I like to give some talking points to counter the so called preachers that are anti sinner's prayer.
Most of the well know preacher's even though they mean well use what you call a "straw man argument" to prove against it.
1. Easy believism? If it was easy then you would have the masses coming by the thousands. But on the contrary the wide road is more full of working around this then believing in Christ alone.
Even in the Gospels with all the miracles Jesus performed and healing the sick you still have people yet not believe.
2. It's not in the bible talking point? I could make lot's of talking points with scripture but I don't want a long drawn out debate. But to keep it in perspective romans 10:9 plus who so ever wall upon the lord shall be saved. The thief on the cross??? Think about it what if he said nothing would he be saved?
3. You can just recite a prayer and live like a devil and still be saved? Or aka fire insurance another straw man argument and the most used to undermine the good news of the gospel.
4. Dangerous doctrine? Another straw man argument
5. He'll is full of Christians because they prayed a prayer? Another straw man argument
But a talking point some agree on is "well some people do get saved that way but they meant it honestly". Kinds like you can be against it and at the same time be for it. Another one I hear is people coming to the alter so they can get saved by praying a prayer and not actually getting saved. That is about on par as a man dying of thirst and in need of water to survive and someone hands the guy a glass of ice tea. A switch-a-roo deal maybe he saved maybe he ain't saved.
Yeah yeah I get the message of some maybe not actually getting saved I get where some are coming from but 99% percent of the time it's out of touch to micro manage every thought, deed, purpose, intent, goal of everybody that comes to the truth to get saved "by the sinner's prayer". To me it seems like you want people to come to the Lord but but not like that. You want people to get saved but but you better not pray that prayer. You want disciples but but getting saved is the end goal.
This is my counter argument overall that hardly no one talks about. Can you just merely believe? What I mean by that is belief by association. I'm sure if I was a billionaire and offer one million dollars to any American that is of adult age that could tell me "who died on the cross?" I'm sure 99% could answer this with million dollars on the line. Does that make themselves a christian? Does that make them born again? Well that is belief right? Well actually no that is belief by association not a saving faith belief. Churches are full of guilty by association but not truly saved JW's, mormons to name a few.
Just think about it really well known tv evangelist not naming any here teaching against sinner's prayer. To me that is playing with fire seriously folks what Jesus doesnt need stumbling blocks for those to come to him. Why would God himself send Jesus to die for our sins on the cross and for Jesus to say on the cross "it is finished" to have access block for sinner's prayer because it's not the gospel way? To those preachers doing this really need to think hard on this you can't be wrong on this and say you're teaching biblical. I think the narrow road is flipped flopped the other way seriously we got the gospel so backwards now days it's no long preaching its just preachers debating talking points instead of the saving gospel itself.
I ask you this seriously:
Can people be good and still be saved?
Can people without Jesus still be saved?
Can the law save you?
Can the 10 commandments save you?
Can a church save you?
Denomination?
Upbringing?
Can a bad person be saved?
Can anyone be saved associated in some respect to Jesus like mental assent?
If Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith?
Is it in him and in him alone we have eternal life?
Is it true that we call open the Lord we will be saved?
Is he the bread of life?
Is he the water of everlasting life?
Did Jesus ask the disciples who do you say I am? And they responded You are the son of the living God?
Didn't the thief on the cross told Jesus to remember him?
The truth is a revelation to the heart of those who hear. We are saved because we believed by faith that some refer as saving faith because the truth is revealed to the heart. In response the heart of the person with gratitude will confess with the mouth romans 10:9.
What is not saving faith is mere belief by association. Going to church or a good KJ bible is not going to save you. Dressing well and singing a few hymns in church doesn't make no one a christian.
Can you just believe and not confess? Well let me ask you this can you get married and not recite the vows when asked? Do you take so and so for better or for worse sickness and in health and so on and instead of verbally answering you just stand there and not say anything? Of course not that is foolish but those who support the sinner's prayer are consider foolish also. The bible also speaks of the cross being foolish to those who perish. So when it comes to the gospel you gonna have stumbling blocks to the cross. If someone sincerely wants to get saved and God see's the heart and the motive we as a body of Christ can't put up road blocks to deny access. This to me is where too many preachers want their backs patted then see souls saved. They rather win talking points on doctrine then a soul being in heaven. They rather be seen and praised by others for their doctrines but spend countless times undermining sinner's prayer.
Can you believe and not say anything? A prayer? Confession of faith? Well....that is if the belief is a brain belief but the bible says it's in the heart that saved not the brain. If the heart believes the mouth will follow because we speak what we believe in our heart. Can someone be saved by mental assent? Association? Or we talking about dead rooted heart saving faith. If we talking about heart saving faith if y'all agree with this why so hard pressed against sinner's prayer. Its like someone can't have a slice of cake and also the whole cake argument but it comes across as something un-biblical.
