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The following article will demonstrate the role of God in salvation. I will demonstrate first that God is the Initiator of salvation, not man, therefore giving all the glory to God alone. This work, while apologetic in nature, will put forth a doxological tone as it is an attempt to increase our understanding of God as He has revealed himself in Scripture. It is to Him alone, the author and finisher of our faith, to whom all glory is due. My goal is not to build a case simply to win an argument, nor is it to merely convey theological aspects of God to increase intellectual knowledge of Him as a subject. Theological arguments will in fact be made with sufficient Scripture references and historical references, but my goal is, however, to make this work available to those who have a sincere desire for a closer relationship with God, not those looking for just theology. If you do prefer good theology, there will be humble attempts at bits of exegesis and hermeneutical dissection of texts, based on the original languages.

With television, radio and the Internet becoming more and more accessible to various “Christian” ministries, it isn’t very difficult to find the truth of scripture smudged and twisted as it is often obscured by slogans and cliché. A common teaching that we hear about is regarding our relationship with God. We are repeatedly told that it’s all about a personal relationship with Jesus. There seems to be quite an emphasis on this relationship we’re supposed to have. It is being taught that God doesn’t want religion, He wants a relationship. Or, it’s not about theology, it’s about a relationship. Even worst, many times it is preached that it is all about a love relationship. So there seems to be this type of relationship that as Christians we are to pursue. Off the top of your head, can you name any verses that explicitly say how our relationship is to be? Does the Bible teach that we are even to have this type of relationship with God? Can you name any verses that explicitly state that it is all about our relationship to God? Can you name one?

Where does one go in Scripture to prove these statements that are being made by almost every pastor and evangelist? Those are some tough questions for today’s Christian to answer. Let me just warn you that it is quite dangerous to believe everything you hear or read, no matter who it comes from, unless it has biblical warrant. You should never believe something just because someone told it to you. You should believe it if it’s true. If it is biblical, then it’s true. We should examine all things by Scripture and hold fast to what is good.

Let me make my point a little clearer. A famous American evangelist has hosted a mass-evangelism crusade for many years now. These crusades have become available to anyone in the world with a television set. Most recently, I watched one on local television that was in New York, broadcast all over (I was in Los Angeles when I saw it) that sums it up pretty well. The show had various Christian testimonies of people that had overcome adversities, ascribing their success to them being Christians and having a personal relationship with Jesus.

Again, the slogan is used without any clear definition of what it is. The message being conveyed is that a Christian is one who has a personal relationship with Jesus. While this is going on, they even put a toll-free number on the bottom of the screen, like an infomercial that read: To begin your personal relationship with Jesus, cal 1 (800) 123-4567 (not the actual number). This personal relationship is as easy as a phone call, a toll-free phone call. They have prayer counselors waiting on the other line ready to show you how you can have a personal relationship with God.

This must have been seen by millions of people. The callers and those watching the show are told that they simply have to repeat a few sentences with their eyes closed, so that it becomes a prayer, and if they’re sincere, then they’re going to heaven when they die and they have begun a personal relationship with Jesus. They call it “The Sinners Prayer”. It goes something like: Dear Jesus, I am sorry for my sins, please come into my heart, and so on. I’m sure you’ve heard it before. Perhaps you’ve even repeated the so called prayer yourself. I don’t see anything inherently wrong with this sentence, but it is definitely missing something.

The prayer does not presuppose an understanding of the damnation that faces sinners due to their sin, which has separated them from God. Nor does it affirm the Incarnation of Christ as the God-Man who bridges the gap between God and man. The prayer also lacks an understanding that repentance is commanded, nor is repentance defined or even mentioned. The prayer does not involve the one motion of turning from sin and to God, which is biblical repentance. Nor does it celebrate the wonderful grace of Jesus that reaches out to save sinners. The prayer is not really a prayer; it’s more of a magical sentence of spiritual words that is uttered in hope that it will fulfill the promise as laid out by the evangelist.

After the prayer is completed, the next step is the assurance of salvation. The prayer counselor will tell you that from this very moment in time, based on what you just did, you are saved and will go to heaven when you die. They then go on to assure you that absolutely nothing can reverse this automatic guarantee of salvation and that you are secure in Christ and that there are angels rejoicing in heaven right now because your name was just written in the book of life, never to be blotted out.

I would challenge anyone to find the “Sinners Prayer” in Scripture. Not a challenge for challenge sake, but a challenge to challenge your current beliefs in this system. It is a little unfair, because I already know that you won’t find it in Scripture, because it isn’t there. It is not a biblical truth that we as Christians should believe or promote.

So what does the Bible actually say about salvation? Is it the result of a prayer that we say? Does it depend on the toll-free number we call? Who initiates it? How can I know if I am saved? Was my name really written in the book of life after I prayed the Sinners Prayer? There are so many questions that come up after seeing this type of mass evangelism sold to the public. As a product, can it stand the examination of quality control?

By the grace of God, I will attempt to demonstrate the following truths that are found in Scripture:

That God initiates salvation, not man, and that is why He alone deserves the glory and our praise!

