Ask Jesus Into Your Heart

2018-03-05

...is not a phrase that is used in the Bible at all. This is not the Gospel, yet modern evangelicals use this to say that they are Christian. The people that use this phrase very well may be Christians, and they just repeat all the Christian lingo that is used out there. However, if we tell people to ask Jesus into their hearts to be saved, we do people a great disservice on so many levels. It does not explain the depth of sin from which we need to be delivered. It does not tell us how to be saved. Believing on the Lord Jesus’ death for our sin and His resurrection is the only way to be saved.

This phrase probably came from a clumsy combination of these verses:

Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. (John 14:23)

And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Acts 2:21)

To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: (Colossians 1:27)

Calling on the name of the Lord is a biblical concept. One who knows he is a condemned sinner without hope apart from the grace of God will call on the Lord. When we believe that Jesus died and rose again, it is only natural to cry out to Him. When I believed years ago, nobody led me in any kind of prayer; later that evening, I naturally called upon the Lord. It is the only logical choice.

Though we call on the Lord for salvation, we do not ask Jesus to come into our hearts. We receive the Holy Spirit without any prayer; anyone who believes receives the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9), but this “asking” does not make any sense. It appeals to the emotions and has no real value. We need to dispense with the use of this phrase, using the actual terminology found in the Bible to share the Gospel and get people saved.