You will not find a “sinner’s prayer” in the Bible because there is no such thing. A typical sinner’s prayer may go like this, “Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. In Your Name. Amen. This is actually a prayer that was used much by Billy Graham in his evangelistic outreaches.

Let’s look at just a few verses that clearly show the way of salvation.

* Romans 10:9, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”

* Acts 16:31, “And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”

* Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

All these verses show that salvation comes through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. None of these mention a prayer that must be said in order to gain salvation. Salvation comes from a work done in the heart. Can the ‘sinner’s prayer’ be harmful? Yes, it can be VERY harmful. If someone repeats a prayer, but has no faith in the Lord Jesus, he will be falsely assured that he is saved. I have seen it done where one who is zealous to see someone become saved, will encourage an unsaved man to repeat a ‘sinner’s prayer’ and be saved. Honestly, we have no idea about the condition of one’s heart, so to tell someone that if they say that prayer they will be saved, can help condemn that person to Hell.

Some will say, “If you truly believe, then say this prayer…” If one truly believes, he is ALREADY SAVED and doesn’t need to repeat a ‘sinner’s prayer.’ Does this mean that no one who has said this prayer is truly saved? No, it doesn’t mean that at all. I will say, that if one says that prayer in true faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, he was saved before he said the prayer. The prayer had nothing to do with his salvation.

The reason we believe in the Trinity (although the word is not found in the scriptures) is that the truth of the Trinity is shown clearly in the scriptures. Consider Matthew 3:16-17, “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Here, in one place and at one time, we clearly see the presence of Jesus, the Spirit, and the Father. We have the words of the Lord Jesus in Matthew 28:19, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” The Father, the Son, and the Spirit is the Trinity, although that word is not found in the Bible. The ‘sinner’s prayer’, however, is foreign to the scriptures. (293.8)