Examining the Sinner’s Prayer
Friday, 07/03/26 at 07:48
A Voice Shouting
July 3, 2026
The Sinner’s Prayer has become common practice in today’s churches. Often, a church leader will recite the prayer by inviting the unsaved an opportunity to be saved. The typical Sinner’s Prayer goes something like this:
“Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. In Your name. Amen.”
The above quote comes from Billy Graham who is credited with making the Sinner’s Prayer mainstream during his tent revival meetings of the 1940’s. This topic can be very controversial, so I don’t want to condemn this practice or anyone who has recited it. I think it is a starting point, but I question whether the Sinner’s Prayer meets biblical standards. Here’s why:
1) It’s not found in the bible:
2) It wasn’t given to us by Jesus as something to recite:
3) It wasn’t a teaching of Jesus that he passed down to the Apostles:
4) It wasn’t practiced by the Apostles as they were making disciples and adding to the early church:
5) It doesn’t align to the Great Commission:
6) It didn’t become common practice until the 1900’s.
7) It makes no mention of baptism (and I have never once heard a pastor offer baptism after this prayer).
Many will point to Romans 10:9-10 as the most closely aligned part of scripture to the Sinner’s Prayer.
Romans 10:9-10 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.
If we compare the two, there appears to be reasonable alignment between the prayer and this verse (assuming the new convert declares that Jesus is Lord and believes in his/her heart that He rose from the dead). But, let’s take a closer look: (1) Is saying “Dear Lord Jesus” the same as confessing that Jesus is Lord? (2) Is saying that you believe the same as actually believing? (3) Is saying I want to trust and follow you the same as believing in your heart? (4) is turning from sin the same as repenting? Possibly, but repenting involves a commitment to amend one’s way which goes beyond simply turning. I can turn in shame, but if I don’t change my ways what have I accomplished? Do you see how this can become questionable? Moreover, are we being prudent by leaning on this one verse while ignoring the words of Jesus and the practices of the early church?
To make sure we are standing on solid biblical ground, let’s explore the actual practices of the early church and the teachings of Jesus:
(Matthew 28:19) “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”. How about what Jesus told Nicodemus: (John 3:3-5) Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.“
Where is the water in the Sinner’s Prayer?
What about what Peter said at Pentecost (Acts 2:38-41): And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
The Book of Acts is full of converts to Christianity and everyone mentioned were baptized upon their conversion. Here’s one example: (Acts 16: 31-33) They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.” And they shared the word of the Lord with him and with all who lived in his household. Even at that hour of the night, the jailer cared for them and washed their wounds. Then he and everyone in his household were immediately baptized.
Notice that the word of God was shared with them, they believed and were baptized immediately. As the early church grew, the common theme that I see in the Book of Acts and the New Testament were those that: (1) heard the Good News, (2) turned to God, (3) believed in Jesus Christ and confessed Jesus as Lord, (4) repented of their sins, and (5) were baptized. Does the Sinner’s Prayer, in any way, resemble this pattern? Let’s look at a few more examples:
(Acts 8:12-13) But now the people believed Philip’s message of Good News concerning the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ. As a result, many men and women were baptized. Then Simon himself believed and was baptized…
(Acts 8:35-38) So beginning with this same Scripture, Philip told him the Good News about Jesus. As they rode along, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Look! There’s some water! Why can’t I be baptized?” He ordered the carriage to stop, and they went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.
(Acts 16:14-15) One of them was Lydia from Thyatira, a merchant of expensive purple cloth, who worshiped God. As she listened to us, the Lord opened her heart, and she accepted what Paul was saying. She and her household were baptized, and she asked us to be her guests.
(Acts 26:19-20) “So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven. First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and then to the Gentiles, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds.”
Was anyone added to the early church by saying a prayer? I can’t find it. Why is it common practice now, but never once practiced then? Shouldn’t we follow in the footsteps and practices of the early church? Look what Paul told the Corinthians. 1 Corinthians 12:18 When I urged Titus to visit you and sent our other brother with him, did Titus take advantage of you? No! For we have the same spirit and walk in each other’s steps, doing things the same way. Paul taught Timothy and Titus to follow his example and walk in his footsteps and reminded the Corinthians to do the same. Do you think we should follow their footsteps today? Let’s take a closer look at Paul’s teaching of baptism to the Romans so that we can be sure we are following in his footsteps.
Romans 6:4-8 For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him.
This is precisely what Jesus spoke to Nicodemus about…being born again of water and spirit. A true convert to Christianity is transformed into a new creation. In the verses above, Paul beautifully explains how this takes place via baptism. Can we be crucified with Christ, buried, and raised to a new life by way of a prayer? Galatians 3:27 And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. The new clothes are the new life we receive because we put to death the old sinful life by baptism. Baptism allows us to follow Jesus through His death, burial and resurrection. We are dead to the old self and alive in the new life; united with Jesus.
Why are we so quick to listen to our church leaders before consulting the bible? Shouldn’t we check to make sure the teaching we receive today properly aligns with the word of God and early church practices?
Here’s what Paul wrote to the Ephesians (Ephesians 4:14): Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.
He also wrote this (Colossians 2:8) Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.
Friends, I just don’t see how the Sinner’s Prayer aligns with the teachings of Jesus and the practices of the early church. Should we follow the teachings of man or let the word of God be the foundation on which we stand?
Take this to the Lord for confirmation and may God’s grace and peace be with you all.
