Re: The Sinners Prayer: Does it Save You?

Well I'm not talking about life circumstances, but just trying to have a discussion of whether or not regeneration, or being born again, precedes faith, and I believe it's very important to understand that it does.

Once we understand that, all boasting or thinking we are special because of something good we did over someone else should dissolve.

If regeneration, or being born again, comes first, then faith is a gift and not something we conjure up from the flesh.

The bible says Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith, not us.

Hebrews 11:6 is very true, without faith we cannot please God, but faith cannot come from the flesh because Romans 8:8 says, Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

John 3:6
That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

John 1:13
who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

Who makes us alive? Do we make ourselves alive, or does God make us alive? Can we choose him or do anything good toward him when we are still in the flesh, dead because of our transgresssions?

Read this closely and see who made us alive when we were dead:

Ephesians 2:
1And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.b 4But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

And who prepared beforehand our good works even, was it us, or was it God?

How can we not say everything good we ever do comes from God, and not our flesh? How can we say anything of salvation is of our flesh, and not solely of God's grace?

Jesus told Nicodemus he must be born again. Why? Because until someone is born again, they are just a natural man (born of flesh and not of God), and cannot understand the things of God or do anything pleasing to him.

Was it a prayer that made us special, or a seeking of God that made us special even though Romans 3:3 shuts that one down:
no one understands; no one seeks for God (this is talking about those in the flesh. those born of the Spirit will seek after him).

It's all of grace, not anything righteous we have done.

Titus 3:4 4But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5he saved us, NOT BECAUSE OF RIGHTEOUS THINGS WE HAD DONE, BUT BECAUSE OF HIS MERCY. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7so that, HAVING BEEN JUSTIFIED BY HIS GRACE, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.