How do you get saved?
One of my favorite soul-winning tools is the Bridge to Life[1] tract published by the Navigators. In only a few pages, the writers explain some of the fundamental truths that help people find Christ. It ends with what is often called a “sinner’s prayer,” and most believe that if you pray those words, believing in Jesus by faith, you will be saved.
I love the Bridge to Life. It is a powerful message in a world where most people imagine that God is at the top of a mountain, and any path you take that leads up the mountain is fine, because eventually we will all be together at the top. The Bridge to Life tract wisely changes the metaphor from a mountain to a canyon.
God is not waiting for the lost to climb a mountain to reach Him. Instead, the lost are separated from God by a canyon called sin. The only way across that canyon is the bridge—which is Jesus. Jesus and only Jesus can bridge the gap between man and God.
The Bridge to Life tract explains salvation in wonderful, simple terms.
But Biblical salvation is not a simple matter.
When Jesus met Zacchaeus, the tax collector was enthusiastic: “I’ll give half of my possessions to the poor, Lord! And if I have extorted anyone, I will pay back four times as much!” Jesus answered, “Today salvation has come to this house” Luke 19:8-9.
Where does the text report Zacchaeus praying a Sinner’s Prayer? Or did Zacchaeus purchase salvation with his money?
And what about the poor man who said, “God, be merciful to me a sinner!” and Jesus said he went home justified, Luke 18:14. All he did was beg for mercy. That’s not much of a Sinner’s Prayer.
What about the thief on the cross? He never read a Bridge to Life tract, never gave money to the church, and never got baptized or prayed a sinner’s prayer—maybe he never prayed at all. He simply looked at Jesus on the cross next to him and said, “Lord, remember me, when you come into your kingdom” and Jesus said, “Today, you will be with me in paradise” Luke 23:42-43.
Finally, Moses and Elijah appear from heaven and talk to Jesus in Matthew 17:2-8. We can assume these two and thousands more received salvation by faith though they lived long before Jesus. How were they saved if they had no tracts and no Sinner’s Prayers?
Jesus revealed a variety of salvation experiences, some not even involving prayer. But they are consistent: each person displayed a humble, repentant heart.
God is not waiting on the recitation of just the right combination of words, as though salvation could be acquired through some magical spell or incantation.
Instead, God is looking at the heart.
Have you repented of your sin? Have you trusted in Jesus alone, not yourself? Have you come to the end of your rope, the end of your human efforts? Are you ready to rely fully on Jesus and Him alone? If so, perhaps you are ready to be saved. I recommend the Bridge to Life tract as one that puts things in simple terms and can provide a great deal of helpful education to someone who is new to Christianity or new to the faith.
But remember: God looks on the heart. All the “Sinner’s Prayers” in the world will not save you if your heart is not humble before Him.
Read Luke 19.
ΑΩ
Household Words: 