A Sinner's Prayer

A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. "Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your loving-kindness; according to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions." ~ Psalm 51:1

This prayer of David was a 'sinner's prayer', but NOT for David to become a physical Israelite; he already was an Israelite because he had obeyed the command of Moses to be circumcised in the flesh (Gen. 17;11, 14). He had, as an Israelite, broken one of the commandments (Exod. 20:14). This prayer was to be restored to the covenant relationship. 

There are some lessons for us from this prayer of David:

~ One does not become a spiritual Israelite (Rom. 9:6-8) by praying a prayer.

~ One can sin, after being in covenant relationship, thereby breaking the relationship they entered by obeying the command of Jesus to be circumcised in the heart. (Rom. 2:29)

God offered Israel a covenant relationship with Him upon these terms: "Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people...". (Exodus 19:6) The people responded as follows: "All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD." (Exodus 19:8).

Moses reminded them of the blessings for their continued obedience in Canaan, as well as the punishment for continued disobedience in Deuteronomy 28. This 'continued' disobedience would eventually cause the nation to be destroyed, with only a remnant being spared (Romans 9:29).

Whenever the covenant was broken, the remedy was confession of their sin, returning in repentance to God, and be obedient to the terms of the covenant. At the dedication of the temple, Solomon  spoke these words, “When they sin against You (for there is no man who does not sin) and You are angry with them and deliver them to an enemy, so that they take them away captive to a land far off or near, if they take thought in the land where they are taken captive, and repent and make supplication to You in the land of their captivity, saying, ‘We have sinned, we have committed iniquity and have acted wickedly’; if they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, where they have been taken captive, and pray toward their land which You have given to their fathers and the city which You have chosen, and toward the house which I have built for Your name, then hear from heaven, from Your dwelling place, their prayer and supplications, and maintain their cause and forgive Your people who have sinned against You." (2 Chron. 6:36-39).

Please notice that this is a prayer that is commanded to be prayed BY GOD'S PEOPLE...NOT ANYONE WHO IS NOT IN A COVENANT RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM! It is NOT a prayer to become one of God's people! The next chapter in 2 Chronicles contains a verse that is often misapplied, and used in support of a prayer for salvation by an alien sinner. It is chapter 7:14, and reads, "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." Did you catch the phrase, "MY PEOPLE"? This is NOT referring to an alien sinner!

To have a right to pray to God, one must be in covenant relationship. So today, prayer is NOT for the purpose of becoming a child of God (i.e., Christian); it is a resource whereby a child of God may petition God for forgiveness when he breaks the terms of the covenant.

His relationship and responsibilities are stated in 1 John 1:7-9, "...but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Again, this text is NOT speaking of an alien sinner, nor is it the 'sinner's prayer' to become a child of God.

David's prayer was to be restored after his sin of adultery with Bathsheba. David was not praying to become an Israelite. This prayer (if you read the remainder of the chapter, contains David's confession of sin, and avowed repentance.

The new birth of John 3:3-5 is the means whereby one is born 'anew'. It is by means of water and the Spirit, not by a prayer. As Solomon said of prayer, it is for "MY PEOPLE".

Let us distinguish between "ye must be born again", and a prayer to be restored to fellowship, after being born again.

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FEAR vs LOVE in PREACHING

Why do some preach differently on the "form of doctrine" (Romans 6:17-18) regarding God's plan of salvation?

Because of the CHIEF TRAIT of a false teacher: FEAR OF PERSECUTION FOR THE CROSS OF CHRIST [Gal. 6:12, "Those who desire to make a good showing in the flesh try to compel you to be circumcised, SIMPLY SO THAT THEY WILL NOT BE PERSECUTED FOR THE CROSS OF CHRIST."]

Otherwise, they would preach what the Lord's apostles preached when telling a sinner, [under conviction] how to "call upon the name of the Lord".

The apostle Paul here is addressing false teachers! It is THEIR fear of suffering persecution FOR THE CROSS OF CHRIST!

This is not just persecution in that it is hardship in general; this is persecution over what you preach on how to be saved.

What was the answer given IN THE BIBLE, that will cause persecution FOR THE CROSS OF CHRIST? It is to preach BELIEF, REPENTANCE, CONFESSION OF FAITH, BAPTISM FOR REMISSION.

Find a preacher who is not preaching THAT "form of doctrine", and you will find a preacher who fears to do so because he fears persecution FOR THE CROSS OF CHRIST!

To be saved by the Lord, is to be saved by the preaching that the Lord authorized and commanded the apostles to preach (for which they suffered persecution FOR THE CROSS OF CHRIST - 2 Tim. 2:9).

A preacher who fears to preach truth on how to be saved is likened to the 'hireling' of which Jesus spoke of in John 10:11-13, “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep."

The apostle Paul attributed his persecutions FOR THE CROSS OF CHRIST, to preachers who preached, not out of love for lost souls, but to stop him from preaching FAITH, REPENTANCE, CONFESSION, AND BAPTISM. He explained this in his letter to the Philippians in chapter 1:12-17, "Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear. Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from good will; the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel; the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment."

Preach anything other than this "form of doctrine" [BELIEF, REPENTANCE FROM SIN, CONFESSION OF FAITH, & BAPTISM FOR REMISSION OF SINS]; and there will be no persecution FOR THE CROSS OF CHRIST. However, in doing so, you will declare before God your own fear of persecution FOR THE CROSS OF CHRIST. You will place yourself in the company of those of John 12:43, who, “loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God”.

