Your child lies in her snuggly warm bed and says, “Yes, Daddy. I want to ask Jesus into my heart.” You lead her in “the prayer” and hope that it sticks. You spend the next ten years questioning if she really, really meant it. Puberty hits and you only have more questions. She turns away from faith. You spend the next ten years praying that she will come to her senses. What went wrong?
Of course, there is no way to guarantee that an early acceptance of the gospel will stick, and parents should not feel defeated when their adolescents question or even rebel against what they have been taught from a young age. However, we can be careful to avoid language that would give our children a false understanding of the gospel or a false impression about their own condition. If you’ve grown up in church setting, you have probably heard the phrase “ask Jesus into your heart” a thousand times—at evangelistic meetings or at the end of impassioned sermons. Perhaps you have seen it modeled as part of a gospel presentation. I have come to believe that the phrase “ask Jesus into your heart” can be dangerous way of calling someone to faith. Here are a few reasons why:
1. This kind of figurative language is not appropriate for most children. Little children think literally, and they can be confused (or even frightened) at the prospect of asking Jesus into their heart. Does Jesus reside in my blood-pumping organ? Does he live in the upper or lower ventricle?
2. Salvation does not result from our asking but from what Jesus has done. We must encourage children to look away from themselves to Jesus Christ. Jesus took the punishment for our sin by bearing the punishment we deserve to the cross (Galatians 3:13). He makes us right with God because he lives to speak to the Father on our behalf (Romans 4:25; 1 John 2:1). His doing is the only thing worth trusting, because it alone saves.
3. The gospel is NOT primarily about Jesus’ work in our heart but about Jesus’ work in history. When speaking about the gospel to children, our temptation is to focus on the child’s inner condition—their personal struggles with sin and obedience. Language like “asking Jesus into your heart” tempts children to see the gospel more as what God is doing in me now, rather than what God did for me then. While it is a Biblical truth that Christ is present with the Christian by his Spirit (Colossians 1:27; Ephesians 3:17), the work in our hearts is secondary. When talking to a child about the gospel, you must put your emphasis on the gospel as an historical fact.
4. The gospel appeals to more than our emotions. The phrase “ask Jesus into your heart” comes from a movement in the church called revivalism. This movement was very adept at reaching people on an emotional level, but our personal faith is more than an emotion. While it is not wrong for faith to move us on an emotional level, it is not as right as it could be. Salvation is not just saying yes to a relationship with Jesus. Rather, it is finally resting in Christ. It is trusting that God is true and faithful, and he has fulfilled his promises to save humanity in Jesus Christ.
5. Over-emphasizing a change of heart can actually discourage a child. If we teach children only about the personal change that God does in hearts then we may inadvertently discourage them. When these children become aware of their sins, they may become introspective and worry, “How can Jesus live in my heart when I still get so angry?” Once again, children must be taught to look outside of themselves to the love and forgiveness that comes because of Christ’s death and resurrection (Galatians 2:20). As Octavius Winslow says, “One simple believing [look at] Christ will produce more light and peace and joy than a lifetime of looking within ourselves for evidences and signs of grace.”
6. The phrase “ask Jesus into your heart” is neither commanded in the Scriptures nor found as a description of conversion. Some may say, “But what about Revelation 3:20?” Many quote this verse and take it to mean that Jesus is standing at the door of our hearts begging to come in. Revelation 3:20 states, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him and he with me.” The verse is used as a justification for the need to pray an “ask Jesus into your heart” prayer. The problem with this understanding of this verse is that it misses the larger context. When looking closely at this passage, the broader message of repentance and faith is clear (see number 7 in the next post). We misuse Revelation 3:20 if we lead children to pray a “sinner’s prayer” or “ask Jesus into their heart” without their fully understanding and owning the gospel’s demands for repentance and faith.
7. God only saves those who turn away from sin and delight in his Son. In Revelation 3:14-22, Jesus speaks to the church in Laodicea. He rebukes the church for being “lukewarm” in their love toward him (3:16). Drawing on imagery from the prophet Hosea, he compares this church to an adulterous young girl who pursued lovers because of their riches. She thinks herself to be wealthy and has no need for her Savior husband, but when her wealth runs out, she is exposed as pitiful, poor, and blind (Hosea 2:3; 3:1; 12:8; Revelation 3:17). As a scorned husband, Christ pleads with the church to repent from false lovers and delight in him again (Revelation 3:19-20). He knocks on the door of his bride’s bedchamber, the door of the church, (Song of Solomon 5:2-3), and he promises to renew their marriage by covering her shame and preparing a wedding feast (Revelation 3:18, 20). Jesus is calling the church and the individuals in it to turn away from their sinful pursuits and pursue him. He wants to be their delight, and he requires total repentance (3:17).
