The Sinners Prayer for Salvation
Feeling lost? Tired of life’s struggles? Searching for hope and salvation? If you’re looking for the sinners prayer for salvation, I’m so glad you’ve found your way here—this is the most important decision you’ll ever make. I’m not here to judge, scare, or overwhelm you. I believe you’re here for a reason, and it could be the very step that changes everything for the rest of your life and eternity.
Have you thought about why you are here? Have been thinking about death for awhile? Looking for answers to what happens when you die or maybe you got some news about your health or a friend got some serious news.
The truth is that You will die and there is absolutely 100% nothing you can do or say to stop that from happening. There is no amount of money, social status, begging, pleading…. nothing. You Will Die One Day!
There are a lot of misconceptions about death. Some say, you will cease to exist. Others say, you will be recreated as a tree or something, others know something happens, but they are not sure.
The Bible says this is what happens when you die. When you close your eyes and draw your last breath here; you will wake up in another place. That place will be either Heaven or Hell and you will be in this place for eternity. That means forever!! Think about that! Eternity. Can you fathom how long that is? I am 54 at this publishing and this has been a long life, but my life is no where near being over. Again, you and I get no choice here. You and I will exist when this life as we know it is over. Are you prepared for this?
Think about this, the 80ish years you get on this earth is a blip of a second compared to eternity. Most people never consider that. They live for the day. For that blip of a second, they ride hard. They are here for a good time, not a long time. They live a worldly, selfish life. I gotta stack this paper, get mines, and well you know how it goes. Some die horrible deaths as a result of their life and wake up in hell to a worse eternal existence that they thought ever possible. Please do not be that person to wake up in Hell.
I am not trying to put you down. I am not and do not think I am better than you, I am speaking truth. I am speaking from someone who does not want you to die and go to Hell. No matter how bad your life is, Hell will be worse. I am speaking from someone who lived that same way for 51 years. Never happy. Never satisfied. Always wanting more. I am so thankful and grateful that God did not allow me to die in my sins and has saved me. I am who I am today because of Jesus. Nothing I did. All because of Jesus.
So let’s step back and take a look at this. You are going to die. You will cease to exist on earth, but will end up somewhere else.
There is nothing you can do about that.
The only choice you have is where you end up!
However, you need to make this choice quickly. Because you are not promised to make it through the next seconds of time. You could drop dead as you are reading this. I am not trying to scare you, just be truthful.
You are not promised your next breath. You live at God’s will and not yours. Humble yourself, repent and follow Jesus. One day your knee will bow and confess Jesus is Lord.
Do it now, while you have a chance and not before He casts you into Hell. Please do not go to Hell.
Please take heed to Hebrews 10:31 – “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of an angry God”. This means that facing the judgement of God for sin is a terrifying and dreadful thing!
Hell is often thought of or portrayed as a party with my friends. Think of the AC/DC song – they have people believing that Hell will be a party and fun. This is the furthest thing from the truth and every one of the members of that band will perish in torment unless they repent and follow Jesus.
So What is the Sinners Prayer for Salvation & What Does it Do?
The sinners prayer for salvation is your commitment to follow and live for Jesus. It is your way of audibly committing your life to God and to follow Jesus. It is simply your audible commitment to follow Jesus and give your life to Him.
The most important thing I think we need to address is what the sinners prayer for salvation does not do? It does not turn God into your personal genie to fill your bank account, buy you a car, get your dream job or other special worldly favors from God, etc. That is the prosperity gospel and it is a lie of Hell and you should be warry of any pastor that preaches about what God will do for you and how easy your life will be.
He does not become your lawyer to keep you out of prison or divorce court. He will save you from yourself and Hell, but if you are in trouble with the law for example, the sin is forgiven, but there may still be consequences. You may still go to prison, you may still get divorced, or whatever the normal consequence is, but that consequence is temporary. The consequence of not repenting and believing upon the name of Jesus is Hell.
Instead, focus on what God did for you. He created you. He sent His only Son to die a horrible, painful, death to pay for the sins of the world. He saved you from Hell (if you want it). What else does he need to do? He created you. He paid for your sins to save your soul/existence from hell.
All you got to do is accept that you are a sinner, believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ, repent and follow Jesus. What more do you need?
Once you start following Jesus, your life will change. It will change in so many ways. You may go through trials and tribulations to test your commitment to following Jesus. You may be tested with health issues, job loss, financial worry, etc. Will you still follow Jesus if you get sick? Will you follow Jesus if you lose your job? Will you follow Jesus in your life, no matter what the circumstances?
Some people will have drastic changes seemingly overnight, others things change slowly. Some people will struggle with some sins while others will not. Please understand that being a Christian and following Jesus is hard. You will struggle with sin. You will struggle with how to live and act in certain scenarios in life. However, if you seek Him in prayer before you act and just ask for peace and wisdom, He will show you the way. May not be the way you like, but it will be the 100% best way.
What Does the Sinners Prayer for Salvation Do?
When you say the sinners prayer for salvation, it is telling Jesus that you want to commit your life to Him. It is you telling Jesus, that you are willing to believe in Him, follow Him, give Him your life and start trying to live your life as biblically as possible. The prayer does not save you. It is the blood of Jesus, His death for your sins, His love for you and willingness to save you. That is what saves you, if you are willing and if you let Him.