These doctrines are critical to the Christian and extend far beyond the realm of head knowledge. They affect the way we live our every day lives, the way we respond to adversity and they also affect and determine our relationship with God. Our prayers are affected, our worship is affected and I believe that our sanctification is affected. A proper understanding of these truths will shape our faith into a mature, immovable faith so that when the heavy wind of trial blows, we won’t be knocked over. Let’s get started. Let’s examine these statements and see if they pass the test of Scripture.

1) That God initiates salvation, not man, and that is why He alone deserves the glory and our praise!

What does the Scripture say about the nature of man after the fall of Adam? Well, in the very next chapter after the fall account in Genesis 3, Cain kills Abel in ch. 4.. Then we read: The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (Gen. 6:5). The LORD was grieved to his heart that he had made man, he was sorry that he had made man on the earth. He decided to blot out man from the earth, as well as the animals, creeping things and the birds of the heavens because he was sorry that he made them v.7. All of this is because he saw the wickedness of man, and that even the intentions of the thought of his heart, not just the thoughts themselves, but the intentions were evil continually (v. 5). However, the LORD is a loving God, he loves those whom he has chosen, and in verse 8 we see the passage of first mention of the redemptive love that God has for his people, his loving grace.

But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD (Gen 6:8)

My pastor, Dr. Robert Morey, never hesitates to mention that there is such a thing as “but-ology”. He calls it the study of the “but’s” of the bible. Whenever we come across that word during his exposition, he always has us circle the word “but” because it has a significant impact on the passage. It contrasts two statements, usually directly to the preceding statement, and here is a beautiful example. The LORD was sorry he made man, he decides to destroy man – but – Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.

We all know the story that follows. The command to build the ark, the 40 day flood and the wonderful everlasting covenant that God made with Noah an all living creatures, never again to destroy all flesh by the waters. The favor that Noah found was grace. He did not deserve to be spared, he and his household. He found – by way of surprise – the favor or grace in the eyes of the LORD. He owes his salvation to God. He cannot boast before God that he earned this favor, otherwise it would not be favor it would be a reward. The Hebrew word here means favor or grace, unmerited favor.

This is what is called the passage of first mention, a hermeneutical principle that gives precedence to the context in which something is used for the first time in scripture. Here in Genesis 6, we find the passage of first mention of grace.

When we go to the New Testament, we see the same thing – man’s need for God’s grace. The Apostle Paul writes: For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. (Rom. 1:18). One may say “well, he’s talking about the unrighteous only, not everyone, God’s wrath isn’t upon the godly or the righteous, it says the ungodly and unrighteous”. True, it does say that. But doesn’t scripture tell us that none are righteous, not even one? Let’s look at Romans 3:10-18.

10. “As it is written: None is righteous, no, not one;
11. no one understands; no one seeks for God.
12. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
No one does good, not even one.”
13. ‘Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.’
The venom of asps is under their lips.”
14. “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
15. “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16. in their paths are ruin and misery,
17. and the way of peace they have not known.”
18. “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

This passage in Romans 3 is actually a compilation of selected Psalms that the Apostle Paul used in order to make his point that all are under sin. Most reference bibles will footnote this in the margin. Sometimes I wonder if Paul was recalling these portions of Scripture from memory or if Tertius, (the secretary that wrote the epistle to the Romans for Paul as Paul dictated it to him), was thumbing through the scroll of the Psalms, highlighting which ones to include as Paul called them out. Anyhow, just an off-track observation, but I do wonder.

But as the Apostle uses these passages of Scripture that were already in existence in the scrolls of the Psalms, his doctrinal discourse comes with even more of a significant impact because it is a direct quotation from the Inner Life Wisdom Literature that was prevalent in the day. No one that read or heard this in the first century could argue with the fact that none is righteous, not even one, for it is a direct quotation of Holy Scripture. To go against the Pauline doctrine here is to go against Scripture itself.

The same holds true today. If you believe that there is enough good in someone, that apart from Christ, or outside of Christ they will be acceptable before God on the basis of this goodness, then you must face reality, there is none righteous, no, not one.

Paul goes on to say that there is none that understands; no one seeks after God. If God did not initiate salvation, which is the point I’m arguing for here, then no one would ever be saved on their own initiative. How can we? None understands and none seek after God. How exactly are we supposed to be in a situation where it is even remotely possible for us to initiate salvation? We don’t understand and we’re not seeking after God. However, the beauty of God’s grace is here again on display and is once again about to point right back to him when it comes time for glory, because he on the other hand, unlike us, does understand. And he, glory to God, seeks after us. Left to ourselves, we all turn aside and become worthless (v. 12a).

In John Chapter 3, the passage about Nicodemus, we read:

3:1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

The famous “born again” passage.