8. Leading a child in a “sinner’s prayer” may give the child false assurance. We must never give our children the impression that a prayer for mercy (a “sinner’s prayer”) guarantees their eternal destiny. It does not. Human hearts long to find assurance in things that we can manipulate – our own knowledge, emotional experiences, prayers, or our works. We must discourage children from seeking assurance in such things, and we must never give false assurances. False assurances can endanger a child’s soul (Matthew 25:31-46). Without true repentance and faith, there is not a true conversion, and “the last state is worse than the first if the ‘convert’ becomes disillusioned and hardened against the real gospel.”
9. Finally, this presentation robs God of his sovereignty. It presents God as a beggar hoping that the child will let him into her busy life. The Bible does not present God in this way. In the Scriptures, our God not only waits and watches, but he actively saves (Ephesians 2; John 14). We can trust God to work in the hearts of his children to bring them to himself through faith, in his time and in his ways. Our responsibility is to faithfully tell the gospel to them and leave the results to the Lord (John 1:12-13). We can trust that the Holy Spirit will assure those who are truly changed (Romans 8:16). Conversion is God’s work in the believer. It is not simply a decision on the believer’s part.
Resources: Title and opening story adapted from Todd Friel’s “Ten Reasons To Not Ask Jesus Into Your Heart” (April 15, 2005), GalatiansC4V16 Blog; Graeme Goldsworthy, Gospel-Centered Hermeneutics, (IVP, 2006), 176-77; The Albert Mohler Radio Program (August 8, 2007); Octavius Winslow, Soul-Depths and Soul-Heights, (Banner of Truth Trust, 2006), 4; G. K. Beale, The Book of Revelation, The New International Greek Testament Commentary, (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1999), 304, 308; Graeme Goldsworthy, Gospel-Centered Hermeneutics, (IVP, 2006), 177.
great stuff! can’t wait to read more. thanks for posting.
“but Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.’” ~Matthew 19:14
You’ve become such an ardent defender of the Gospel that you’ve actually mounted-up barriers to keep children from Jesus. You’ve invented anti-evangelism, denying opportunities for salvation to children in the name of avoiding “easy-believism.” Even worse, you have configured such an elaborate labyrinth of understanding salvation that childlike faith has no chance of penetrating it. There is a verdict for this kind of advocacy in Matthew 18:6.
Ben, this is a pretty harsh criticism. I don’t think you know me at all. In this article, I’m advocating not using the language “ask Jesus into your heart” or teaching children to base their assurances in their subjective feelings. I certainly don’t think that this constitutes leading a little one into sin. Every week, and in several places on this blog, I encourage children’s ministry leaders to call children to trust Christ. Here are just a few lines from an upcoming post on the sojournnetwork.com blog:
Call kids to respond. Call them to decide. We shouldn’t demand outward expression from our kids, but we can encourage it. The Scripture calls all people to obey God’s law. It calls all people to worship the Lord. It calls all people to believe. So, you don’t have to wait until you know that a child is saved in order to call them to respond, or call them to make a decision. We teach for response. We call our kids to respond to God with their whole hearts.
Don’t be afraid to give children gospel assurances. Children should be taught that Jesus alone saves, and they should be assured that they can bank on Him. We should feel free to assure children that Jesus saves. We should freely invite children to come to Jesus and keep coming to him for their whole life. Should children be led to memorize, recite, or sing Bible passages that give personal assurance—passages like Job 19:25-26, Psalm 23:1, Psalm 42:11, Galatians 2:20, or Romans 8:16? Absolutely Yes! Leading a child to memorize these assurances is not the same as giving a false assurance. These are not false assurances but the very words of Christ. What do we do if we hear children assuring themselves with one of these passages? We must say to them, “Keep believing! Keep believing!”
