Responding to all three of you:

Many churches and evangelists today are presenting the way of salvation not as the Bible says, but in these ways:

"Ask Jesus into your heart."

"Make a commitment to Jesus,"

"Give your life to Jesus."

"Open your heart to Jesus."

"Make a decision for Jesus."

"Decide to live your life for Jesus."

"Decide to follow Jesus."

The Bible, however, does not say to do any of these things in order to be saved.

The Bible says to believe in the God-man, Jesus Christ.

Believe that he died for all of your sins--past, present and future, on the cross, that he was buried, and that He rose from the dead on the third day. >>1st Corinthians 15:1-4.

The Bible says that if you believe these things, you are saved forever. >>John 6:47; Ephesians 1:13, 14.

My question is, why are people misrepresenting the Gospel? Why are they not presenting it the way the Bible presents it?

In my view, presenting the way of salvation in the ways listed above does not constitute preaching the Gospel at all, but rather constitutes preaching a false Gospel.

For example, no one will be saved by "asking Jesus into his heart" if he has not believed the Gospel message.


psychobobicus

When you teach that faith is a choice, the questions you quote are made up as a way to be saved.

@CS: Well, I think it is a choice, but it is not a decision. I say it is a choice because Jesus said to the disciples that before they chose Him, He chose them.

@CS: Also, Acts says that God wishes that people would reach out for Him and find Him--but this can only happen if God gives them the ability to grope after Him, to seek Him And those who seek Him, find Him.

I think this kind of independence of thought is especially popular here in America. We are, after all, descended from rebels who took on the British Empire because we wanted to make our own decisions. Try telling us “rugged individualists” here in America that faith isn’t our choice, and you get quite a bit of animosity.

@CS: I think it is our choice, but that God works in us to will and to do--it is only because of His enabling that we can believe.

We all want to think we have some control over our own destiny, even when we come before the Living God. Evangelicals all say we are saved by grace, that it isn’t anything we do of ourselves, but then many say that belief is a choice; "Make a decision for Jesus." I think it leads to quite a bit of confusion. At least Roman Catholics are honest about their view of “free will.”

@CS: The work of God is to believe in the one He has sent--we believe, but God enables us to do that.

You are correct. We are told to believe in Jesus Christ as Savior. Period. If we have what I think is a correct view of election, our will is incapable of making a “decision to follow Christ.”

@CS: Unless God enables us to believe in Him, and to choose Jesus, and to follow Him.

pastorjohn
Moderator, Forum Pastor

folks do that because they are imitating the Bible - not in their exact words, but Peter clearly invited those listening to repent at Pentecost.

@CS: Thanks, John, but I do not see any phrase listed below that conveys the Gospel message in any way, shape or form.. I do not think that they are imitating the Bible at all--where are these concepts presented in the Bible as the way of salvation?
Besides, the biblical requirement for salvation is faith in Jesus, in His divinity, in His humanity and in His death for our sins and in His resurrection.

Quote:
"Ask Jesus into your heart."

"Make a commitment to Jesus,"

"Give your life to Jesus."

"Open your heart to Jesus."

"Make a decision for Jesus."

"Decide to live your life for Jesus."

"Decide to follow Jesus."

None of these are actually contrary to Scripture - though a few may be misused and miscontrued.

@CS: If presented as the way to be saved, I certainly believe that they are absolutely contrary to Scripture.
All of these are merely the actions of man regarding his life, his heart, his commitment, his actions to follow. NONE of these are believing that Jesus is divine and human. NONE of these are believing in what Jesus HAS DONE for us. (Died on the cross for our sins and rose again from the dead.)

@CS: I have a pastor who I know understands the biblical doctrine of justification by faith but continually describes the way to be saved as "following Jesus." Judas followed Jesus and he was never saved, and he is burning in Hell right now. Following Jesus is definitely NOT the way to be saved.
Following Jesus is what YOU are doing for God, not what Jesus HAS DONE for you on the cross.

Yes, believe is the most commolnly used word in the Scripture - very much so, but does not one make a decision to believe!

@CS: Only if God allows him to...

- wherever the initiative lies.

@CS: The initative is not a mystery--Scripture says that the initiative lies with the sovereignty of God before the foundation of the world.

does not one who believes give their life to Jesus in that belief?

@CS: No, I do not believe that he does at all. I believe that it was Christ who gave His life for us. Why are people reversing the biblical order? Giving your life to Jesus accomplishes nothing at all. The Bible NEVER tells us to give our life to Jesus to be saved. Our life is *worthless* for salvation. Believing that Jesus gave his life for you accomplishes salvation.

