10 Reasons why you should not "Ask Jesus into your heart!" UGH!

[BrotherTony]

The article posted was posted in the forum addressed "Southern Baptists" on Facebook recently. It has also been sent to me by several Calvinist friends.....I can't say that I agree with the information as posted....What do you think? Though this is posted in the SB forum on FB, I'm finding that many of my Calvinist IFB friends believe what is posted in this article as well. I thought that ""believe on the Lord Jesus Christ" WAS asking Jesus into ones heart....apparently, the writer of the article disagrees.

https://truthingrace.com/2009/07/21/ten-reasons-not-to-ask-jesus-into-your-heart-by-todd-friel/?fbclid=IwAR1hF6LYnvyA9JcDooGCQhrV5RudO8C_joOpXeW61USZU8RbHwsoalhLo1s

[John Young]

While threr is "better terminology" to use, I have no problem with asking people to accept Christ that way. The concept is taken from various passages dealing with the heart and the work Christ does within our hearts. One of the passages is:

Ephesians 3:14-19 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19 and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

Matthew 7:7-9 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8 for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?

[Jerry]

Agreed.

Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

What door is Christ knocking on? You can make the application that He is knocking on the door of the Laodicean church which He is standing outside of - BUT all the letters to the churches in Revelation 2-3 have a personal, individual application, and that is the primary application. A church congregation does not become saved and an overcomer in Christ, but the individual does. Therefore, again, what door is Christ knocking at? Either way you phrase it - the door of their life or of their heart - it amounts to the same thing.

I said all this because I have actually met people that teach it is unbiblical to ask Jesus into your heart or teach that He does come into their heart - yet the New Testament teaches that in multiples places, as John quoted above.

Also, the Lord God saves us because of our faith in His finished work of redemption for us - I find nowhere in Scripture that the actual wording is what matters; what matters is calling out to Him in faith to save you, regardless of whether you ask Him to save you, to forgive your sins, to come into your heart, etc.

[wretched]

Amen, it has always been about the heart. 

And since the door is the door to the heart, likewise also the calling out to the Lord must be from the heart (not just the mouth), the full heart, the holding nothing back of this world in the heart, heart. What He calls the "pure heart". The heart that wants to now follow Jesus' Life Example and no longer fallen Adam's.

 

[MikeWatson1]

On 3/19/2022 at 11:21 AM, Jerry said:

Agreed.

Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

What door is Christ knocking on? You can make the application that He is knocking on the door of the Laodicean church which He is standing outside of - BUT all the letters to the churches in Revelation 2-3 have a personal, individual application, and that is the primary application. A church congregation does not become saved and an overcomer in Christ, but the individual does. Therefore, again, what door is Christ knocking at? Either way you phrase it - the door of their life or of their heart - it amounts to the same thing.

I said all this because I have actually met people that teach it is unbiblical to ask Jesus into your heart or teach that He does come into their heart - yet the New Testament teaches that in multiples places, as John quoted above.

Also, the Lord God saves us because of our faith in His finished work of redemption for us - I find nowhere in Scripture that the actual wording is what matters; what matters is calling out to Him in faith to save you, regardless of whether you ask Him to save you, to forgive your sins, to come into your heart, etc.

Well the Revelation 3:20 verse would be about church membership.   The figurative door to the local church.  That would be the application.

Of course there are other verses about entrusting your salvation with Jesus aka the sinners prayer.. like Romans 10 and many verses in the book of John,  but Revelation 3:20?  Thats clearly a whole local church application  with little to with receiving eternal life.

It's a local church overcoming Luke warmness.  That's the application. 

[Martyr_4_FutureJoy]

On 3/18/2022 at 11:09 PM, wretched said:

Amen, it has always been about the heart. 

And since the door is the door to the heart, likewise also the calling out to the Lord must be from the heart (not just the mouth), the full heart, the holding nothing back of this world in the heart, heart. What He calls the "pure heart". The heart that wants to now follow Jesus' Life Example and no longer fallen Adam's.

 

Without a pure heart no one will see heaven.   How many people have said they "asked Jesus" into their heart,  decades ago or recently,  yet never obey Him ?   Will Jesus Say "Why do you call me Lord,  but don't do what I say ? "  to them ? 

[MikeWatson1]

On 3/18/2022 at 11:56 PM, BrotherTony said:

The article posted was posted in the forum addressed "Southern Baptists" on Facebook recently. It has also been sent to me by several Calvinist friends.....I can't say that I agree with the information as posted....What do you think? Though this is posted in the SB forum on FB, I'm finding that many of my Calvinist IFB friends believe what is posted in this article as well. I thought that ""believe on the Lord Jesus Christ" WAS asking Jesus into ones heart....apparently, the writer of the article disagrees.

https://truthingrace.com/2009/07/21/ten-reasons-not-to-ask-jesus-into-your-heart-by-todd-friel/?fbclid=IwAR1hF6LYnvyA9JcDooGCQhrV5RudO8C_joOpXeW61USZU8RbHwsoalhLo1s

I think he is doing what so many do... saying a saved person WILL do good works.  Not that they may if they rely on Jesus.. but it is guaranteed they will.

So it's works based salvation. 

I see nothing wrong with asking Jesus into your heart  ... as long as the person knows in some way Jesus is God... that He lived sinless, that He died and rose again and that by believing in Him they have eternal life. AKA Romans 10: 9-10. John 3:16.

There will be evidence of conversion and of course there are false converts, but praying to receive Christ is scriptural. 

 

 

 

 

[Jerry]

On 12/26/2022 at 3:49 PM, MikeWatson1 said:

Well the Revelation 3:20 verse would be about church membership.   The figurative door to the local church.  That would be the application.

Of course there are other verses about entrusting your salvation with Jesus aka the sinners prayer.. like Romans 10 and many verses in the book of John,  but Revelation 3:20?  Thats clearly a whole local church application  with little to with receiving eternal life.

It's a local church overcoming Luke warmness.  That's the application. 

Actually, all seven letters to the churches in Revelation 2-3 are addressed to individuals, and they are exhorted to be overcomers (which according to 1 John 5, refers to getting saved). All seven letters have to do with ensuring that we are trusting in Christ and repenting of any sin in our lives. Revelation 3:20 specifically states "any man, him, he" - all statements regarding individuals listening to/reading that letter.