1. Welcome to Baptist Board, a friendly forum to discuss the Baptist Faith in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to all the features that our community has to offer.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon and God Bless!

Featured What time did the sinners prayer come from?

Discussion in 'General Baptist Discussions' started by evangelist6589, Jun 17, 2016.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. evangelist6589

    evangelist6589 Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Nov 22, 2010
    Messages:
    10,285
    Likes Received:
    163
    Faith:
    Baptist
    Was listening to WOTM radio and Todd said that it was about 1850 that people started using the sinners prayer and before this they did not. Is this true?
     
  2. Salty

    Salty 20,000 Posts Club
    Administrator

    Joined:
    Apr 8, 2003
    Messages:
    38,982
    Likes Received:
    2,615
    Faith:
    Baptist
    I would say the sinners prayer started on the day of Pentecost.
     
    • Agree Agree x 2
  3. Baptist Believer

    Baptist Believer Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Jun 20, 2002
    Messages:
    10,720
    Likes Received:
    781
    Faith:
    Baptist
    I don't know exactly when it started, but the shift seems to have occurred in the mid-19th century during the revivalistic era, so I suspect he is correct with his date. The modern "invitation" ceremony goes back to his era as well.

    The sinner's prayer is a nice way to "seal the deal" if you think mental assent and public confession is the gospel. However, we see nothing like the sinner's prayer in the New Testament. I may be wrong, but I don't even recall a passage where anyone prayed a formal prayer at the beginning of their journey as a disciple. However I can think of a few passages where a person cried out to God in the moment of revelation which marked a turn toward Jesus (repentance and faith).
     
    #3 Baptist Believer, Jun 17, 2016
    Last edited: Jun 17, 2016
  4. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Feb 18, 2006
    Messages:
    52,013
    Likes Received:
    3,649
    Faith:
    Baptist
    Public confession and calling out to God are in fact part of what happens when we are saved.
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
    • Winner Winner x 1
  5. kyredneck

    kyredneck Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Jul 28, 2009
    Messages:
    19,500
    Likes Received:
    2,880
    Faith:
    Baptist
    13 But the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote his breast, saying, God, be thou merciful to me a sinner. Lu 18
     
    • Like Like x 1
    • Agree Agree x 1
    • Winner Winner x 1
  6. Bro. James

    Bro. James Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Sep 14, 2004
    Messages:
    3,130
    Likes Received:
    59
    Faith:
    Baptist
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Repeat after me salvation has overrun many churches in all ranks. There are unregenerated preachers in high places, many with long pedigrees. Sir William from Graham is responsible for a lot of this problem.

    Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

    Bro. James
     
    • Like Like x 1
    • Winner Winner x 1
  7. JamesL

    JamesL Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Dec 22, 2013
    Messages:
    2,783
    Likes Received:
    158
    Faith:
    Baptist
    You're right. The problem is larger than repeating after me. He and many others have substituted faith with begging.

    No longer simple conviction that in Christ alone we have eternal life, now we must add to that my effort of reaching to God. I'm expected to muster emotions which aren't stable, and make promises I can't keep. Reach out and take the gift. Make some human effort to access the grace of God.

    But the scriptures declare that we access grace by faith, not doing. Not by asking, not by beggong, not by promising to turn over a new leaf. God doesn't need anybody's empty rhetoric because He already knows His own from the foundation of the world.

    As for when this heinous cancer entered the church, around the time of the Mourner's Bench (used by Finney et al) in the most trash-centered evangelism ever
     
    • Agree Agree x 2
  8. Judith

    Judith Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    May 22, 2012
    Messages:
    1,153
    Likes Received:
    45
    Faith:
    Baptist
    Some years ago I was speaking to a sister who told me there was no sinner prayer in her church while growing up. The preacher came and preached about once a month, (traveling preacher), and went away. When he came back if you had come to repentance and faith you went to him and requested baptism.
     
    • Like Like x 2
  9. evangelist6589

    evangelist6589 Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Nov 22, 2010
    Messages:
    10,285
    Likes Received:
    163
    Faith:
    Baptist

    It is not often James that you have much value to contribute to this board. But with this post we can agree.
     
