At the outset, let me assure the reader that I believe that we are saved by grace through faith. We do not earn, merit, or work for salvation. It is a free gift, paid for and delivered by Jesus. But it is appropriated by faith.
Faith is always more than mere head stuff. It is more than assent to the truth of a proposition. Faith always includes belief, trust and obedience. That can be clearly seen in Abraham who believed God (and showed it by trusting God and in doing what God told him to do). Separate out trust and obedience and faith becomes an empty imitation of the real thing.
For the believer in Jesus, there is one litmus for truth. It is not the opinion of man, not the teachings of any human, however persuasive, it is not the conclusion of any church council or denomination. It is the clear “Thus says the Lord,” as recorded in the New Testament.
What agrees with the New Testament is of God and what contradicts, adds to, alters or takes away from the New Testament is Satanic.
Where, and what, the Scripture speaks, we speak. Where the Scripture does not speak is an area of free opinion: “Do we worship at 10:00 or 11:00?” “Do we sing traditional hymns or may we use more contemporary, but Biblically correct, songs?” “Is the `KJV the version God dropped from Heaven on a Golden Chain, or is a more modern version acceptable?”
To the end that we not copy the Pharisees, we declare: “In essentials, unity; in opinions, liberty; and in all things, love.” What is essential is Who Jesus is, His relationship to God, what He did, and what He commanded in the Gospels and through the inspired writings of those who penned the New Testament scrolls.
The Christian Church and Churches of Christ express the focus of their teaching on Jesus Christ as Lord and only Savior – and that He is only Savior if He is Lord. He said, “ "He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him." John 14:21 (NASB).
Yours for sound, true, and faithful doctrine, David P. Nolte.
There are many things people say, convinced that they are quoting, or obeying, the Bible BUT IS IT IN THE BIBLE?
EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK: "BUT IS IT IN THE BIBLE?" AVAILABLE AT AMAZON AND BARNES AND NOBLE
TOPICS
THIEF ON THE CROSS page 1
BAPTISM page 2
ETERNAL SECURITY page 16
SINNERS’ PRAYER / ASK JESUS INTO YOUR HEART / JUST RAISE YOUR HAND page 27
THE RAPTURE / ORDER OF DEPARTURE page
GOD WON’T GIVE US MORE THAN WE CAN HANDLE
OTHER ISSUES page
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INVITING JESUS INTO YOUR HEART
THE SINNER'S PRAYER AND
"JUST RAISE YOUR HAND"
I want to address the human idea of "inviting Jesus into your heart" and "praying the sinner's prayer," and "Just raise your hand if you want to be saved!" While those things are not bad in themselves, yet they are things some man made up and are not ever or anywhere commanded or taught in Scripture. I challenge anyone, anywhere, at any time to show one single verse of the Bible that says, "invite Jesus into your heart" or that commands us to "pray the sinner's prayer!" or to "raise your hand if you want to be saved."
Nothing wrong with doing that, but it is not taught or commanded in the New Testament.
It is an inadequate and unauthorized addition to, or more truly, substitution for, what is commanded:
We do see the Publican in Luke 18:13 beating his chest in sorrow, saying, "O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner." And we do see Jesus saying, in V14 "I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For the proud will be humbled, but the humble will be honored." Luke 18:13, 14 (NLT).
But where is the command for anyone to pray that prayer? Where is there any indication of "oughtness" to that text? Where are we told to do that? Where is the teaching that this is to be a universal and sufficient practice?
Wasn't the tax collector justified by that prayer?
Yes, but he is not a model of Christian conversion. He lived under the Old Testament Law and the old covenant (which was replaced by the new, instituted only when Christ died!) The old was made obsolete by the new!.