Don’t pressure children for commitments, because the pressure is off. Instead, we trust that God is already at work our kids’ hearts! Our responsibility is to faithfully teach and sing the gospel to them and leave the results to the Lord. Sometimes we’re tempted to pressure children, because we feel that getting them saved is our responsibility. It is not. Salvation is God’s work. We must teach children that assurance is found in Jesus Christ and his work alone. Trust that God the Holy Spirit will assure those who are truly changed (Rom 8:16). Trust that he will bring conviction or assurance as he sees fit. Give children an opportunity to respond, but trust God to work in the hearts of his children to bring them to himself through faith, in his time and in his ways.
Jared, right on. I think Ben is severely misguided in his estimation of what you are trying to accomplish here. The gospel is precious. It is not something to be thrown around with inaccurate terminology and misleading phrases. The gospel is clear in I Cor. 15:3-4 and Jesus is clear about the response in Mark 1:15 (repent and believe). Why veer from biblically rooted terminology on such a critical topic?
I would actually reverse the argument here by saying that using poorly selected terminology about salvation is a much greater issue than the purported “anti-evangelism” of Jared’s post. I’ve spoken to many an adult who responded with a cutsy phrase as a child and, by their fruit over many decades, have revealed that their trust as a child was in a decision they made (self-righteousness) rather than faith in a Savior.
Your readers may also want to check out what I’ve written on this topic here:
http://becomingsaturated.com/2012/02/askjesusintoyourheart/
and here:
http://becomingsaturated.com/2012/03/leading-your-child-to-christ/
The Christian walk is a personal walk. Each person must have a personal relationship with God. The bible says for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. At another place Hebrews 9:22 it says, without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin. What happens when one asks the lord Jesus Christ to come into their heart to be their Lord and personal savior is a personal appropriation by that person of the gift of God the Lord Jesus Christ for that personal relationship and walk. The bible says to be saved, we are not required to do gymnastics, climb to heaven or burrow down into the ground. We use our mouths, Romans 10: 9-10 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth, the Lord Jesus and shall believe in thy heart that God raised him up from the grave you shall be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteoiusness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. At another place in Acts of the Apostles the apostle Peter told his listeners, repent and be baptised every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins. The person making the altar call, or asking the child to turn their lifes over to God must do so in faith for if it is not done in faith the person is sinning and should not expect anything. However when done in faith knowing that the words you are speaking to that child are words of God, then you must expect it to bear seed. For faith comes by hearing , hearing by the word of God – Romans 10 and there is a spirit in a man and the breadth of the Almighty gives him inspiration. See Job 32: 8. The word of God which is quick, poweful, sharper than a two edged sword, cutting asunder all that is in its way will do its work. if you explain to that child what it means to repent and they repent, all their sins will be washed away – remission of the sin nature will occur and you will be looking at a new creature, who just was overhauled from the inside and who God has the ability to sustain. Now if they sin, they have an adovate with the father, the Lord Jesus christ who they can always go to and have their consciences clean and reverted back to their sin remitted nature.IJon 2:1. For all it is a process and we all need the power of the Holy spirit to stay on the path.Acts 1:2 Each has a curriculum with Him and He leads all to all truth – to the truth of a loving and a God of wrath, justice the chastiser, faithful, author and finisher.
Precious, I don’t disagree with most of what you are saying. I still think that it is best to no use “ask Jesus into my heart” language when we’re talking to kids about salvation.
I myself have thought about what the phrase Jesus coming into my heart means. The phrase may not just be difficult for a child to understand, an adult may also need to have it clarified. If we know what it means worshipping God from the heart in contrast to the lips is important to God. The heart being that place within each and every one of us where decisions emanate. Where the truth about how we really feel about things resides. John 4 The true worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth. Truthful worship is the heart worship. isnt that what full repentance means. Wholly giving oneself over to God. The gospel presenter should explain the heart worship in contrast to a lip worship. If explained to a child, the child will understand. Regarding the Lord Jesus Christ living in a believer. See 2 Cor 13 Give yourselves regular checkups. You need firsthand evidence not mere hearsay that Jesus Christ is in you. Test it out. Col 1:27 christ in you, the hope of glory. 2 Corinthians 6:16 I will live in them and walk among them. John 1 : 12 But as many as received him to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. Regarding Children: Train a child in the way he should go and when he grows he shall not depart from it. Discipleship is important for all believers Children and adults where it is lacking, things may not go well. Again a child who is exposed to lip service christianity might end up demonstrating a lip service christian life. Hence it is important to self examine and not drift along taking everything for granted like the apostle Paul said. I have seen children who are true worshippers after saying that prayer and are on fire for the lord. I repectfully make these submissions. Remain Blessed.