On the surface, this misleading phrase seems to be a simplified way to explain how someone can receive forgiveness for their sins and eternal life. But, when we compare it to Scripture, we find it to be a lie. It is pure deception from satan, the father of lies himself.
Although some pastors, preachers, Christian bands and others are in the habit of using this misleading phrase, there is no biblical foundation for it. If you, dear reader, can show me where the Bible says people must ask Jesus into their hearts to be saved, I will eat this blog – computer and all - while it’s plugged in! Go ahead and search. In reality, the Bible says we must repent and trust the Lord Jesus Christ. (Acts 20:21)
“The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God
The “ask Jesus into your heart” phrase is another wicked part of the unbiblical, man-centered, easy-believe-ism of the modern gospel message that is no gospel at all. This dangerously deceptive phrase removes the saving power of the gospel in the same way as leaving a key ingredient out of a medicine removes its curative properties.
The result is that we have many people who profess to be Christians, but who have not repented from sin and do not truly follow Jesus as Lord. They do not understand the enormity of their sinfulness before God. They are unrepentant because the “ask Jesus into your heart” message does not refer to repentance. If they are unrepentant, they continue to be “workers of lawlessness” who transgress God’s Law (1 John 3:4) and Jesus does not know them. (Matthew 7:23) They are without Christ’s righteousness and are comfortably and obliviously on their way to eternal judgment in the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:11-15) Unless they repent, they will perish. We Jesus followers commit a high crime against those who do not yet know the Lord by holding back the hard truth of the biblical gospel message.
Think about this. If a person must simply ask Jesus into their heart to be saved, it puts Jesus into the position of being, a get-out-of-hell-free idol that requires no repentance from sin. The “Jesus” a person asks into their heart is just a mental image, not the biblical Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of lords and King of kings to whom we must turn and trust to save us from God’s wrath. This idolatry itself is sinful and will certainly save no one from their sinfulness before the holy, righteous and just God of the Bible.
If you are someone who claims to be a Christian because you asked Jesus into your heart to save you, please do not be offended by this post. Instead, obey 2 Corinthians 13:5 and search the Scriptures to make sure you are in the faith. Here are a few Bible verses to consider:
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord’, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does
the will of My Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21)
“Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see
the kingdom of God
“He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life,
but the wrath of God abides on him.” (John 3:36)
“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You
have sent.” (John 17:3)
“The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not
wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)
Here is the evangelistic difficulty with this misleading phrase. People who have “asked Jesus into their heart” tend to be inoculated against the biblical gospel. They believe their salvation is a done deal and that they are on their way to heaven with little or no regard to how they live their lives. When someone tries to share the biblical gospel message with them, their response is something like, “Oh, you don’t have to worry about me. I asked Jesus into my heart years ago.” They have a false assurance of salvation because they have “asked Jesus into their heart” and believe they are thereby saved from the just punishment of hell. Scripture indicates that they likely are not saved from God’s wrath because they have not turned from and forsaken their sin. Their trust is in a prayer they may have prayed instead of Jesus’ sacrifice of His perfect life in payment for their sins against God. Their trust is in a mental image of Jesus in their heart instead of Jesus’ crucifixion, resurrection from the dead and His defeat of death.
Those of us who are true Jesus followers, must repent of trying to be nicer and less offensive than Jesus. Jesus set the evangelistic example for us by very directly teaching that people must turn from and forsake their sin and believe the biblical gospel. (see Mark 1:15 above) We are urged to speak the truth in love. (Ephesians 4:15) If someone is unknowingly heading for a cliff and certain death, the most loving thing we can do is warn them and try to get them to turn around. If someone is heading for eternity in hell, (and most people are because we know the way is broad that leads to destruction and many are those who enter by it. - Matthew 7:13), the most loving thing we can do is tell them to turn from and forsake their sins and trust the Lord Jesus Christ for eternal life.
”For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16)
May God bless you as you go and share the biblical gospel message that offends people enough to save them from their sins!
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