THE "SINNER'S PRAYER"
DOES NOT SAVE ANYONE
Many radio and T . V. evangelists and many tracts have made popular the "Sinners Prayer" as God's acceptable plan of salvation. It is said that if one prays this prayer and puts their hand on the radio or TV, you will immediately be saved from all sin. This prayer usually contains a simple acknowledgment of sin, a statement of belief in Christ, and the plea for forgiveness. Some will even go so far as to say that just "thinking" these things will automatically save from all past sin.
  The Bible teaches us to 'prove (test) all things, hold fast that which is true" - 1Thess 5:21. When anyone tests the denominational "sinner's prayer "by God's Word it is shown to be a false method of being saved. Do we need to acknowledge our sins, and plea with God to forgive us? Absolutely! Do we need to believe and put our trust in Jesus? Yes! But does this in and of itself save us? No. The Bible teaches that there are acts of obedience that must follow. Consider carefully the following truths:
 IN THE GREAT COMMISSION, Jesus told the disciples to teach all nations and that people
needed to believe, repent, and be baptized in order to be saved - Matt.28:19; Mk.16:1S-16; Lk.24:46-47.
Nothing is said about an alien sinner (a non-Christian) merely praying for salvation. In the sermon on the mount Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to Me; 'Lord, Lord, , shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he does the will of My Father in heaven" - Matt.7:21. The will of the Father is found in the Great Commission. It gives the required steps for one to be saved.
  IN THE BOOK OF ACTS we have many cases of conversion recorded by divine inspiration. Not one teaches of the "sinner's prayer" for an alien sinner. Someone may ask about Simon - Ac.8:22, who was told to repent and pray for forgiveness. If you read carefully you will see that Simon had already believed and been baptized - Ac. 8:13 . He was an "erring child of God" asking for the Father's forgiveness. In the case of Cornelius -Ac.10, God answered his prayer, not by forgiving him on account of his prayer, but by sending Peter to tell him what to do to be saved - which was to be "baptized in the name of the Lord" -10:47-48; See also - Ac.11:13-14.
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   IN ROMANS 10:13, the apostle Paul states, 'for whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. "Again, this is no justification for the "sinner's prayer." Three questions asked in vs. 14:
     1) "How shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed?"
     2) "And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard?"
     3) "And how shall they hear without a preacher? "
  To call on the name of the Lord one has to have heard the Word and believed; because "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God" -10:17. How did the people respond to the gospel message preached to them? They cried out, "what shall we do? "- Ac.2:37. Peter told them to "repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of their sins" - Ac.2:38. Sorry, no"sinner's prayer" in these verses.
    IN ACTS 9:9-11, Paul had been praying the "sinner's prayer" for three days when he was told to
   "arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord " -Ac.22:16. You see,
   the only way for an alien sinner to find forgiveness is not through prayer only, but by being baptized
   into Christ's death - Rom.6:3-4. The people who are preaching the "sinner's prayer" to alien sinners are
   mixed up on the teaching of the scriptures.
     The people of the 1st century had to believe, repent, confess Jesus as Lord -Rom 10:9-10, and, be baptized into Christ to wash away their sins - Ac 22:16. We today must do the same.
                                                                                                                                                                                      Paul McCollum, Eucalyptus Drive. salinas. CA. I condensed I adapted