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Lies and False Security
There is an attractive lie being spread from the pulpits of America today that is being used in Sunday schools and in prayer meetings and broadcasted on much of Christian radio and TV. It’s the false teaching that proclaims, “You prayed the sinner’s prayer; therefore, you are saved.”

While it is often the catalyst to a true conversion, the “sinner’s prayer,” where a person “asks Jesus into his heart,” has also been a very effective tool of Satan. It can be a false doctrine that promises, “All you have to do is say the magic words, and you get a free ticket to heaven!” Tragically, the sinner’s prayer has given many people an unfounded assurance of eternal security.

I am not against encouraging people to pray for salvation, nor am I opposed to altar calls, hand raising, or other forms of answering an invitation to come to Christ. But what I am totally against is the notion that just because people “pray the magic prayer,” they have a free pass to heaven, along with God’s favor until they get there.
Jesus warned us there would be many people who would do things, even miraculous things, in His name, but that wouldn’t mean they were saved:

On that day many will say to me, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and cast out demons in Your name, and do many mighty works in Your name?” And then will I declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness.” (Matt. 7:22–23)

There will be many souls in hell who will cry out to Jesus, “But we prayed the sinner’s prayer in Your name!” And Jesus will say to them, “Depart from Me. I never knew you.”

What Is the Gospel?
Sadly, many faithful church attendees can’t answer this question clearly. It is simply unacceptable for those who claim to know Christ not to know how to answer this question. If a woman told you she had five minutes until she would be dead and wanted you to share the gospel with her so that she could be sure she was saved, what would you tell her? Could you share with that dying woman the essential truths for her soul to be saved?

Just to be sure, I want to provide you with a very clear explanation of the gospel. Here is an acronym for GOSPEL to help you remember the key aspects of the good news and to make sure you have claimed them for yourself.

G–God
• There is only one God, Who created all things. (1 Cor. 8:6)
• God is perfectly good, perfectly holy, and perfectly loving. (1 John 4)

O–Our Sin
• God has given us His Word (the Bible), which provides us clear direction on how to live. When we disobey His Word, it is sin. (Eph. 5:1–21)
• Sin separates us from God because He is holy and must punish sin. (Isa. 59:2)
• Every single person on earth has sinned, and has therefore offended God. (Rom. 3:23)
• The Bible says hell is a place of eternal torment where unsaved sinners will spend eternity apart from God.

(2 Thess. 1:9)

S–Savior/Son
• Jesus, God in the flesh, came to earth as a man. (Phil. 2:5–8)
• He demonstrated His great love for mankind in coming to the earth and living a perfect, holy, and sinless

life. (2 Pet. 2:22)
• He performed many miracles to prove He was God. (John 21:25)

P–Paid for by Jesus on the Cross
• The greatest act of love ever performed was when Jesus was brutally beaten and nailed to a cross for sins He did not commit. (Rom. 5:8)
• He died on the cross to pay for the sins of every person on earth. (2 Cor. 5:15)
• He did this willingly, to make a way for us to be restored to Him. (John 10:18)

E–Empty Tomb
• Jesus proved that He is God by rising from the dead three days after He died on the cross. (Rom. 1:4)
• He was seen alive many times, by over five hundred people after the resurrection. (1 Cor. 15:6)

L–Life Eternal
• By putting our faith in Jesus and following Him, we can be forgiven for our sin. (Rom. 10:9–10)
• Only those who turn from their sin and believe in Jesus will go to heaven when they die and live with God for eternity. (Acts 4:12; 20:21)

Essentially, an understanding of who God is, what Jesus did, and what man must do are the key components of salvation. If you are a professing follower of Jesus, you should be able to share the gospel message clearly and confidently.

The Test of a True Conversion
Salvation is an absolutely free gift, but being a Christian is not just about knowing the right information and agreeing with it intellectually.

I have known women who have come to our church and attended our women’s Bible study. Who posted things on social media about being Christians and said they are followers of Jesus, but they also posted raunchy jokes and photos of themselves scantily dressed, and commented about being married to “the idiot.” I have sat next to women in church who lifted their hands in worship, but later told me they have their tarot cards read in order to make decisions about their lives. There is a contradiction between what these women said they believed and how they actually lived. I have also known wonderfully moral women who had a vast knowledge of the Bible, did charitable deeds, used Christian lingo, and outwardly “looked” like Christians, and yet they did not sincerely follow Jesus.

There are surely women sitting in our churches who listen to the messages every week and piously perform ministry tasks, but are not yet truly converted. Remember, Judas Iscariot played the part of a disciple so well, and no one suspected he would be the one to betray Jesus. It is quite possible to be a moral person and still go to hell.

Genuine Salvation = Changed Life
Make no mistake—we do not do good works to earn our own salvation; however, if we are saved, then we will demonstrate our salvation by our good works. James declared, “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:20). A dead faith—one void of obedience and service to Christ—is not a faith that reflects the life of a disciple.

Being born again is not merely a name change, but a nature change. If we are truly born again, we will no longer be the women we used to be. Some changes are immediate, while others take time to develop, but we can’t be born again and remain 
the same. Charles Spurgeon said, “The grace that does not change my life will not save my soul.”

True conversion produces true change. Jesus doesn’t save us and then leave us where we are. No. He transforms us and conforms us into His image. If the Holy Spirit has taken up residence in a heart, the fruit of the Spirit will be evident in that person’s life.
If I told you I believed there was a bomb in the room that would detonate in three minutes, you would expect me to bolt for the door. But if I told you there was a bomb in the room and then sat sipping a latte and chatting with my friends, you would decide I really didn’t believe there was a bomb. My words weren’t backed up by my actions; therefore, my words were meaningless.
And so it is with Christianity. Only God knows what is in a person’s heart, but the following Scriptures give us clear standards that we can use to measure a profession of faith:

And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. Whoever says “I know Him” but does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in Him. (1 John 2:3–4)

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. (1 John 5:1–3)

For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. (Eph. 5:5–12)

True salvation will be evidenced by a life that reflects a sincere love for Jesus.

Real Christians will be easy to spot by their obedience to Jesus. There will be an ever-increasing pursuit of holiness and a deepening love for the Savior, as well as a decreasing desire for the pleasures of this world and an increasing desire for the things of God. These are the standard by-products of salvation. Before we can be the excellent wives we are created to be, we must first examine ourselves to be certain we are in the faith.

If you examine yourself and realize you may not be saved, take courage! You’re still breathing! You can still repent of your sin and surrender yourself to Jesus right now.

Salvation is available to you through repentance and faith. In your own heart (or out loud if you prefer), confess to God you are a sinner in need of salvation, and acknowledge that Jesus is the only way that you can be saved. Ask Jesus to be the Lord of your life, and then begin walking in obedience to Him.