"Obj: There is a passive receiving of Christ without a hand, when God forceth open mans spirit, and powreth in his Son in despite of the receiver.
Answ. This contradicts Christ, who saith, Behold I stand at the door and knock, if any man will open to me, I will come into him and sup with him, and he with me, Rev. 3.20."

Charles Spurgeon, "Knock" (1883)

"There stands the Ever-Blessed, knocking at the door of the soul, but the hinges are rusted, the door, itself, is fast bolted and wild briars and all kinds of creeping plants running up the door prove that it has been along time since it was moved. You know what it all means—how continuance in sin makes it harder to yield to the knock of Christ and how evil habits creeping up, one after another, hold the soul so fast that it cannot open to the sacred knocking. Jesus has been knocking at some of your hearts ever since you were children—and still He knocks. I hear His blessed hand upon the door at this moment! Do you not hear it? Will you not open?"

Benjamin Keach, The Glory of God's Rich Grace Displayed (London, 1694), p. 386

"O know you, Sinners, this Day, that Jesus Christ, this glorious King, and Prince of the Kings of the Earth, this mighty Saviour is come to your Doors: Behold, I stand at the Door and knock: Rev. 3.20. Will you not open the Door, nor cry to him to help you to open to him, to enable you to believe in him? What do you say, shall the Son of God stand at your Doors, and you not so much as ask, Who is there? Who is at my Door? Shall Christ be kept out of your Hearts, and stand at your Doors, whilst Sin commands the chiefest Room, and has absolute Power over you, and rules in you? How will you be able to look this Blessed Saviour in the Face another Day?"

 

A posteriori . Any invitation is after the Holy Spirit has done His work of regeneration and the sin-bound will of man is liberated. A priori? No.

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Rev 3 "20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. 21 He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne"

2 Cor 5
20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God


Romans 10
if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.

 

Romans 10
if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.

 

I know that there are excesses with that, and that some were never saved when at the alter , but do know thta we respond to the call once enabled to/quickened by God, to receive Jesus as Our Lord/Savior!

 

"The bolt to the door is on the inside; it is you who have bolted it, and it is you who must undo the bolt, and invite the Savior to enter your heart. He is willing enough to come in; wherever there is a soul that wants Him, He comes at once; therefore, do not raise any quibbling questions about whether a sinner may come to Christ, or may not come." —Charles Spurgeon, "Found By Jesus, And Finding Jesus"

 

Spoken by a Stanch Calvinist to boot!

 

Right, we do the "alter call", but those who came forward and received Jesus were the ones that God invited to come to Him first!

 

receiving the Lord Jesus, confession made, receiving the Holy Spirit then!

 

The Bible doesn't mention an altar call, or a pre-planned/canned prayer. I'm not opposed to altar calls, but I fear that many people don't understand what they are doing.

 

He stands at the door and knocks.

 

"We BEG you on behalf of Christ - be reconciled to God" 2 Cor 5

Arminians call that an "altar call"