Christian Catch Phrases

In spite of my website and animation being called SuperPope, I am not Catholic. I was born and raised in a Southern Baptist church. I still proudly call myself a Southern Baptist. I have done my research and whole-heartedly believe that I would not want to be a part of any other denomination. That being said, there are a couple of concepts that have crept into modern protestantism that bother me. They bother me because they are misleading to the non-Christian and violate the foundational doctrine of Sola Scriptura. They have arisen from an attempt to simplify the explanation of our beliefs for non-Christians in order to lead them to salvation, but have ended up as over-used catch phrases that misrepresent what Christ taught.

Catch Phrase 1: "Salvation is a free gift."

No, it's not.

I know how this phrase originated, but it has come to mean something that cannot be supported scripturally. Salvation is freely available, yes, but it could cost you everything that you have and are. If salvation is free, why did Christ say, "If anyone desires to follow me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me" (Luke 9:23)? It looks to me like salvation requires you to crucify your own selfish desires daily and trust God to know what is best for you.

I'm not supporting a works-based view of salvation. We are saved by grace through faith, and that not of ourselves. But if our lives don't reflect the change, then have we really received God's grace?

Yes, anyone can have salvation. But most people aren't willing to make the sacrifice required to receive it.

Catch Phrase 2: "Pray the Sinner's Prayer and Ask Jesus into your Heart."

I have heard the testimonies of a lot of good Baptist children, including myself. Most bear a striking resemblance. Fearing an eternity in Hell, kids raised in Baptist churches usually end up "asking Jesus into their heart" sometime in their elementary school years. Then sometime during junior high or high school they come to the realization that something isn't right. Once they're older, they make a new commitment to Christ based on their understanding of who Christ is and why they need God's grace. They lived their childhood in constant fear that they didn't say the prayer properly, and have a sinking feeling that saying "The Sinner's Prayer" wasn't enough.

They're right. When asked, "What must I do to be saved", Christ never told someone to pray a prayer or to ask him "into their heart." The thief on the cross simply said, "Remember me when you enter your kingdom" and he was saved. Why? Because he believed that Christ was who He said He was and did not deserve to die, but that he himself (the thief) fully deserved it. While these sentiments are contained within "The Sinner's Prayer", the prayer itself attempts to reduce salvation into a magic mantra, perpetuating the "Free Gift" fallacy and creating a lot of pseudo-Christians who believe they are eternally saved because of some miraculous phrase they uttered to God. When they see that their lives aren't changed automatically they lose faith in what they never really understood, and often leave the church forever in disgust.

The verses "It is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me" (Gal. 2:20) and "Behold, I stand at the door and knock" (Rev. 3:20) are taken out of context and misappropriated in support of "asking Jesus into your heart." When Paul said Christ lived in him, he meant that he had sacrificed his will to Christ. Rev. 3:20 was written to a group of Christians, so it doesn't refer to salvation but to allowing God to do His will in you.

Salvation is not a miraculous moment in time. It is a way of life. Sure, realizing our own fatal selfishness is the starting point, but without daily surrender to the will of Christ, we have nothing.

Salvation is not about adding numbers to a church ledger that can be read off in a business meeting. It's about transforming people and helping them shake free from the destructive behaviors that hold them captive.

Comments

[Ginny]

You say you studied religion and are still a Baptist. I think you should read your Scripture more closely - it would help you. Where do you find sola scriptura in Scripture? You don't. It says in response to being asked what to do to be saved - "Repent and be baptized...." It also leads one to know that they can lose their salvation . I would hope you would read more closely - with a more open mind. God bless you!

[SuperPope]

I have posted a response to your comment and entitled it "Sola Scriptura". I'm just adding this comment in case you're checking this page to see if I've responded.

[stephy]

You're awesome.