TEN TRUTHS YOU MAY NOT KNOW AND MAY NEVER WANT TO KNOW 2

By Nana Yaw Aidoo

TRUTH 2: No One Ever Prayed To Become A Christian

The 19th century gospel preacher, Moses E. Lard asserted; "It is difficult for a man who has been long steeped in error to persuade himself that his errors are not divine" (A Review of J.B. Jeter's Book Entitled "Campbellism Examined", pp.121). Oh how right he was! The one teaching that many have accepted as divine without verification (Acts 17:11), is the teaching that one can become a Christian by simply saying a prayer.

We submit that it is not the duty of a non-Christian to pray for the remission of sins and to do that would avail nothing to the one in search of salvation. "Why pray for a blessing which our heavenly Father has never promised to confer in this way or for this reason, but which he certainly does confer in another way and for a different reason? Where is the advantage of the prayer unless the Lord has promised to heed it?" (ibid. pp.119).

But what about the thief on the cross? First of all, this was an incidental account which taught no general duty. Secondly, it happened at a time when baptism into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matt.28:18-19), was obligatory on no one. This incident happened when Christianity hadn't began (Matt.16:18; Heb.9:1, 16-17). Christianity could only begin after the death of Christ and when this incident happened, Christ was still alive, which means the old dispensation, which no man today is amenable to (Gal.5:4), was still in force.

Notice if you would that after Christ died and resurrected, He conditioned the gift of salvation on belief and baptism (Mark 16:16; Matt.28:18-20). He didn't condition it on prayer and of all the conversion accounts in the book of Acts, not even one person in need of salvation prayed for it.

We shall now appeal to the conversion of the apostle Paul. As he embarked on a persecution spree one time, he encountered the risen Christ (Acts 9:1-6). Was Paul saved at this point in the encounter? Evidently not, for the Lord told him to arise and go into the city to be told what he "must do" (Acts 9:6). If after an encounter of this nature, Paul was still lost in his sins, does one not preach another gospel (Gal.1:8-9), who teaches that a man is saved by having a religious experience?

Literally blinded by the experience, Paul was led to Damascus and for three days, he fasted (Acts 9:9) and prayed (Acts 9:11). If prayer saves alien sinners, then Paul's salvation should have been fast-tracked because he not only prayed but fasted too. The One who witnessed that Paul was praying was Christ Himself and He confirmed this to Ananias whom He was sending to tell Paul what he "must do".

Friends, if salvation is received by saying a prayer, then must we not see Ananias tell Paul upon meeting him that Paul was already saved? I however submit to you Paul's own testimony of what Ananias told him he "must do", when they met; "And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord" (Acts 22:16).

This is of all statements, the most strange, if a person receives the gift of salvation by saying a prayer after a preacher. If Paul were saved prior to his meeting with Ananias, then he would not have been told to "...Arise and be baptized and wash away your sins..." Paul could not "wash away his sins", if he were not still stained with sin. He had already believed and repented of his sins and so he needed to "be baptized" in order to "wash away his sins".

Baptism my dear friends is clearly the point at which the sins of Paul and of all alien sinners are remitted (Acts 2:38) and the point at which a person rejoices the joy of salvation (Acts 8:38-39; 16:31-34). Not one second before. If Paul was not saved by saying a prayer, then no one would be saved in such a manner. The phrase "calling on the name of the Lord" does not mean prayer because Paul fasted and prayed three days and he had still not called on the name of the Lord when he met with Ananias. To "call on the name of the Lord" simply means to serve and obey Him (Zeph.3:9).

It was after Paul obeyed these words that Christ sent Ananias to tell him, that he was delivered from Judaism and added to the church of God, which He purchased with His blood (Gal.1:13-15; Acts 2:47; 20:28). Paul didn't pray to become a Christian and if you prayed to become a Christian, you simply aren't one. "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved..." (Mark 16:16) are still the words of the risen and victorious Christ. Will you listen to Him?

If you didn't know this truth, hopefully you do now.

God bless us all in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

(To be continued...)