The message of the gospel plays a very important role in our salvation. Simply repeating a prayer without hearing and believing the gospel does not get you saved. Many preachers claim they preach the gospel but they don’t. They just give random motivational speeches and then round it up with an altar call where they ask their audience to repeat a prayer. This article is designed to show the importance of the preaching of the gospel of salvation.
Introduction
A lot of people claim to be saved but do not understand what it means to be saved. Many of them can’t even articulate the gospel, I used to be one of them. This is because all they did on the day they claim to get saved was that they repeated a prayer, which by they way, some people do everyday. Simply repeating a prayer without hearing and believing the gospel does not get you saved. A lot of believers need to be genuinely born again, and this article will help you do just that. I will explain the importance of the gospel and how a sinner should respond to it.
Many preachers claim that they preach the gospel but they don’t. They just give random motivational speeches and then round it up with an altar call where they ask their audience to repeat a prayer. The problem is that a lot of ‘preachers’ do not know what the gospel is or what it means to preach it.
Simply repeating a prayer without hearing and believing the gospel does not get you saved.
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The Sinner’s Prayers
Many preachers have replaced the preaching of the gospel with just asking people to repeat a prayer after them. They will preach random messages on attractive subjects like blessings and breakthroughs, victory over your battles, divine healing, etc. The message would have nothing to do with to gospel, no mention of sin, repentance, death, burial and resurrection of Christ, and trusting in the blood.
The message on blessing just tells the people how much material blessings they can receive from God, if they give enough, of course. It is usually full of Old Testament stories of blessings for people like Abraham, and Old Testament verses about the promises of physical blessings given to Israel. In the end, the preacher will say something like: “If you want to receive these blessings, you need to give your life to Jesus. Come forward now and repeat this prayer after me.”
The one on battles would talk about all that the devils, witches and wizards can do to harm you. It is usually filled with the negative stories of those who were afflicted in the Bible times in addition to all the bad human experiences of our days – horrific stories that can scare people and even make you have nightmares. In the end, the preacher will say something like: “If you want God to deliver you from these powers, you need to give your life to Jesus. Come forward now and repeat this prayer after me.”
When it comes to healing, it will be all about stories of miraculous healings in the Bible coupled with the story and ‘testimonies’ of those who claim they have received miraculous healing. The preachers would often add the story of his own healing events. He will make the people believe that if they are Christians, they aren’t supposed to be sick. In the end, the preacher will say something like: “If you want God to heal you today and take away all your diseases, you need to give your life to Jesus. Come forward now and repeat this prayer after me.”
As you can see from these three illustrations, not only are the people invited to Christ for the wrong reason, they didn’t even hear the gospel. The purpose for which Jesus Christ died was never mentioned. The people will repeat the prayers, but with blessings, healing, or deliverance in mind, which the preacher had promised they would receive if they gave their lives to Jesus. This is manipulation and will not lead to regeneration in the lives of the people.
The prayers would go something like this:
“Lord Jesus, I come to you today, I know I’m a sinner and I cannot save myself, I ask that you forgive my sinners and give me the gift of eternal life. I accept you as my Lord and Savior, come into my heart today, in Jesus name.”
The prayer above is not bad in itself if it goes with the preaching of the gospel and proper understanding by those who are repeating the prayer. But it means nothing if the audience has not heard the gospel or if they are repeating the prayer in order to make God give them material blessings, healings, or deliverance. We need to let the people understand why Christ died for them and why they must believe in Him.
If a sermon is preached without the mention of the gospel, there will be no basis for a sinner’s belief from the heart because the right information that brings about salvation was not given.
The people will repeat the prayers, but with blessings, healing, or deliverance in mind, which the preacher had promised they would receive if they gave their lives to Jesus.
The Altar Call
The altar call is the moment that comes at the end of the message when the listeners are invited to repeat a prayer. Depending on the preacher’s preferences, he may ask the people to come forward, stand up, or just simply raise their hands. To some people, you can’t even be saved if you do not openly come out during altar calls.
