But I Prayed the Prayer...

I’ve been thinking lately about true salvation and what it really means to be a follower of Jesus. Many people, when asked, would call themselves Christians, but when you press them further and begin to ask them more questions, their commitment to Christ seems very shallow and even nonexistent. After reading that last sentence, you might say, “Who are you to judge them?! You don’t know their heart!” and many other things like that. You’re right that I don’t know their heart, but I can see their actions. What’s in our hearts and mind is proven by what we say and what we do.

A person who repeats the word of God is not a judge, but a messenger.  

That’s all I’m trying to be today. I’m not writing this to “judge” anyone, but to bring attention to the words of God, and let His word judge your heart. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Let God’s word judge your heart as you read this and let the Holy Spirit convict you if necessary.

But I confessed Jesus as Lord, I prayed the prayer!

Romans 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Many people have read this scripture and think they are saved because they repeat a prayer. Making a confession of faith is part of salvation, but it does not guarantee salvation. For example, just because I stand in a garage and call myself a car, does not make me a car. It would take a miracle to transform me into a car. The same is true of salvation. Coming to church and claiming to be a Christian does not make you a Christian. It takes a miracle to make you a Christian. The miracle of salvation is accomplished by God’s grace, through our faith (Ephesians 2:8). Again people say, “Well I have faith in God, I believe.” So then, is faith and a belief the same thing? James, the brother of Jesus, tells us that even demons believe in God (James 2:19). So, how come demons don’t get to go to heaven if believing in God is the same thing as faith? Let’s read James 2:14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him Most everyone who claims to be a Christian would say that “faith” actually can save you. But James is saying here that faith without works CANNOT save you. 

To really understand what James means, we need to look at a few words and their meanings in the Greek language. Stay with me here and allow me to be your nerdy Bible friend. The word in Romans 10:9 that is translated “believe” is actually the Greek word “pisteuo.” This word is a verb or an action word, and it means: to think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, place confidence in. Because this word is a verb, it literally means to be so persuaded of something that it forces you to action. In James 2:14, the word used for faith is “pistis.” This word is a noun, and it means conviction of the truth of anything. The basic difference between these two words is that one is an action based upon a belief, and one is simply a belief. This is how in Romans faith saves you and in James, it doesn’t. The faith James is talking about is mental assent to truth and not a deep-rooted conviction that governs your lifestyle.

What is True Saving Faith?

I believe many people who claim to be Christian have the faith that James is talking about. Their faith is nothing more than a simple acknowledgment that God is real.

Let’s look at Matthew 7:17-23 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19E very tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them. 21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22nMany will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

Notice in verse 21 it backs up what I’ve been talking about. Just because someone claims that Jesus is their Lord, it does not mean they have experienced the miracle of salvation. Titus 1:16 says, “They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work.”  

Have you ever heard the statement, “Your actions speak louder than your words?” That statement really sums up what the Bible is trying to teach us. To simply say that Jesus is your Lord, or to pray a prayer does not mean that He is the Lord of your life.

The true test of your salvation is not seen in your confession, but rather in your lifestyle.

In Acts 2, Peter was asked by a large group of people what they had to do in order to be saved. Peter replies and says in Acts 2:38, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Repent is not a word we like in our society. To repent means: to change one’s mind for better, heartily to amend with abhorrence of one’s past sins. This word is also a verb. Peter is saying that, if you want to be saved, you have to change the way you think about sin and about God. You have to believe that He is Lord and give your life to Him. You can’t have your own opinion about sin and what’s right or wrong. This is where most people get tripped up; they have a hard time accepting the absolutes of scripture. For example, the Bible calls lying, sex before marriage, drunkenness, pride, and homosexuality all sin. Sin needs to be repented of in order to be saved. This means you can’t continue to live a lifestyle of sin and be a Christian (see 1 John 3:9 & Galatians 5:19-21). To be a Christian means that the person you used to be was crucified with Christ, and the life you live, now is patterned after Jesus. As we read earlier in Matthew 7, a good tree, or a Christian, will produce good, Christian fruit. 

We all sin, does that mean I’m not saved?

Now I am not saying as a Christian you are never allowed to sin, for Proverbs 24:16 teaches that a righteous man may fall seven times, but he gets up again. Of course, Christians fall and sin some times and are still saved. What makes you saved is not that you never sin, but that you get back up after sinning and begin the fight against sin again. When you are saved, you fight against sin; you don’t continue in it without remorse.

Humbly Test Your Faith

2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.  

This scripture says you are to examine yourself. I pray you will think about what I’ve written and test your faith. Is your faith what James talks about? A faith that is nothing more than mental assent to truth? Or is it the faith of Romans 10:9? A faith that has caused you to live a new life in Christ? I pray the Holy Spirit will reveal your heart and your “faith” to you. May He convict you if need be or give you confidence in your salvation.