"Dear God, I want to know your purpose for my life. I don't want to base the rest of my life on wrong things. I want to take the first step in preparing for eternity by getting to know you. Jesus Christ, I don't understand how but as much as I know how I want to open up my life to you. Make yourself real to me. And use this series in my life to help me know what you made me for."
"Now if you've just prayed that prayer for the very first time I want to congratulate you. You've just become a part of the family of God."
The last two sentences are horrible.
This is not intended to start a Calvinism debate, as I stay away from them like the plague.
If you exclude the last two sentences, there is evidence that the Lord has quickened a spirit, but since we are not God, we cannot know for sure.
Salvation is of the Lord, and the Lord only.
Memorizing prayer, saying magical chants, or doing cartwheels up an aisle to the altar does not save.
Only Jesus saves.
The prayer does have, as I said above, some evidence of a quickened spirit.
Why would anyone pray that unless something is going on inside them?
On other occasions, I have seen situations where a person at the front coached a person the exact words to say from start to finish.
The bottom line is that it is what is in the heart, and if one is saved, it is a gift from God.
If you had the mind of God, you would know for sure, wouldn't you?
You have no idea whether or not a quickening of the persons spirit generated that prayer.
If someone's heart is turned towards God, and they truly are believing on Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins, they can say it any way they want - even "God save me!" and they will be saved.
It's not the words or how they're said - it's the heart.
Even a dumb man will be saved.
Even a child will be saved - it's the heart that makes the difference and only God knows their heart.
Yes, someone can say that prayer and never be saved.
FTR, I haven't even so much as looked at the first post, in this this thread.
But the answer is still a huge and resounding "NO!"
Salvation is by grace through faith in God - no more; no less. Not now; not then, and not in the future! And it is based entirely on the finished work of the God, the Son- the Lord Jesus Christ, when He offered up His own self as the Lamb on Mt. Moriah openly, and rose from the grave to show it was done.
'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.'
'For God loved the world in this manner, that He gave his [one and] only [begotten] Son, in order that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.' (You might not I placed both "one and" and "begotten" in italics and brackets.
The reason I did this, is that I do not care in which manner one renders "monogenEs" for that changes absolutely nothing, here as to the uniqueness of the Lord Jesus Christ.
BTW, I did cite the two verses from memory, and hopefully as accurately as I can render them, although I could have quoted them from a couple of English versions, but chose not to directly quote them, in order to show that I am not "picking a particular version" or rendering, here.)
One has to believe/have faith; one does not have to 'pray' for salvation.
There are no A,B,C, ... "steps" for us to a process, for a salvation which is entirely of the Lord.
One of the things we Baptists are know for is our steadfast belief in justification by faith alone. Repenting from whatever we HAVE been trusting, and turning to faith in Christ alone.
A person sincerely praying that prayer up there is clearly in a state of repentance and faith in Christ.
Yes, I said what I said. What is stunning to me is how modern evangelicalism has moved away from God's sovereignty in salvation to what is appropriately called "decisional regeneration."
I think this is why folks like you and others are "stunned" by my statement.
The problem with your reasoning is that you have no idea if the prayer was prayed because the person was repeating the pastor like a parrot, or if the prayer was the result of a quickened spirit from the sovreignty of God.
You know, sometimes things are just straight forward.
Everything on earth does not have to be a Calvinism/free will debate.
If you pray and understand this prayer carrying its intent in your heart are you saved at this moment?
__________________
The last time I check you were still saved by the "quickining" or conviction of the HOLY SPIRIT, repentance and thank God Christ will do the Rest
The is no preaching the Gospel without preaching what is called Calvinism.
If a person prays a prayer like that there is no reason they should or would be considered a Christian. It would take time, and we would need to see the fruit and evidence of their salvation. I am not the one wrong here. Rick Warren is for declaring the person a member of the Body of Christ.
Personally I think that editing, double checking, refining, writing down, memorizing, etc. prayers is defeating the purpose and is a bit silly.
The only authentic prayers are the ones that come from the heart and are made up on the spot.