Keeping the Message Clear
To anyone who uses the phrases I am about to warn against (and anyone who might consider using them): I am for the gospel. I am for its spread. I am for its glorious proclamation. I am for making it more fully and clearly known. I am for letting people know that they are enemies of God but can be reconciled to Him through the blood sacrifice of Christ. I am for people becoming genuinely converted from hearts of stone to hearts of flesh (Ezekiel 11:19), from a life lived in darkness to a life lived in the light (John 3). With these commitments in mind, let me say that I am convinced that phrases like "accept Christ" or "ask Jesus into your heart" hinder this process. I believe they hinder the communication of the gospel because they are not descriptive of God's good news or His required response to said news, and we (all Christians, not just professional theologians) should be striving with all our might to make it as clear as possible (Col 4:3-4), if indeed we believe it is so vital and so central to the faith (Gal 1:6-9). I see no Biblical precedent for these phrases, and have no reason to believe they either clearly communicate or sufficiently summarize the only right response to the gospel; therefore, it is my conviction that they ought to be discarded from our vocabulary. Two more phrases come up in my mind that I must address when I discuss this issue of clarity in gospel presentation. The first is "praying the prayer." This prayer is also referred to as "the prayer of salvation" or "the sinner's prayer" and usually is repeated after the evangelist who is leading the prayer phrase by phrase (though I did not repeat after someone when I prayed this prayer for the first time). Often, when I ask people their testimonies, they point to the time they "prayed the prayer" as the time when they became a Christian, and are unable to articulate that event beyond this phrase without serious coaching. The use of this phrase elevates outward conformity above the heart change that needs to happen, namely repentance from (turning from, hating) sin and faith (belief, trust) in Jesus Christ (Luke 13:1-5, Eph 2:8-9). Regardless whether we strive to be assured of someone's understanding of the gospel before leading them in "the prayer" or whether we tell people that there are no magic words, when we say things like "You can repent now by praying…" or "You can commit your life to Christ by praying…" we reveal a soteriology that says the prayer of commitment is the key to ensuring God will save you, rather than that the commitment itself is the key: biblical repentance and faith. The second phrase I must address is "rededicate your life." This is also a favorite of many testimonies I've heard in the church. Besides being a contradiction in terms (If you were truly dedicated, you wouldn't have to rededicate), it is a concept found nowhere in the Bible. In short, Christians continue walking with Christ. They don't "leave" Christ and then come back as if nothing happened, clutching their ticket to heaven the whole time. If professing believers leave, it proves that they were not committed (read: dedicated) to Christ to begin with! This is not a cop out; it is the Biblical position (1 John 2:19), and it's called the Perseverance of the Saints. When we think about it in those terms, rededication makes no sense - how can you redo something you haven't done before? Saints (Christians) continue in their faith. They endure. Rededication is people's excuse for claiming to be a Christian while living in sin. Bobby Blakey wrote an excellent blog on this subject a while ago that lines up quite accurately with the Bible's teachings on the issue. I encourage you to check it out right here. He makes the case quickly, but it's also enlightening to read the comments afterwards. I hope it's clear that I am passionate for the lost, and I would be greatly encouraged to hear your heart on the issue as well (Romans 10:1). I love evangelism and wish more people would do it. I want everyone to be saved from the wrath of God to enjoy fellowship with the Trinity and glory in the gospel as much as (and more fully than) I do. I want them to be so overwhelmed with the Holy Spirit and with joy and with gratefulness that they'd want others to experience what they'd experienced. That includes unchurched people and churched people. In light of these things I urge you: strive for clarity and cling to the scriptures. They are your authority. They give you the right to speak with authority. I hope this blog comes as an encouragement to press on through the struggles of laboring to present the gospel clearly. You may get discouraged at times. People might get uncomfortable when you get clear about what it is and clear about what it isn't. I plead with, admonish, encourage, and charge you to keep first things first. And that is the gospel (1 Cor 15). Keep it clear and keep it clearly the center. Grace be with you. So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter. Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word. - 2 Thess 2:15-17