Belief is most certaily a commitment to abandon works and the much criticized "Ask Jesus into your heart" is not wrong in and of itself - it is merely insufficient in itself.

@CS: Completely insufficient and totally worthless for salvation. Jesus will enter the heart of all who believe the Gospel.

You all are complaing about the superficial.

@CS: I could not disagree more. Paul put an anathema curse on those who preach another Gospel. "Giving your heart to Jesus" is defintely NOT the biblical way to be saved.

It is not that we should not sometimes better define our expression or exchange them for more accurate words, but we who care about words know that they may also be overemphacized.

@CS: The words of the Gospel cannot be overemphasized--they are inspired by God.

One may truly believe while using very inadeaquate words - for the limitaion of human expression will not thwart the saving power of God.

@CS: True, but an improper presentation of something about Jesus which is not at all the saving Gospel is inexcusable--it is shameful workmanship.

I actually think that a greater problem - as revealed on the "Lordship" controversy - is the understanding of belief - for an inadeaquate belief (John 2:23-25) is more deadly that an inexact termiology.

@CS: So, which side of Lordship are you on?

RevLewis

The concept of "asking Jesus in" comes from the following passage: Revelation 3:20-21
3:20 Listen! 1 I am standing at the door and knocking! If anyone hears my voice and opens the door I will come into his home 2 and share a meal with him, and he with me. 3:21

@CS: Yes, but Jesus was talking about saved believers in the church in that quote, he was NOT referring to unsaved in a Gospel appeal.

I don't know where the idea of having him in your "heart" came from.

@CS: The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.

The concept of making Jesus the Lord of our life is scriptural too. Many times Paul teaches that we need to put Jesus in the position of "Lordship" over our lives.

@CS: Exalt Jesus in your hearts as Lord.

I am not certain what the Greek word he used here to say "Lord", maybe that would deepen our understanding of what is meant. Does anyone know?

@CS: "kurios"?

Yes, the Bible says that to believe is important, but it is simply the first step on the path to salvation.

@CS: It is more than important: if we do not believe in Jesus, then we are not justified. If we are not justified, then we are not saved.

Most evangelists who will preach in church (or big football stadiums) do not take the time to convince people who don't already believe.

@CS: ??? If they do not convice the unsaved to believe by a presentation of the Gospel, then they are not doing the work of evangelism.

They are working to take people from belief to acceptance of Jesus' Lord.

@CS: Jesus is already Lord. Believing in Him results in salvation.

Usually by the time someone comes to listen to a preacher...they already believe that God is in control and that Jesus is His Son (if not fully then they already have some ideas as to the Deity of Christ). The evangelist is just working on the "next step".

@CS: ??? If people believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Bible says that a person is born again.

The path to salvation (for most) is not a lonely one. You will find that along everyone's path there are people who planted seeds (another scriptural idea) of ideas about the Deity and Lordship of Christ. For me it was my parents, friends of my parents, Sunday School teachers, and my brother and sisters.

@CS: Are not deity and Lordship the same thing?



psychobobicus

Quote:
The concept of making Jesus the Lord of our life is scriptural too. Many times Paul teaches that we need to put Jesus in the position of "Lordship" over our lives. I am not certain what the Greek word he used here to say "Lord", maybe that would deepen our understanding of what is meant. Does anyone know?


He already is "Lord."

@CS: Amen, brother.

We can't make him Lord of anything.

@CS: Amen.

We can't "put" Him anywhere.

@CS: Right. But the Bible says that we can exalt Him in our hearts.

We can be disobedient to the Lord, absolutely! Can we be obedient to the Lord without belief? Impossible. I am unaware of any reference where Paul teaches us to "put Jesus in the position of 'Lordship' over our lives."
I think this concept is a misnomer as well.
Quote:
One may truly believe while using very inadeaquate words - for the limitaion of human expression will not thwart the saving power of God.


Point taken John. But all of those expressions put the onus of salvation on the individual.

@CS: Correct, sir.

No matter how one would characterize it, those mere "words" convey an underlying thought process, one of an individual's ability.

@CS: Right-O.

Does it not follow that if we ourselves "make a commitment to Jesus" we could renig on that commitment?

@CS: Right.

Or how about "giving our lives to Jesus?" What is to stop us from thinking we can take it back? What if we "make a decision for Jesus? Could we not then make a decision against Him sometime later?
I am not saying any of those hypothetical questions are true, but I think it illustrates the problem. When we make salvation something we have a part in, no matter how much we say we aren't, we are making salvation something other than the gift of grace that it is.

