Praying At The Time Of Salvation Is Merely An Expression Of One's Faith

Isaiah 65:24, “And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.”

Many Christians who witness the Gospel to others have been taught to use what is commonly known as a “Sinner's Prayer.” The Roman's Road is a popular set of Scriptures from the New Testament book of Romans which is used to lead a lost sinner to Jesus Christ, which presentation usually ends with an invitation to pray a sinner's prayer. Praying silently, asking or calling audibly to be saved are mere expressions of one's faith, but are not faith in and of themselves. We are saved by faith, plus nothing!

These expressions are not necessary to receive the new birth. I believe when someone responds to a salvation invitation to walk down a church aisle, they were saved before they even left their pew. Isaiah 65:24, “And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.” They simply went forward to find out what just happened, that is, they were saved by faith in Jesus Christ.

By the way, I agree full with my long time ministry friend Pastor Max D. Younce (1935-2023) that no one should ever be required to walk down a church aisle to learn how to be saved. By requiring lost sinners to walk forward to be saved, those preachers are adding an unnecessary step to God's simple plan of salvation. In fact, Dr. Younce felt so passionately about the issue that he wrote an entire book about it, titled: 'Salvation And The Public Invitation.'

Romans 10:13 is not part of the Gospel. The Bible plainly says in Romans 10:14 that a sinner is saved when they "believe," and then people usually call, ask or pray as an expression of their faith. That is quite normal, but not required. Neither calling, asking or praying saves a person, nor are they mandatory to be saved. You are correct that these are mere expressions of one's faith. Well said my friend.

I don't like the sinner's prayer because it confused me for several years after I got saved at age 13, but that is how I was later taught to go soulwinning at Hyles-Anderson College (1985-1993). I stopped using the sinner's prayer about 20 years ago. But if I do, I will always explain to people that praying is not necessary to be saved. I like something that Pastor Jack Hyles said in a sermon: “Faith is the only righteous thing that I can do.”

Not all New IFB pastors preach that you cannot be saved unless you pray. Pastor Jonathan Shelley is guilty of doing it. He even preached a whole sermon against me for disagreeing with their heresy. Pastor Bruce Mejia on the other hand is okay, he doesn't teach that nonsense.
I heard Pastor Anderson say in a sermon about 15 years ago that even though they use a sinner's prayer at Faithful Word Baptist Church, you can still be saved by faith alone without praying. But in recent years he seems to have changed his doctrinal position, now insisting that unless you call, ask or pray you cannot be saved, which is simply FALSE.

Many in the New IFB (the nuts) have relentlessly attacked my ministry friend Onorato Diamante on YouTube for his correct biblical preaching that faith is enough to be saved, without praying. I stand 100% with Onorato and am thankful for his YouTube channel and correct Bible exegesis.