We tell people to, “accept Christ into their hearts,” even though you can’t find this magical prayer in the scriptures. Paul puts it this way, and this is the golden standard for anyone who desires to follow Christ:

“I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds that you may be able to prove what is the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:1-2)

This passage speaks of a full-surrender to Christ, to offer your life completely to Him who is worthy. With Christ it’s all or nothing, as many have said before, “Christ is either Lord of all or He isn’t Lord at all.”

We are told to not conform to the patterns of the world. In other words we are to reject the sinful and broken ways this world operates in and are to be conformed to the culture and behaviors of heaven. We are to be molded into the image of Christ and not warped by the perversion of sinful pleasures. We are to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, to lay our lives on the alter of God and let His fire consume us until the only thing that remains is Christ. Radical surrender to obey Christ releases the fire of God in our lives that burns away every impurity, and this experience enables us to come into the living reality of the scripture that says,

“For I have been crucified with Christ, for I live, yet not I, but Christ who lives in me.” (Galatians 2:20)

Self must be obliterated so that Christ can reign supreme, our selfish bent must be crucified in order that the life of God is manifest within us. We must die to live. This is the pattern set forth in the teaching of Christ.

Now with all this in mind, the notion that Jesus must be “accepted” as if He is a dough-faced gardener, with hat-in-hand, cooing like a turtle dove, and begging to be let into our hearts is absolutely ridiculous.

We should be begging Him to accept us into His heart! We are the renegades that have separated ourselves from Him through our rebellious living; we should come hat-in-hand on our knees pleading for mercy, and that He would give us the Holy Spirit. If we wish to truly “accept Christ” then we must accept His words as well, because He is one with them, and His word is clear: complete surrender or die. There is no middle ground, in fact the middle ground is more dangerous than ignorant rebellion because if we know the truth, but refuse to obey it and go on our own crooked way, we will heap up for ourselves a greater damnation – the punishment will be harsher for such stupidity.

Other people just add Christ to their lives like a dash of spirituality to comfort themselves in the midst of total worldliness. Jesus doesn’t come in trial sizes. He’s not your salt and pepper shaker that you can spice up your life at will with a little spiritual touch. Christ must be completely surrendered to for His salvation to take any effect. He comes in one package, and it’s the, “Lord of all edition.” Compromise nullifies the power of the Gospel.

Sadly because of these ideologies running rampant within the church, many people do not know the true meaning of living for Christ and therefore end up standing with one foot in the world and one foot in the kingdom. But lives that are sinner-saint hybrids are an automatic forfeit of eternal life. Christ desires a bride without blemish, not a lover that has been rolling around in the pig-pens of sin, and yet still expects to be married while covered in the putrid stench of the world.

When the Holy Spirit fell on the disciples in the upper room in Acts 2, they went out in the streets speaking in tongues. Soon Peter began preaching to the great crowd of people who had gathered to see what was happening. At the end of his message it says that, “When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Then Peter said to them, “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.” (Acts 2:37-38)

When asked what they must do (to be saved) Peter didn’t say, “Oh just pray this prayer with me, “Accept Jesus into your heart,” or, “You must pray the sinner’s prayer,” rather, he said 3 things. You MUST repent, (which means to change your minds and turn away from your sins), you MUST be baptized, and you will receive the Holy Spirit.

Peter was filled with the Spirit and was divinely inspired by God to say these words when asked how to come to Christ. How is it that we think that we are smarter than the Apostles and can ignore the plain teaching of scripture to preach instead this watered-down unbiblical message of “accepting Christ into our hearts?” Was Peter lying? Did he not understand grace? Was he a legalist? By todays standards he would be written off as a law preacher and told he is preaching a “works based salvation.” But he is giving us a crystal clear step-by-step process for coming to Christ. Not one mention of the magical prayer so many militantly defend. Not one mention of “just believe and you’re in.” He says again: repent, be baptized, and receive the Holy Spirit. This is what we must tell the world; not this pop-doctrine that has no footing in the word of God. Too many have prayed this prayer and now believe they are saved yet are not born again and are living a completely sinful life because some preacher said, “Pray this prayer and you’ll be saved.” This is a great deception that has caused so much damage to the body of Christ and needs to be addressed with utmost urgency!

Again in Peter’s second message to the Jews his theology of coming to Christ hasn’t changed.

“Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” (Acts 3:19)

Baptism is left out in this passage but we still have repentance, and receiving the Holy Spirit. With this in mind I urge us stick to the biblical model for salvation and we will see the power of the gospel once again explode in the earth. If we do things God’s way we will see the results that He promised, but only if we hold our lives to the standard of God’s word.