Is asking Jesus into our "hearts" scriptural?

Naomi:
Well, in my opinion, it depends what you mean by "asking Jesus into my heart"? I don't know your theological background so I'm not sure how to approach this. Let me say this tho.

God is the absolute Sovereign and salvation is from Him alone. First He has to regenerate you, then justify you by faith and then you might say the words above. But the important thing to realize is that unless God does a divine miracle in you by giving you the gift of faith, you would not be asking him ANYTHING.

So as long as you don't think that you are born again, or regenerated, because YOU walked up an aisle and YOU asked Jesus into YOUR life, to say the words are fine.

Remember, God picks you, you do not pick God. The only reason YOU would pick God, is because he put the desire in you in the first place. Pretty awesome, huh??

Welcome, and have a great time, writing, reading and learning. This is a fun place to express your opinions, but be prepared to take some heat from time to time.
James2

 

Naomi:
I'm with you. I'm not sure where the phrase "I invite Jesus into my heart," or for that matter "I accept Jesus as my personal Savior," comes from. I'm afraid, in a lot of cases they are just terms people mumble.
I'm glad that you truly do see that God chooses us, we do not choose God.
Repent and be baptized. Yes!!! Praise God for giving me the grace to understand that I need to repent, that I have something to repent about. Just think!!! Here we are just bopping around doing our thing, and then, by a mighty act of a Sovereign God, he REGENERATES us. Now, kind of like the wind that blows and we know not where it comes from, we seem different. Wow, we ARE different. The things of God are now IMPORTANT to us. We start to understand. We may even walk down to the front of the church and take the preacher's hand. But, the important event has already taken place. God chose us, He gave us a free gift, He put the desire for the things of God into us, He justifies us by faith -- another free gift --and we are now children of God, chosen by Him before the foundation of the world to be conformed to HIS SON. Wow, what a awesome God we serve. Thank you God for creating me, thank you Jesus for redeeming me and thank you Holy Spirit for continuing to sanctify me.

Sorry, didn't mean to get all carried away with this, but I never stop being amazed by the total, unmerited grace of God to HIS people.
I hope you are having a great day
James2

 

Hello. As for the phrase "ask Jesus into your heart"; it is not in God's word. Compare that phrase with Isa. 8:20, 1Tim. 6:3. Paul urged somebody in some letter of his to speak such things which become sound doctrine (can't remember where right now). Only by speaking God's pure doctrine and words can one speak such things which become sound doctrine. "Ask Jesus into your heart" is not of God. Someone said it has not been around very long, maybe since the 40's. "Ask Jesus into your heart" possibly is faultily drawn from Rev. 3:20, which is not an evangelistic context but an assembly letter. "Ask Jesus into your heart" is common in my country also, and I believe it is common in most other countries also where arminianism and similar manmade theological systems thrive. It is another gospel, about another Jesus, cp. 2Cor.11:4. The gospel is not at all about asking some phantom Jesus into the heart, it is THE finished work of the God-man Jesus Christ on behalf of His people, Matt. 1:21 et.al. How many have been falsely converted through this decisionist phantom gospel only God knows. The Bible tells me to have nothing to do with the unfruitful works of darkness but rather expose them. Beware of this deceiving Jesus who stands and knocks and "wants to get inside".

Harald

 

James, just one thing about your post concerns me, and that's that anyone can be repentant of their sins and still not believe in Jesus.
What's the answer to "What must I do to be saved" according to scripture?
da Gina

 

You can’t believe in Jesus and not be repentant of your sins.

What’s the context to the question “what must I do to be saved?”

Had the man heard the Gospel?

The pattern for Evangelism, in the Bible, is always Law to the proud and Grace to the humble. That’s not to say that they didn’t need to go back and explain, they did in the next verse, its just saying as Jude puts it “And of some have compassion, making a difference And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garments spotted by the flesh”.
The situation called for opening with the good news. Other situations call for opening with the bad news.
If we are missing one thing in our evangelism, it’s that simple principle.

 

Jon,
You state, "it is certainly scriptural", in regards to asking Jesus into your heart. I welcome you to support this claim.
One of my favorite quotes is from Martin Luther. It states:
"If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the truth of God (that which solely is stated in Holy writ)except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be confessing Christ. Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved, and to be steady(consistant)on all the battle front besides, is merely flight and disgrace if he flinches (uses terms and concepts that cannot be defended and supported by page and address in the scriptures)at that point."
*My emphasis added.
In other words............We must stand on that which we know has stood the test. We can always support and defend against the wiles of the enemy, those positions based upon that which God has left us in His bible. If scripture is silent about an issue, that alone should be a hint that we ourselves should resist assimilating an opinion and remain silent. This is an error of many present day churches. It has and will continue to do harm to the body of Christ.

Have a great Lords day!
Let us reform,
Sola Scriptura,
In HIS grip,
Scott Bushey

[ January 20, 2002: Message edited by: Godluv777 ]

 

Rev 3:20 [red] Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.[/red]

[ January 20, 2002: Message edited by: Optional ]

[ January 20, 2002: Message edited by: Optional ]

 

Optional,
Thank you for your post...........Exegeted properly, this passage in Revelation is Christ speaking to the Church exhorting a level of repentance. This in no way is intended for unbelievers or a call to the unregenerate. For instance: v22 states, "what the spirit says to the churches.......". v17 says that God *chastens and rebukes those He loves*. See Heb ch 11:5-11 on the subject of Gods chastening.

Have a great Lords day!
In HIM,
Scott Bushey
Fecisti nos ad te et inquietum est cor nostrum, donec requiescat in
te...
-- Augustine, Confessions 1:1

 

I shy away from using cliches like "asking Jesus into your heart," because of what was already explained well by Dr. Bob. I especially avoided it with my own children. I simply taught them from infanthood what the Bible said about sin and sinners and death, and punishment, etc. When my daughter finally put it all together in her mind, she understood pretty clearly that she needed to believe it personally and then she repented of her sins.

She herself was a little confused when well-intentioned folks asked her, "Did you ask Jesus into your heart?!" I knew they were excited for her, but at the same time, they confused her. She gave them a smart answer though, she said, "No, I asked Jesus to forgive my sins, and He did. Now I can go to Heaven!"

Cliches may be ok for Christians to use to describe Bible doctrine, but I think when it comes to preaching the Word, we ought to do just that- use the Word.