The Sinner's Prayer | The Institute for Creation Research

The Sinner's Prayer

“And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.” (Luke 18:13)

Evangelists have often urged lost men and women to pray this “sinner’s prayer” if they desired to be saved. The account does say that this publican, after praying thus, “went down to his house justified” (v. 14).

But there is more here than appears on the surface. It is not merely God’s mercy that is needed for He has already been merciful to let us continue to live at all. The word translated “merciful” is used only one other time in the New Testament and is there translated “make reconciliation for.” Speaking of the saving work of Christ, it says that He came “to make reconciliation for the sins of the people” (Hebrews 2:17). It is also closely related to the words for “propitiation” and “mercy seat.”

This parable of the Pharisee and the publican is set in the context of the Jewish temple worship, where sinners would bring their sacrificial offerings to cover their sins, knowing that “it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul” (Leviticus 17:11). Such sacrifices were completely worthless, however, if offered in a spirit of religious pride and/or self-righteousness, like those of the Pharisee. There must be repentance and faith in God’s promise of forgiveness through the death of an innocent substitute, pre-figuring the true Lamb of God whose coming death would truly make eternal reconciliation for the sins of the people. The publican prayed in this vein, and he was saved.

In our day, on the other side of the cross, a sinner’s saving prayer must say, in effect: “God, be propitiated to me on the basis of the death of Christ for my sins.” Such a prayer, offered in sincere repentance and faith in God’s promise, brings justification before God. HMM

The Latest
NEWS
Puzzling Fossils at an Unlikely Time
Wherever and whenever life is found, it is incredibly complex. This certainly applies to cyanobacterial photosynthetic life that supposedly were some...

CREATION PODCAST
A Theory Designed to Be...Anti-Design | The Creation Podcast:...
Science is objective. At least, that’s what we’re told. But there are inherent issues with this statement that can...

NEWS
Seeing the Case for Creation in Fruit Flies
Our brain is designed to smoothly and constantly process what we see via the incredibly sensitive photoreceptors (cones and rods) of our eyes.1...

DAYS OF PRAISE DEVOTIONALS
Winter 2024
...

NEWS
Amazing Defense Systems
Bacteria (prokaryotes) are ubiquitous. A fraction cause disease in people, animals, and plants, but the majority are the foundation for the global food...

NEWS
Octopus and Fish Plan a Complex Coordinated Hunt
The octopus—an invertebrate—never fails to surprise researchers with its incredible abilities.1,2 The octopus was designed...

NEWS
A ''40 million year old'' 100% European Gnat
Finding well-preserved creatures in amber1 is a landfall for creation scientists, much like the numerous discoveries of soft dinosaur tissue...

CREATION PODCAST
The Undeniable Power of Narrative | The Creation Podcast: Episode...
Science is objective. At least, that’s what we’re told. But there are inherent issues with this statement that can cause...

NEWS
Paintbrush of the Creator
Who doesn’t enjoy the amazing color patterns of butterflies?1,2 Such beautiful designs and construction do not reflect blind naturalistic...

NEWS
November 2024 ICR Wallpaper
"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NKJV) ICR...