J.D. Greear on the "Sinner's Prayer"

J.D. Greear offers some real helpful, balanced perspective in a recent article in Christianity Today entitled, Should We Stop Asking Jesus Into Our Hearts?

Belief and repentance are the only prescribed biblical instruments for laying hold of salvation. They might be expressed in a "sinner's prayer," but they are fundamentally postures of the heart toward God. It is possible to pray a sinner's prayer and not have repented and believed. It is also possible to repent and believe without articulating such a prayer.

He continues,

Salvation (is) obtained by simply resting on the two "facts" God had promised about Jesus: he was crucified as the payment for our sins; he was resurrected as proof that God accepted the payment. Just as Abraham was saved by believing God would keep his word, I was saved by believing he had. 

 Click here to read the whole article.

(HT: David Crabb)

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom...Calvin on Salvation

"Our mind is always impelled to look at our worthiness; and as soon as our unworthiness is seen, our confidence sinks. Accordingly, the more any one is oppressed by his sins, let him the more courageously betake himself to Christ, relying on this doctrine, that he came to bring salvation not to the righteous, but to 'sinners.'"

 John Calvin
Calvin's Commentaries, Volume XXI

Wednesday's* Words of Wisdom...Matt Chandler on Gospel-Centeredness

Oops! I didn't post this yesterday. But "Thursday's Words of Wisdom" just isn't quite as catchy...

"(A)ll your church attendance, all your religious activities, your Sunday school attendance medals, your journals, having a "quiet time," reading the Scriptures -- it's all in vain if you don't have Christ. When you read (1 Corinthians 15:1-7; Galatians 1:6-9; Galatians 2:20-3:5 and Philippians 3:4-9) together, you get a feel for his attack on the Christian, moralistic, therapeutic deism of his day. We are saved, sanctified, and sustained by what Jesus did for us on the cross and through the power of his resurrection. If you add to or subtract from the cross, even if it is to factor in biblically mandated religious practices like prayer and evangelism, you rob God of his glory and Christ of his sufficiency."

Matt Chandler
The Explicit Gospel

Wednesdays Words of Wisdom...John Murray on Union with Christ

"Union with Christ is really the central truth of the whole doctrine of salvation not only in its application but also in its once-for-all accomplishment in the finished work of Christ...We are not able to understand all that is involved, but the fact is plain enough that there was no election of the Father in eternity apart from Christ.  And that means that those who will be saved were not even contemplated by the Father in the ultimate counsel of his predestining love apart from union with Christ -- they were chosen in Christ.  As far back as we can go in tracing salvation to its fountain we find 'union with Christ'; it is not something tacked on; it is there from the outset."
John Murray
Redemption: Accomplished and Applied