    • Agree Agree x 2
  10. JamesL

    JamesL Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Dec 22, 2013
    Messages:
    2,783
    Likes Received:
    158
    Faith:
    Baptist
    Does that mean we're buddies again?
     
  11. Squire Robertsson

    Squire Robertsson Administrator
    Administrator

    Joined:
    Jul 4, 2000
    Messages:
    15,371
    Likes Received:
    2,405
    Faith:
    Baptist
    While I agree with the Scriptures cited above, if what we are talking about is the sinners prayer as popularly spoken about, then the 1850s would be the time.
     
    • Like Like x 1
    • Informative Informative x 1
  12. evangelist6589

    evangelist6589 Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Nov 22, 2010
    Messages:
    10,285
    Likes Received:
    163
    Faith:
    Baptist
    You need to work on your attitude and the way you speak to others.
     
    • Agree Agree x 2
    • Winner Winner x 1
  13. Alcott

    Alcott Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Dec 17, 2002
    Messages:
    9,404
    Likes Received:
    353
    Faith:
    Baptist
    What time did the sinners prayer come from?

    I don't know, but probably not Happy Hour.
     
  14. Darrell C

    Darrell C Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Jan 30, 2010
    Messages:
    9,631
    Likes Received:
    332
    Faith:
    Baptist
    Not sure how true it is, but I have heard D.L. Moody is credited with the tradition of the altar call. If that is true, then we might narrow down the popular tradition of the Sinner's Prayer to that time (20th century). I have visited and been a member of fellowships which date back to early centuries (17th and 18th) and many of them do not give altar calls, which from being a member of Independent and Southern Baptist fellowship...I thought was odd. As I thought about it, though, I concluded that a far better evidence of someone coming to faith is not necessarily just a response to an altar call, but the fact that they...keep coming.

    Don't get me wrong, I am all for altar calls, and think it is a great tradition. But I can also see the value in simply letting people decide whether they will come back, and in truth become a member of the fellowship.


    God bless.
     
  15. Darrell C

    Darrell C Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Jan 30, 2010
    Messages:
    9,631
    Likes Received:
    332
    Faith:
    Baptist
    I dunno, probably more than few drunks who have called out to God...

    You may be on to something here. Drunkenness goes back quite a ways...


    God bless.
     
  16. evangelist6589

    evangelist6589 Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Nov 22, 2010
    Messages:
    10,285
    Likes Received:
    163
    Faith:
    Baptist
    I would say that you are incorrect.
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
  17. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Feb 18, 2006
    Messages:
    52,013
    Likes Received:
    3,649
    Faith:
    Baptist
    Rom 10:9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
    Rom 10:10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  18. evangelist6589

    evangelist6589 Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Nov 22, 2010
    Messages:
    10,285
    Likes Received:
    163
    Faith:
    Baptist
    You do not understand the word believe and what it meant in the context. The word includes action and not just a mental assent as you believe. Many think that all you need to do is say a prayer and then live anyway you want after that to be included in the kingdom. This is false..

    For more details on the word refer to the book "The gospel according to the Apostles" by MacArthur.
     
  19. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Feb 18, 2006
    Messages:
    52,013
    Likes Received:
    3,649
    Faith:
    Baptist
    Interesting

    How do you know what I believe about the word believe?

    I have no idea who these people are. I have never met one but I can assure you it is not my position now nor has it eve been my position.

    I don't care about your books. I have the ability to do my own study. Sooner or later you need to wean yourself off of gaining your theology from books and start learning how to do your own study.

    Further, I bolded the words with regards to confession. You failed to respond to that. If you cannot address it (without going to one of your books) then we have nothing further to discuss.
     
    #19 Revmitchell, Jun 18, 2016
    Last edited: Jun 18, 2016
    • Agree Agree x 1
  20. evangelist6589

    evangelist6589 Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Nov 22, 2010
    Messages:
    10,285
    Likes Received:
    163
    Faith:
    Baptist

    You seem to have a very low opinion of sound Biblical exegesis that Mac usually does when he writes something. Oh and we learn from teachers and I learn from the Holy Spirit who leads me to scripture, but it is by teachers that he uses.
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
Loading...