I was watching a youtube video of the great preacher Billy Graham he lead maybe millions to Christ at his events. At the end of his sermon he invited people to come down also known as the alter call and he lead them into prayer. He also had those that those who did to repeat the prayer. Now you telling me this man of God is just a good Jim Jones pulling a fast one and nobody actually got saved. If you really think that you really need to re-think or repent you telling me just some? Maybe a few? Or those who meant it? Either God saved them or didn't. People hear the good news of the gospel in response they in desperation of a savior God draws them to himself they feel the calling they walk down to the alter and pray the sinners prayer for what?? Nothing they was fooled he was a false teacher? False converts???? Absolutely not!!! The only false converts are the ones the merely believed by association. Yeah the ones that went to the Billy Graham's event and didn't get saved there the ones that stayed seated. But wait but wait now we have preachers having this backwards and saying the ones stayed seated are the ones that are saved and the ones that went down to the alter are deceived. See my point??? The point is as a body of believers we can be our worst enemy by putting stumbling blocks by this senerio. What if there was an anti sinners prayer pastor at these Billy Graham's events trying to stop people from leaving their seats and walking to the alter to say the sinners prayer? Well this may sound like a stretch but in this day and age this is exactly what we see all the time on tv. Just watch some christian tv shows and they a full of them claiming the sinners prayer is bogus and encouraging people not to do it. They may be sincere they may mean well they may think they have some monopoly but when they do that they better make sure 100% sure just saying there is what the bible says "stumbling block" and I think too many Hollywood pastors take this too far and the gospel they preach is mixed grace and works.
The main point i'm making is we are saved by grace through faith. We believe that Jesus died on the cross and God raised him from the dead. The heart not the brain saved us. A true saving heart leads to confession of the mouth. We are born again not sort of or kinda or maybe or down the road or that's a starting point or turning a lead no we are truly saved eternally secured because he promised everlasting life not a maybe or sort of or at best a definite maybe no we have eternal life. It is crucial we as believers can't be wrong or be a stumbling block. We can't turn a blind eye and leave it to God we must work earnestly for the faith and present itself truthfully.
Thanks for everyone time this is just my counter arguments to the anti sinners prayer pastors. Not saying you are a bad pastor or a false teacher or mis-lead just see it from the lenses from those who see it differently.
Good day
Most of the well know preacher's even though they mean well use what you call a "straw man argument" to prove against it.
1. Easy believism? If it was easy then you would have the masses coming by the thousands. But on the contrary the wide road is more full of working around this then believing in Christ alone.
Even in the Gospels with all the miracles Jesus performed and healing the sick you still have people yet not believe.
2. It's not in the bible talking point? I could make lot's of talking points with scripture but I don't want a long drawn out debate. But to keep it in perspective romans 10:9 plus who so ever wall upon the lord shall be saved. The thief on the cross??? Think about it what if he said nothing would he be saved?
3. You can just recite a prayer and live like a devil and still be saved? Or aka fire insurance another straw man argument and the most used to undermine the good news of the gospel.
4. Dangerous doctrine? Another straw man argument
5. He'll is full of Christians because they prayed a prayer? Another straw man argument
But a talking point some agree on is "well some people do get saved that way but they meant it honestly". Kinds like you can be against it and at the same time be for it. Another one I hear is people coming to the alter so they can get saved by praying a prayer and not actually getting saved. That is about on par as a man dying of thirst and in need of water to survive and someone hands the guy a glass of ice tea. A switch-a-roo deal maybe he saved maybe he ain't saved.
Yeah yeah I get the message of some maybe not actually getting saved I get where some are coming from but 99% percent of the time it's out of touch to micro manage every thought, deed, purpose, intent, goal of everybody that comes to the truth to get saved "by the sinner's prayer". To me it seems like you want people to come to the Lord but but not like that. You want people to get saved but but you better not pray that prayer. You want disciples but but getting saved is the end goal.
This is my counter argument overall that hardly no one talks about. Can you just merely believe? What I mean by that is belief by association. I'm sure if I was a billionaire and offer one million dollars to any American that is of adult age that could tell me "who died on the cross?" I'm sure 99% could answer this with million dollars on the line. Does that make themselves a christian? Does that make them born again? Well that is belief right? Well actually no that is belief by association not a saving faith belief. Churches are full of guilty by association but not truly saved JW's, mormons to name a few.