What Does it Mean When I Say the Sinners Prayer for Salvation?
This is a great question, because some people tend to think it means, I said a prayer and now I am not going to Hell. I said a prayer and my life is going to be good, no matter what I do. I am right with the Lord… me and the “Big Guy” upstairs have an agreement.
What is that agreement and who made it? Because I do not think Jesus died on the cross, suffered immensely for you to say a prayer and just continue with life like that death meant nothing? What part of the death meant He could die for you and you still get drunk with the fella’s on Friday night, drinking wine with the girls on that weekend beach trip, or keep cheating on your spouse, sleeping around, being a racist jerk? What part of that death says that you can be a gay Christian and go to Heaven, when the bible and Jesus both say that it is a sin.
So what does it mean when you say the sinners prayer for salvation? It means exactly what you let it mean, but it should mean, that you recognize that Jesus is your King and you are willing to give up worldly way of life and follow Jesus. It should mean you recognize that you are a sinner, worthy of nothing but an eternity in Hell. It should mean that you know the only way to get into Heaven is to confess Jesus is Lord, believe in Him and trust that He is the only way you get to Heaven.
What does it mean to follow Jesus? It simply means that you recognize that you have to let go of the worldly way of life and start living for Him. But please understand this is kind of an all or nothing thing. A lot of people think they can be saved and compromise or walk both side of the fence.
Jesus tells us otherwise in Revelation 3:15-16 – 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
This is where it hits home for a lot of people, because 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 & 1 Timothy 1:10 shows who will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven and a lot of people want Jesus and Heaven, but do not want to quit their wicked ways.
“1 Corinthians 6:9-11 – Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate (malakoi), nor abusers of themselves with mankind (arsenokoitai), nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”
“1 Timothy 1:10 – for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine.”
So by seeing what the Bible says about who is not going to Heaven and by seeing the actual verses it, should give you an idea of what your giving up and what it means when you say the sinners prayer of salvation and follow Jesus!
So I am just going to put this out there, because so many people seem to want smooth things over and to make God who they want Him to be and not who He is.
So according to the bible homosexuals, bisexuals, racist, drinkers, cheaters, crooks, liars, revilers (slander, cursing, abusive, contemptuous, or insulting language toward others), those who look at porn, those who cheat on their spouse, you get it.
So I want you to think about this. Just like an unrepentant homosexual who denies God will not enter into Heaven, neither will the unrepentant Christian who claims to follow Jesus, but drinks or is racist, or talks negatively about others.
What is Repentance? Biblical repentance involves a complete and irreversible change of mind, heart, and actions. Repentance recognizes that our sin is offensive to God. To repent means to make an about-face, heart-directed turn away from self to God. Read more about Biblical repentance here. (link will open in a new window).
So, if you truly understand what is means to be saved and are ready to give up your life as you know it and seek God’s direction in your life. If you can give up whatever it is keeping you from God, then follow the sinners prayer for salvation sample below.
Remember, saying the sinners prayer for salvation does nothing but make a verbal commitment to God, you have to be willing to repent and turn away from sin and try to lead a Godly life.
The Sinners Prayer for Salvation Example –
I am not saying this is the only way to say the sinners prayer for salvation, but I do think this shows God that you are serious and willing to give up your life and follow Jesus. Again, it is not the sinners prayer for salvation that saves you. It is simply a way to audibly commit your life to God. Think about it! Jesus does not say – “say a prayer and ask Me in to your heart” – He says repent (change your mind about sin and then stop sinning) and follow Me!
Lord Jesus, I confess that I am a sinner and I have sinned against You.
I believe that You are the one and only Son of God.
I believe that You died on the cross to pay the penalty for my sins.
I believe that You raised from the dead and are alive in Heaven.
I believe and know that the only way for me to go to Heaven is to believe in and follow You.
I acknowledge, receive, and confess You as the Lord and Savior of my life.
Please save me.
I give my life to You.
I confess to you that I am struggling with (be honest with God and confess your sins and struggles audibly to Him) and I want to stop these sins.
I repent of my sins and ask that You forgive me of my sins.
Please create in me a new heart.
Please fill me with the Holy Spirit.
Please help me to live for You and walk with You daily.
Amen
If you said that prayer or a similar version of the sinners prayer for salvation, you have verbally told God that you have committed your life to Jesus and that is awesome. But this is just the beginning. You have to repent of your sins and follow Jesus daily.
Pray daily. Pray every time you can. Go to God with humbleness and thank Him for letting you live that day. Thank Him for saving you. Thank Him for being kind enough to allow you to be saved. Thank Him for not letting you die in your sins. Thank Him for all He has blessed you with. Thank Him for His patience and generosity in your life. Ask for forgiveness of your sins, ask Him to help you to be more aware of your sin so you can get it out of your life. Ask Him to create in you a new heart. Fill you with the Holy Spirit. Ask Him to work through you and shine through you.
Now that you are committed to Jesus, find a bible believing church and if you are not able to attend a church, check out the preaching of John MacArthur, James Knox and Charles Lawson as well as the Discovering the Book Ministries and Smart Christian Channel, channels also on YouTube (all links will open in a new window)
Pray daily, in fact, try to live in prayer and ask God to reveal Himself to you. Consistently have a mindset to be thanking God and thanking Him for saving you.