The preacher will give them the prayer to repeat, he tells them they are now born again because they repeated that prayer and then some Ushers will collect their information to be added to the database of those who have been born again.
No altar call or sinners prayers will take away your sin of get you saved if you’ve never heard the gospel of the cross. There is no such things as sinner’s prayers in the Bible, yet that is the gospel that many preachers preach today. The sinner’s prayers have replaced the preaching of the Cross on many pulpits today.
No altar call or sinners prayers will take away your sin of get you saved if you’ve never heard the gospel of the cross.
The Sinner’s Prayer Does Not Save
Which gospel did you listen to when you said you got saved? Can you still remember? If you can no longer remember, what would you say is the thing you’re trusting in today to take away your sin? Your self-discipline, self-righteousness, religious activities, the prayers you’re repeating every day, or the shed blood of Christ?
If a person prays without trusting Christ for his salvation, the prayer does not make a difference. Only the preaching of the gospel can lead to conviction of sin and in turn the reason to believe.
The Sinners and their Prayers
Another argument for preaching the gospel instead of just giving the sinners prayer is that an unsaved sinner in not in good standing with God. Prayers for forgiveness will be ineffective without trusting in the blood of Jesus Christ.
When you are an unsaved sinner, you’re an enemy of God.
Romans 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
Colossians 1:20-21 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. 21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled.
Our sins separated us from God. Being a sinner and unforgiven is like being locked out of your home because you lost your keys.
Isaiah 59:1-2 ¶ Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: 2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
When it comes to our enmity with God which was the result of our sins, the way to get back is through Christ. You need to be redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ and become born again.
Until then, God has no respect for your prayers. If you don’t believe me, take a look at the following scriptures:
Proverbs 1:28-29 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: 29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD.
Isaiah 1:15-16 And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood. 16 ¶ Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil.
Ezekiel 8:17-18 Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose. 18 Therefore will I also deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them.
John 9:31 Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.
Maybe now you wish you could ask me why God is blessing those who do not believe in Jesus and they are in the world. You need to remember that a lot of things are available to you today whether you’re saved or not. But something you can never attain outside of Christ is salvation.
It is therefore better to share the gospel to a sinner, rather than giving him a prayer to repeat.
Only the preaching of the gospel can lead to conviction of sin and in turn the reason to believe.
You Must Hear and Believe the Gospel
Salvation begins with hearing and believing the gospel. Without that, no one can get saved. This is why the preaching of the gospel is of the utmost importance. In Romans 1:16, the Bible says:
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” Romans 1:16.
The three very important things that must not be missed in the above verse are:
- the gospel of Christ
- the power of God unto salvation
- every one the believeth
According to the above verse, the gospel of Christ when it is believed, grants the believers the power to receive salvation. This is identical to the point of John 1:10-12:
John 1:10-12 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
The way to receive Christ is through “the gospel of Christ”. Which means that an unsaved person has to hear and believe the gospel in other to be saved. as you can see, this point agrees with Ephesian 1:13:
Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise.
See also:
Romans 10:9-11 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
The process of getting saved is by hearing the word of truth which is also the gospel, and believing. So, what happens to those who do not know what the gospel is but have only repeated the sinner’s prayers? Can they be saved without hearing and believing the gospel? I do not think so!
What is the Gospel?
The message of the gospel is not complicated. It is actually very simple. It is all about what Christ did, the blood that He shed, for our sins. Take a look at the passage below:
1 Corinthians 15:1-4 ¶ Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.
The gospel says you’re a sinner, you have offended God and your sins have consequences. You cannot save yourself, Christ died for your sins and He rose again. Believe with all your heart that His redemptive work was done on your behalf, for your sins. That is all it take to be saved.
You can accept or reject the message of salvation, but the only good choice you can make today is to believe in Jesus Christ. If you feel like repeating a prayer after that, you can ahead and do it.
Thank you for reading.
