Revelation 3:20 Doesn't Support Easy Prayerism
I remembered that some people did get saved after they said the sinner's prayer. As Paul David Washer would say it, he would say it as, "Some of you here are saved not because of it but in spite of it." If there's any reason why some sinner's prayer evangelism managed to succeed is because of the following reasons:
Try to notice the context. You can see that the door is opened. If the door represents the door of the heart, then if Jesus had come into your heart (though Jesus never gave an invitation back then to accept people into their heart) then isn't it allowing Him to not just enter it but to take charge of it and change one's life? Notice what Jesus said that He will come in to him and have fellowship. When a person invites Jesus into their life then there's a life changing process.
What's so sickening is how many people have turned "God be merciful to be a sinner." or "Lord remember me then Thou comest into Thy Kingdom." as a license to sin. If you really believe you've asked Jesus to come into your heart (though this is not a term used in the Bible but rather repent and believe) then shouldn't the life be different? How can anybody say they've asked Jesus to come into their heart and life but never change at all and remain in so much sin? Jesus said He will come in to him and have fellowship with that person.
If you're a Christian then Jesus is already number one in your life even if there are times you don't act like it. Still, Jesus is number one or given first place in the lives of every believer. If your salvation is by works then Jesus doesn't have first place in your life. If you think you can have a license to sin then Jesus does't have the first place in your life. Although it doesn't mean you won't fall into sin but because He's number one then sin grieves you as it grieves Him. The difference is that anyone who has Jesus first place in their lives won't enjoy their sin. They may not be as fruitful as others but there's no such thing as a fruitless Christian.
Revelation 3:20 should be used to refute the idea of easy prayerism where people can just pray a prayer, get saved and remain the same. If Jesus dines with you then doesn't He change your life, convict you of your sins and lead you to righteous living? He would do so. Unfortunately, some people just want to be saved from the consequences of sin than sin itself.
See also:
- The pastor is not wishy-washy in his preaching. He promotes repentance of sins as part of salvation. He convicts sin which people go to the altar call and pray their own sinner's prayer (or seldom repeat after me) where they put their trust in the Savior and not in the prayer.
- If said "converts" are not living according to the Christian life, the pastor confronts them not by saying, "Look you're a Christian and you shouldn't be doing that!" Instead, he says something like, "If you think you have a license to sin after you're saved then you're a fake convert. True converts don't want to live life the same anymore. You really never asked Jesus to come into your heart and you thought you did. Now I must confront you about your apostasy!"
But now, the problem is that the sinner's prayer has become so much of a flu shot that it's deadly. Some crazy pastors quote Revelation 3:20 without understanding what it truly means. What does Revelation 3:20 say?
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.
Try to notice the context. You can see that the door is opened. If the door represents the door of the heart, then if Jesus had come into your heart (though Jesus never gave an invitation back then to accept people into their heart) then isn't it allowing Him to not just enter it but to take charge of it and change one's life? Notice what Jesus said that He will come in to him and have fellowship. When a person invites Jesus into their life then there's a life changing process.
What's so sickening is how many people have turned "God be merciful to be a sinner." or "Lord remember me then Thou comest into Thy Kingdom." as a license to sin. If you really believe you've asked Jesus to come into your heart (though this is not a term used in the Bible but rather repent and believe) then shouldn't the life be different? How can anybody say they've asked Jesus to come into their heart and life but never change at all and remain in so much sin? Jesus said He will come in to him and have fellowship with that person.
If you're a Christian then Jesus is already number one in your life even if there are times you don't act like it. Still, Jesus is number one or given first place in the lives of every believer. If your salvation is by works then Jesus doesn't have first place in your life. If you think you can have a license to sin then Jesus does't have the first place in your life. Although it doesn't mean you won't fall into sin but because He's number one then sin grieves you as it grieves Him. The difference is that anyone who has Jesus first place in their lives won't enjoy their sin. They may not be as fruitful as others but there's no such thing as a fruitless Christian.
Revelation 3:20 should be used to refute the idea of easy prayerism where people can just pray a prayer, get saved and remain the same. If Jesus dines with you then doesn't He change your life, convict you of your sins and lead you to righteous living? He would do so. Unfortunately, some people just want to be saved from the consequences of sin than sin itself.
See also:
- A Warning Against Watered Down Evangelism!
- Arminianism and Antinomianism are Enemies of Biblical Preaching
- Antinomianism is Heresy
- Antinomianism is One Gospel Which is Not Another
- Are You Going to Church or Just to a Nice Building on a Finely Manicured Lawn?
- Beware of Being "Politically Correct" Over Being Scripturally Correct
- Beware: Nobody Can Love Jesus While Hating the Scriptures!
- By God's Grace: No Christian Can Ever Love Sin!
- Can A Truly Saved Christian Sin All They Please? NOT A CHANCE According to Scriptures!
- Can You Hate Law and Order and Have the Credibility to Talk About God?
- Cheap Grace Theology is Deadly
- Declare a Spiritual War Against the Heresy of Teaching the Possibility of a Fruitless Christianity!
- Despite God's Warnings, People CONTINUE IN THEIR SIN
- Do We Forget the Church is Also an Army of Which Involves Repentant Sinners Whom God Has Declared as Righteous Saints?
- God's Law is For Our Protection!
- How Does Authentic Faith Differ From Superficial Faith?
- If That Preaching Doesn't Hurt Anyone With Biblical Truth Then That Preaching is Bogus
- If Your Gospel Is Celebrating Sin, Then It Is Not the Real Gospel of Jesus Christ at All
- It's Go and Sin No More, Not Go and Sin Some More
- It's Sickening How People Can Sympathize with Criminals over the Victims of Crime
- Jesus' Resurrection is Proof That You Can't Be Saved and Still Remain the Same
- No, Grace is Not an Excuse to Keep Living in Sin!
- No Truly Saved Pastor Ever Teaches Grace Is a License to Sin
- Playing With Sin is Dangerous!
- Sin's Wages Aren't Always Paid Immediately
- The Church Is a Hospital for REPENTANT Sinners and NOT a Haven for Unrepentant Sinners!
- The Call of Salvation Is Salvation FROM Sin, NOT Salvation to Sin!
- The Church Is a Hospital for REPENTANT Sinners and NOT a Haven for Unrepentant Sinners!
- The Closet Antinomians Are Exposing Themselves
- The Dangerous Heresy That You Can Be Saved From Hell But Not From Sin
- The Dangers of A Watered Down Repentance
- The Foolishness of People Who Want Jesus as Their Savior but Not as Their Lord
- The Immature Christian Struggling in Sin vs. The False Convert Reveling in Sin
- The Jesus of "Easy Christianity" is ANOTHER JESUS!
- The Modern Gospel is One Gospel Which is Not Another
- The Widespread Growing Plague of Popularity Driven Churches
- The War Against Drunkards Who Claim to be Christians!
- Watered Down Preaching Against Sin Is An Insult to the Cross of Jesus Christ!