The Sinner's Prayer

Ron Beard

January 13, 2026

The Sinner's Prayer

A lot of talk has been going around questioning the value and correctness of the sinner’s prayer. This is one of the most subtle, but heinous attacks on Christianity to come along in a long time. Several well-meaning Christians have jumped into the fray and supported this blatant assault on the church. They assume God needs their wisdom and spiritual guidance to redeem people. What they’re actually doing is destroying young converts’ faith and sowing discord. What is the doorway into Christianity? The sinner’s prayer. What is the easiest way to limit entrance into the kingdom of God? …….Shut the door! What do you think the response is when young, vulnerable, Christians hear that the prayer they prayed wasn’t quite the way into the kingdom. The enemies of the church are rejoicing. The more comments the better. The more opinions, the more confusion, the less people leading the lost with the sinner’s prayer. More believers wandering off. More seeds for the birds to carry away because of a lack of understanding of the tactics of the enemy. “A HOUSE DIVIDED CANNOT STAND”! Division is the primary weapon of the enemy. Getting Christians to disagree, then magnifying differences destroys the influence of the gospel and the church. Jesus died in our place. His prayer is that we would be One. One body, One Spirit, and the gates of hell won’t prevail. We are free to disagree with each other but it must be done in love. “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, that you love one another” John 13:35.

It's not you that converts a sinner.

The Gospel is the power of God Rom.1:16.
In 1Cor.3:6, Paul planted, Apollos watered, AND GOD GAVE THE INCREASE!
Ephesians 2:8-9 confirms we are saved by grace, through faith, and that saving faith IS A GIFT FROM GOD.
The sinner’s prayer is based on Romans 10:9. “If we confess with our mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead YOU WILL BE SAVED”. Who is the “sinner” talking to, when they confess with their mouth? God? So, isn’t that prayer? And when the Christian praying with them leads the prayer, isn’t it to make sure the new creation gets the most out of his/her conversion experience? And has a guide to lead them into all truth?