Don’t Ask Jesus Into Your Heart

When asked about a personal salvation testimony, many self-professing Christians and even pastors will proclaim, “When I was…(insert story here)… I asked Jesus into my heart.” This vague Christianese phrase is nowhere in the Bible and can lead many astray by creating an illusion of salvation, when in fact the gospel hasn’t been clearly understood and trusted. According to Ephesians 3:17, Christ dwells in our hearts by faith not by us asking for him to. 

Upon trusting the gospel of Christ, the Spirit of Christ dwells in us permanently which is a glorious truth of the mystery of Christ (Eph 1:12-13, 1Co 15:1-4, Rom 8:9, Col 1:27). Faith is not blind, it is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Heb 11:1), and our faith has a substance. It is in the content of the gospel: Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again to save our souls from Hell and justify us before God (1Co 15:1-4, Rom 3:20-28). It is not of works of righteousness that we have done, but strictly through His free grace given by His finished work on the cross for us (Titus 3:3-7, Eph 2:8-9). 

When talking to people about salvation, it is important to be doctrinally precise, or else we fall victim to leading others astray. Jesus never tells us to ask Him into our hearts, but He did offer Himself as an atonement for our sins when we trust in His work alone. Let us do the important work of clarifying the gospel, not assuming anyone knows it clearly just because they have gone to church their whole life or because they told you they “asked Him into their heart” or “accepted Jesus” or “became a follower of Jesus.” While they may have trusted it and are just falling victim to cultural Christianese, they may also not be saved. Don’t ask Jesus into your heart, but rather, trust that you’re guilty before God and Christ did everything necessary to save you on your behalf!