Should You Recite the "Sinner’s Prayer"? – Gerald E. Weston tomorrowsworld.org

The “sinner’s prayer”—a short confession of belief in the Lord Jesus and admission of sin—is often referenced and encouraged by media evangelists. Can a short confession of sin serve as an easy solution to expunging wrong behavior? Without a solid definition of sin, such a confession has little meaning. The bible definition of sin in 1 John 3:4 is straightforward, sin is the transgression of the law. Turning from sin, breaking God’s law, requires understanding of that law. Grace is not negated by keeping the commandments. Various denominations disagree on how to count the commandments and where they start, stirring historical debate about whether depictions of God are condoned and what constitutes “coveting.” The most rejected commandment is the seventh-day Sabbath command. There is more to true Christianity than a simple verbal confession, it requires a radical change of life and how we worship God.