Is it Biblical to Ask Jesus into Your Heart?

Is it biblical to ask Jesus into your heart? Recently, some evangelicals have argued that it is inappropriate to encourage lost people to ask Jesus into their hearts. Dr. Steve Gaines, the pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee, responds that it is quite biblical to encourage a sinner to ask Jesus into his or her heart.

From a systematic perspective, we note that although Scripture speaks more often of our being united with Christ--or as Paul repeatedly states, to be "in Christ"--Scripture also speaks of Christ and the Spirit being in us. Dr. Gaines pointed to the use of lambano (to receive or to accept) in the Gospel of John and to the description of the transformed heart in the promised new covenant of Jeremiah. In a beautifully orthodox Trinitarian vein, Dr. Gaines also appealed to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit as conveying the presence of Christ. In further support of Dr. Gaines' evangelistic thesis, one may wish to consult the biblical witness to the mutual indwelling of Christ, the Spirit, and the believer found in Romans 8:9-11, Colossians 1:27-28, and Galatians 2:20. It is quite necessary to speak of "receiving" Jesus Christ "in" your "heart," which is to "believe" in Him, because it is quite biblical!

Historically, the early church fathers, especially in the East, emphasized the Christian's fellowship with the Triune God. Some medieval Trinitarian theologians emphasized the dwelling of the Holy Spirit in the life of believers. The Reformers, from Luther to the Anabaptists, also emphasized union with Christ. American evangelicals, especially Southern Baptists, would do well to heed Dr. Gaines' clarion call to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ passionately, calling for lost people to invite Him into their lives. To encourage lost people to invite Jesus Christ into their hearts was once the primary emphasis of Southern Baptist evangelism. It should be so again.

Please take a moment to hear Dr. Gaines' eloquent and irenic call to return to a biblical outlook on the place of Christ being received into the heart of the believer. And, if you have never asked Jesus Christ to come into your heart and be your Lord and Savior, I beg of you to hear the apostle Peter in the first Christian sermon ever preached, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38). In other words, believe in Christ and He will give Himself to you.

Reflections on the Cross, the Tomb & the Resurrection

"He was delivered over for our transgressions, and He was raised up for our justification." (Romans 4:25)

During this Easter season, we recall to one another what Jesus Christ has done once for all for humanity some twenty centuries ago in Palestine. Last year, I wrote a series of reflections on the events surrounding the passion, the entombment, and the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  In honor of our divine Lord's redemptive work as a human being, they are linked below. Christ's life, death, and resurrection are at the heart of the Christian faith, and I pray  you will be drawn closer to Him through the proclamation of the gospel this year:

• Good Friday
• Holy Saturday
• Easter Sunday

On the "Great Commission Baptists" Name

It is always interesting how the media pulls quotes from a conversation. This morning Associated Press asked for my opinion on the proposed additional name for Southern Baptists. Up to this point, I had been intentionally silent on the matter. However, following the release of the proposed name, it was time to speak. My written response to AP's query about what conservative Southern Baptists were thinking was provided. It is funny but they picked up a telephone statement instead. Anyways, for my fuller thoughts, please see below:

From conversations with conservative Southern Baptist leaders, I sense a certain ambivalence about the name change. They see both positives and negatives.

On the positive side, traditionalists are elated the suggested public name is “Great Commission Baptists”! We embrace the priority of the Great Commission given by our Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 28. We also believe our history is deeply rooted in the Great Commission. On the basis of the Great Commission, the Anabaptists in the Reformation started as free churches. On the same basis, English Baptists rejected hyper-Calvinism to start the modern mission movement in the eighteenth century. In the nineteenth century, American Baptist denominations organized on the basis of the Great Commission (the Triennial Convention in 1814; the Southern Baptist Convention in 1845). Our Risen Lord's Great Commission summarizes our commitment to encouraging personal reconciliation with God seen first in believers baptism then in life-long biblical discipleship!

On the negative side, many are disheartened by the implication that the name “Southern Baptist” is only considered to be a liability. First, changing our public name will not change our history. Yes, we failed in the past with regard to slavery and racism, but we also succeeded by rejecting the theological liberalism that infected many other Baptists. We have confessed the former as sin, but we retain the latter as triumph. These make us unique and we cannot nor should hide them. However, we should also be aware of how the people we seek to reach are impacted by our reputation.

Second, changing our name will not by itself ensure our hoped-for revival in making disciples for Christ. Rather, true revival will come when we focus on obeying our Lord’s Great Commission in His order by going on mission, winning people to faith through evangelism, then baptizing these new believers into His churches, and teaching everything in Scripture. We will founder if we unintentionally countenance mere marketing to mask cultural compromises, human theological schemes, and/or unbiblical practices.

Many Southern Baptists are elated while others are cautious, and some of us are both elated and cautious. My own hope is that we will move forward together as what we have always been: Great Commission Christians who are historically Southern Baptists.