Just think about it really well known tv evangelist not naming any here teaching against sinner's prayer. To me that is playing with fire seriously folks what Jesus doesnt need stumbling blocks for those to come to him. Why would God himself send Jesus to die for our sins on the cross and for Jesus to say on the cross "it is finished" to have access block for sinner's prayer because it's not the gospel way? To those preachers doing this really need to think hard on this you can't be wrong on this and say you're teaching biblical. I think the narrow road is flipped flopped the other way seriously we got the gospel so backwards now days it's no long preaching its just preachers debating talking points instead of the saving gospel itself.
I ask you this seriously:
Can people be good and still be saved?
Can people without Jesus still be saved?
Can the law save you?
Can the 10 commandments save you?
Can a church save you?
Denomination?
Upbringing?
Can a bad person be saved?
Can anyone be saved associated in some respect to Jesus like mental assent?
If Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith?
Is it in him and in him alone we have eternal life?
Is it true that we call open the Lord we will be saved?
Is he the bread of life?
Is he the water of everlasting life?
Did Jesus ask the disciples who do you say I am? And they responded You are the son of the living God?
Didn't the thief on the cross told Jesus to remember him?
The truth is a revelation to the heart of those who hear. We are saved because we believed by faith that some refer as saving faith because the truth is revealed to the heart. In response the heart of the person with gratitude will confess with the mouth romans 10:9.
What is not saving faith is mere belief by association. Going to church or a good KJ bible is not going to save you. Dressing well and singing a few hymns in church doesn't make no one a christian.
Can you just believe and not confess? Well let me ask you this can you get married and not recite the vows when asked? Do you take so and so for better or for worse sickness and in health and so on and instead of verbally answering you just stand there and not say anything? Of course not that is foolish but those who support the sinner's prayer are consider foolish also. The bible also speaks of the cross being foolish to those who perish. So when it comes to the gospel you gonna have stumbling blocks to the cross. If someone sincerely wants to get saved and God see's the heart and the motive we as a body of Christ can't put up road blocks to deny access. This to me is where too many preachers want their backs patted then see souls saved. They rather win talking points on doctrine then a soul being in heaven. They rather be seen and praised by others for their doctrines but spend countless times undermining sinner's prayer.
Can you believe and not say anything? A prayer? Confession of faith? Well....that is if the belief is a brain belief but the bible says it's in the heart that saved not the brain. If the heart believes the mouth will follow because we speak what we believe in our heart. Can someone be saved by mental assent? Association? Or we talking about dead rooted heart saving faith. If we talking about heart saving faith if y'all agree with this why so hard pressed against sinner's prayer. Its like someone can't have a slice of cake and also the whole cake argument but it comes across as something un-biblical.
I was watching a youtube video of the great preacher Billy Graham he lead maybe millions to Christ at his events. At the end of his sermon he invited people to come down also known as the alter call and he lead them into prayer. He also had those that those who did to repeat the prayer. Now you telling me this man of God is just a good Jim Jones pulling a fast one and nobody actually got saved. If you really think that you really need to re-think or repent you telling me just some? Maybe a few? Or those who meant it? Either God saved them or didn't. People hear the good news of the gospel in response they in desperation of a savior God draws them to himself they feel the calling they walk down to the alter and pray the sinners prayer for what?? Nothing they was fooled he was a false teacher? False converts???? Absolutely not!!! The only false converts are the ones the merely believed by association. Yeah the ones that went to the Billy Graham's event and didn't get saved there the ones that stayed seated. But wait but wait now we have preachers having this backwards and saying the ones stayed seated are the ones that are saved and the ones that went down to the alter are deceived. See my point??? The point is as a body of believers we can be our worst enemy by putting stumbling blocks by this senerio. What if there was an anti sinners prayer pastor at these Billy Graham's events trying to stop people from leaving their seats and walking to the alter to say the sinners prayer? Well this may sound like a stretch but in this day and age this is exactly what we see all the time on tv. Just watch some christian tv shows and they a full of them claiming the sinners prayer is bogus and encouraging people not to do it. They may be sincere they may mean well they may think they have some monopoly but when they do that they better make sure 100% sure just saying there is what the bible says "stumbling block" and I think too many Hollywood pastors take this too far and the gospel they preach is mixed grace and works.
The main point i'm making is we are saved by grace through faith. We believe that Jesus died on the cross and God raised him from the dead. The heart not the brain saved us. A true saving heart leads to confession of the mouth. We are born again not sort of or kinda or maybe or down the road or that's a starting point or turning a lead no we are truly saved eternally secured because he promised everlasting life not a maybe or sort of or at best a definite maybe no we have eternal life. It is crucial we as believers can't be wrong or be a stumbling block. We can't turn a blind eye and leave it to God we must work earnestly for the faith and present itself truthfully.
Thanks for everyone time this is just my counter arguments to the anti sinners prayer pastors. Not saying you are a bad pastor or a false teacher or mis-lead just see it from the lenses from those who see it differently.
Good day