But if you preach this “form of doctrine” [BELIEF, REPENTANCE FROM SIN, CONFESSION OF FAITH, & BAPTISM FOR REMISSION OF SINS]; you will declare: your love for truth; for lost souls; that you are “set for the defense of the gospel”; and you will be in company with Timothy, fighting “the good fight of faith” [1 Tim. 6:12, 18].

Jesus said it this way, "For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God” [John 3:20-21].

The apostle Paul warned of those who would preach so as to make disciples of themselves, rather than of the Lord. He said, “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, TO DRAW AWAY DISCIPLES AFTER THEM.” [Acts 20:29-30]

The church that Jesus promised to “build” (Matt. 16:18); has become divided into denominational bodies because of this change in the “form of doctrine” on how to be saved.

The sinner doesn’t know that there is a “form of doctrine” that will save him, nor does he know that there is “another gospel” (Gal. 1:6-9). But the preacher who reads what “form of doctrine” the apostles’ preached in the book of Acts, will know. Should he THEN continue to preach “another gospel”, God’s curse is upon him.

The “FORM OF DOCTRINE”, that a preacher preaches regarding HOW a sinner is saved, reveals which is stronger in that preacher’s life; his FEAR OF the truth, or his LOVE FOR the truth.

Let each preacher ask himself in regard to his preaching on the “form of doctrine”, the questions asked by the apostle Paul in Gal. 1:10: “For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Haddon Robinson observed:
Men have preached a lie, knowing it's a lie if, in preaching it, they have put gold in their pockets.
Men have preached a lie, knowing it's a lie if, when preaching it, they have achieved power and authority.
But men do NOT preach a lie, knowing it's a lie if, every time they preach it, they are courting imprisonment, persecution, poverty, and death.
It is contrary to all human experience for men to go out and spend their lives preaching a lie, knowing it's a lie, if every time they preach it, they are ostracized from the community, hounded by the authorities, and turned into the laughingstock of society.
And yet THAT is precisely the penalty the early Christians paid for preaching that salvation was ONLY possible by faith thru repentance from sin, confession of Jesus as the Christ, and immersion in water into the death of Jesus Christ.
This was the "form of doctrine" (Romans 6:17-18) preached to a sinner throughout the book of Acts.
Note carefully that it was NOT until this was OBEYED that forgiveness came to them ~ "...being THEN made free from sin....NOT BEFORE OBEDIENCE!

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ABRAHAM'S "WORKS"

Gen. 22:18 ~ "And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast OBEYED my voice."

Gen. 26:5 ~ "Because that Abraham OBEYED my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws."

ABRAHAM OBEYED GOD'S COMMANDS!

EXAMPLE:
THE COMMAND
Gen 12:1 ~ "Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee..."

THE OBEDIENCE:
Heb. 11:8 ~ "By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, OBEYED; and he went out, not knowing whither he went."

EXAMPLE:
THE COMMAND
Gen 22:2 ~ "And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of."

THE OBEDIENCE:
James 2:21 ~ "Was not Abraham our father justified by OBEDIENCE, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?"

ABRAHAM'S OBEDIENCE PERFECTED HIS FAITH:

James 2:24 ~ "Ye see then how that by WORKS (OBEDIENCE) a man is justified, and not by faith only".

To the Jews which believed on him, yet trusted in their physical heritage, Jesus said, "If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the WORKS of Abraham... [John 8:39].

What WORKS of Abraham were meant?

What classifies as a work of "merit"?

IT IS ANYTHING THAT WE DO THAT IS NOT FOUND TO BE A COMMAND OF GOD IN THE BIBLE.

IT IS ANYTHING THAT IS "PRESUMED" TO BE A GOOD WORK (PRESUMPTION IS ALWAYS SINFUL - Psalm 19:13; 2 Peter 2:10).

When there is a command from God to act, any "work" will NEVER be justified on the basis of silence (i.e., "the bible doesn't say we can't")
A command from God in the bible provides us with the authority to act (walk) "by faith" in any/every area of our life.

Eph. 2:8-10 contrasts works of merit with God's works per His grace. [Grace teaches - Titus 2:11-12]. God purposed for man to be obedient to HIM, not Satan. Thus the giving of commands.

Commands prove, by means of simple obedience, who fears God.
Commands prove, by means of simple obedience, who loves God.

The Lord taught, "If you love Me, keep My commandments" (John 14:15)

"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." [Eph. 2:8-10]

Abraham was saved by faith, which worked through love. God commanded him, and he obeyed. So likewise, will you and I be saved. We are all under the same commands today ~ the gospel.
The gospel contains a uniform "form of doctrine" to be preached; for it has commands from Christ that are to be obeyed [Rom. 6:17-18].

These commands are:
Faith, repentance, confession of faith, and baptism in water. All of these were preached to sinners in the book of Acts.
AFTER their obedience, sinners were saved from their past sins.

Maintaining "good works" is being obedient to commands. (Titus 3:8, 14)
Obedience is adding to one's faith as directed in 2 Peter 1:5-11.

Don't be mis-led by anyone who suggests in any way that the Bible teaches that you are saved by faith ALONE! As with Abraham, faith without obedience is DEAD.

6/5/2019

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