@CS: Amen, Amen, Amen. And the Gospel as set forth in 1st Corinthians 15:1-4 is nowhere to be found. We have no right to change the pattern of sound words of the Gospel into something that pleases the itching ears of modern day Americans, in order to post high numbers of counterfeit believers.

Atheism is philosophically impossible, self-contradictory, logically untenable and self-refuting.

Evolution is not supported by the scientific evidence.

There is no provable theory of simultaneous cell creation.

There is no evidence of cross-species evolution.

Evolution often posits the existence of God.

Eastern religion is based on the premise that everything is an illusion. I propose that their religion, therefore, is an illusion and a delusion.

That leaves Spiritism, Islam, Judaism and Christianity:

Spiritism presupposes God, the Creator of the spirits.

Islam's sacred scripture, the Koran, says that Jesus was a prophet of God, even though He rightly and radically contradicts the Koran's foundational teachings. Islam's "holy book" is flawed and contradictory. It is therefore not the Word of God.

Judaism holds the Old Testament sacred. Isaiah 53 specifically predicts Jesus the Messiah suffering on the cross.
Most Jews reject their own Messiah to their eternal damnation.

Christianity is true because of:

the Creation of the universe;
the Infallible Scriptures--Old and New Testament;
the Messianic prophecies,
the eternal and indestructible New Testament truths;
the truth of human sinfulness;
human consciousness,
moral conscience;
human death as the earthly punishment of sin.

Christianity is rational and easily logically defensible:

Jesus is God and man.

Jesus loves you and died for your sins and was buried.

Jesus rose from the dead on the third day.

The infallible Bible says that if you believe this Gospel message:
you will be forgiven of all your sins
you will not go to Hell to be punished for your sins,
you will go to Heaven no matter what,
you will be indwelled immediately by the Holy Spirit--forever,
you will be conformed to the image of Christ: absolute perfection,
and you will feel God's love.

The Bible says that a simple acknowledgment of this truth, a simple moment of belief, and you are saved forever, and you will personally experience all of these above things.

Salvation is a free gift of God.

Hallelujah!

If you haven't already, will you you receive Jesus today by faith and be saved forever?

God wants everyone to be saved.

People do not want God, His moral authority, His sovereignty, or His forgiveness.

They want their independent pride and sin.

They will go to Hell when they die, as sinners who have rejected God and His forgiveness.

I love Pastor Matt Heard's preaching. Sometimes, though, he seems to say that people can be saved by "following Jesus."

I was wondering what the rest of you thought about this...

Precisely speaking, according to the Bible, no one is saved by "following Jesus."

Judas, who *never believed* in Jesus, "followed Jesus" around the Holy Land, literally, for three years.

Only those people who, by God's grace, "believe in Jesus" are saved.

So, what does "believe in Jesus" mean? To "believe in Jesus" means to believe Who He Is (true God and true man), and to believe what He did (died on the cross for MY sins, was buried, and rose from the dead on the third day.)

We believe in what HAS BEEN DONE for us by Jesus. That alone is what saves us: Jesus and His blood shed on the cross for our sins.

We are saved by Jesus alone--with *nothing* added to His finished work.

That is the Gospel.

People who "believe in Jesus" are irrevocably saved.

They have eternal security: they will never go to Hell, no matter how little they follow Jesus or how much they sin.

They are saved forever.

Salvation is a *free gift*.

It is, of course, God's will that they love and obey Him and become progressively holy through the indwelling Holy Spirit, and through God's "grace." (unmerited favor).

It is God's will that through prayer, through reading His Word, and through following Him, believers would enter a fellowship "relationship" with Him.

But even if they make no progress in following God, even if they sin a lot, they are saved forever, and will be in Heaven, because Heaven, everlasting life and salvation are *free gifts* from God through faith in Jesus, with *no strings attached*.

This is the meaning of "grace."

They will have, however, fewer rewards than they would have had if they had they faithfully served Him. They also may have no peace of mind or assurance of their salvation, even though they are saved.

Here are some Bible verses that tell you how to get saved:

"...the Word (Jesus) was God..."

"...the Word (Jesus) became flesh..." >>John 1:1;14.

"He who believes in the Son (Jesus) *has* everlasting life;

and He who does not believe the Son (Jesus) shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." >>John 3:36.

For by *grace* you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the *gift* of God, *not* of works, lest anyone should boast. >>Ephesians 2:8,9.

Believe in Jesus: that He is God, that He suffered and died on the cross for all of your sins: past, present and future; that He was buried, that He physically rose from death on the third day--and you will be immediately forgiven, saved forever, and go to Heaven the minute you die.