This particular phrase was made popular by American Evangelicals of the 20th century. We have no record in church history prior to the 20th century of Christians identifying themselves as “born again Christians”. You may wonder why I’m making such a big deal about this label “born again”. The popular slogan of our day “born again” comes from v.3 and v.7. We hear that we must be born again, and that we are born again if we initiate salvation by praying the Sinner’s Prayer. It is a modern phenomenon to be born again. The only problem is that it’s not in the Greek. In v.3 where Jesus says: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”, the Greek word used that is translated “again” is the word “anothen” (phonetically spelled) which does not mean “again”, it means “from above”. So the correct translation is: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” And the word translated “see” (as in cannot see the kingdom) is a term that can be rendered “understand”, as in no one understands. It’s kind of like “do you see what I’m saying?” It means understand or comprehend. If we look in the New Testament for this word “anothen” to see how it is used elsewhere, we find something quite different than “again”. For a more thorough treatment on the NT usage of anothen, listen to the 2 disc lecture series Verse Abuse by Dr. Robert Morey available at www.faithdefenders.com

When someone professes to be “born again”, we need not correct them because they may indeed have been “born again” by the Spirit who gives life. After all, Jn. 3:8 says: The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” I am not saying that a rebirth isn’t necessary, it most definitely is. All I’m saying is that it doesn’t say “born again” in the text.

If you believe that man can initiate his own salvation by mouthing certain spiritual words in the form of a prayer, you must prove that it is consistent with what Scripture teaches. Here in John chapter 3, Jesus makes no mention of a Sinner’s Prayer at all. He doesn’t even hint at it. In fact, to say that somehow you can take this passage and shake it around every which way and somehow end up with this formula of salvation that comes by way of the prayer, is to grossly misinterpret Scripture and in fact go directly against the current of what it does in fact truly say.

Jesus says that just as the wind blows as it wishes (we have no control of the wind), and we hear its sound (realized evidence by way of our sensory perception that there is wind blowing), but we don’t know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit. If it is possible to speak a magical sentence and jump through hoops down here on earth and as a result, obtain eternal life, then it is possible to make the wind blow where we wish it to blow. Jesus said: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born from above he cannot understand the kingdom of God.”

Where is the Sinner’s prayer said; above or down here? We’re born down here as sinners, under the wrath of God. None are righteous, not even one. If you want salvation, you need to look above. If you have experienced regeneration by His grace, then the glory is due above, because salvation comes “anothen”.

With that understood, let’s see if it glorifies God all the more when we read such passages as:

Ephesians 2:1-10

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But (there’s the but again) God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Or Colosians 2:8-15

See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. 11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.
There is absolutely no room in biblical doctrine to allow man any part other than his rebellion and sin to his salvation. It is by grace through faith. Without the intervention of God, salvation would be impossible. Scripture not only tells us that no one seeks after God, but it also tells us that man according to the flesh is not able to please God.

Romans 8:5-8

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

Ask yourself; is repenting from your sins pleasing to God? Is believing in Jesus pleasing to God? If your answer is yes, then are those things done in the flesh or in the Spirit? If we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind (Eph. 2:3), and if now we are in Christ and able to please God in the Spirit, who must have initiated salvation? If it were man, in the flesh, then how could we have pleased God? Which one is right: Scripture or those who promote the Sinner’s Prayer? Read the passages again, you’ll get your answer.

The reason for this brief survey of biblical texts is to uncover glorious truths that are absent from modern “evangelical” pulpits. The truth that God saves sinners and not the other way around should be heralded triumphantly in praise and adoration for our Savior. It should be a truth that resounds at the very core of our prayer life. It should boost our confidence in evangelism because we know the God who saves! Imagine if it were all up to our own craftiness to persuade people to say the Sinner’s Prayer, it would be a madhouse of a church. It would be about slick sales pitches and manipulation techniques all aimed at the goal of getting people to spit out the words, and we would get the glory!

It is God who initiates salvation, and anyone who claims otherwise has the tremendous task of building a biblical case that they can prove from Scripture. However great a task it may be, and however unsuccessful my argument may seem, I am on the side of truth, the side of Scripture, and I invite you to follow the teaching of Scripture on such things as this, and others, and submit your thinking to the Lordship of Christ.

It is the Father who elects, the Son who redeems and the Holy Spirit who applies salvation to sinners. Prayer and worship is the reversal of this process. It is by the Spirit, through the Son and to the Father that our prayers and worship is received. We have a Trinitarian God wherein all 3 persons of the one God are active and working together to accomplish the will of God. This is the premise from which our relationship stems. We’re born sinners condemned to an eternity of the flames of hell, fanned by the wrath of God. We’re born in union with Adam, our federal head. Our natural relationship with God is as His enemy, a hated enemy! If God has broken through your wicked ways, and in spite of your filthiness, saved you by grace, then he has brought you into a new relationship with Him. He sent His Son to purchase you, pay your debt, forgive your sins and grant you eternal life. If you love Him, it’s because He first loved you. He initiated your salvation and he deserves the glory. Without the reconciliation of sinners unto God, we would still be his enemies and under his wrath. By grace, we are brought into a new relationship with God, not by repeating trick phrases or raising your hand.