The Sinner’s Prayer

There are many variations of the sinner’s prayer:

Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. In Your Name. Amen. –Billy Graham

Lord Jesus, I need You. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be. –Cru (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ)

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner. I believe You died for my sins. Right now, I turn from my sins and open the door of my heart and life. I confess You as my personal Lord and Savior. Thank You for saving me. Amen. –Greg Laurie Salvation Prayer

All these sinner’s prayers have five things in common:

1. Repentance: The sinner must acknowledge their sin and express remorse for it, demonstrating a sincere change of heart and a willingness to turn away from sin and follow God.
2. Faith in Jesus Christ: The sinner must express faith in Jesus Christ as the Savior and Lord, acknowledging that he died on the cross for their sins and rose again to give them eternal life.
3. Confession of sin: The sinner must confess their sins to God, acknowledging their sin and seeking God’s mercy and grace.
4. Surrender to God: The sinner must surrender their life to God, asking for His guidance and direction and demonstrating a willingness to submit to God’s will and follow His ways.
5. Sincerity and humility: The sinner’s prayer must be offered with sincerity and humility, reflecting a genuine desire to seek God’s forgiveness and to live a life that is pleasing to Him.

If you have a sincere heart and desire to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Please pray something like this:

Dear Lord Jesus, I come to you today as a sinner in need of forgiveness. I acknowledge that I have fallen short of your glory and I have sinned against you and others. I am truly sorry for my actions and I repent from the depths of my heart.

I believe that you died on the cross for my sins and rose again, so that I may have eternal life. I turn away from my sins and turn to you, Lord Jesus, as my Savior and Lord. I ask you to forgive me and cleanse me from all unrighteousness.

Thank you for your grace and mercy, Lord Jesus. I give my life to you and I ask that you fill me with your Holy Spirit and guide me in your ways. Help me to live a life that is pleasing to you and to serve you with all my heart. I pray this in your precious name, Amen.

Digging deeper

God accepts the sinner’s prayer when it is based on several key biblical principles, including:

1. Repentance: The sinner’s prayer involves acknowledging one’s sin and expressing remorse for it, which is a crucial aspect of repentance. Repentance is an important step in the process of salvation, as it demonstrates a sincere change of heart and a willingness to turn away from sin and follow God.
   • Acts 3:19 – “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.”
   • 2 Corinthians 7:10 – “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.”
   • Matthew 4:17 – “From that time on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.'”
2. Faith in Jesus Christ: The sinner’s prayer expresses faith in Jesus Christ as the Savior and Lord, and acknowledges that he died on the cross for our sins and rose again to give us eternal life. This faith is the cornerstone of salvation, as it is through faith in Jesus Christ that one can be forgiven and receive the gift of eternal life.
   • John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
   • Romans 10:9-10 – “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”
   • Ephesians 2:8-9 – “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”
   • Hebrews 11:6 – “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
   • 1 Peter 1:8-9 – “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”
3. Confession of sin: The sinner’s prayer involves confessing one’s sins to God, which is an important aspect of obtaining forgiveness. Confession is a way of acknowledging one’s sin and seeking God’s mercy and grace.
   • 1 John 1:9 – “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
   • Proverbs 28:13 – “He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.”
   • James 5:16 – “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”
   • Isaiah 59:2 – “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.”
   • Psalm 32:5 – “Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord’—and you forgave the guilt of my sin.”
4. Surrender to God: The sinner’s prayer involves surrendering one’s life to God and asking for His guidance and direction. This demonstrates a willingness to submit to God’s will and follow His ways.
   • Romans 12:1-2 – “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
   • Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”
   • James 4:7 – “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
   • Colossians 3:23-24 – “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
   • Proverbs 3:5-6 – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

Next steps

• Your sins have separated you from God – If God feels a million miles away, he didn’t move, but your sins have separated you, so answer his call to be restored today
• How to be justified by God in your prayers – Two men went up to the temple to pray. One was justified and the other was rejected. What was the difference? Which one are you?
• How long does it take to get right with God? – If it takes you longer than a moment to get right with God, you have a wrong concept of God’s love and mercy.
• Has God heard my prayers? Even unsaved? – God has heard prayers from unsaved people. Even a dying child can cry out to him. If you have called out to God, he has heard your prayers.
• Is your name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life? – Jesus Christ wrote your name in his book of life. Will you choose for it to be sealed for eternity or permanently blotted out?
• More impossible ways to lose your salvation – All these impossible things would have to happen for you to lose your salvation. None of these things can happen. Therefore, your salvation is secure.