Is the phrase, “Accept Christ as your personal Savior” or some variation of it found in the Bible?

One of the most commonly used phrases in the Evangelical Christian world today is “accept Christ as your personal savior” or some variation of this phrase. Unfortunately, the widespread use of this phrase has misled many sincere people into thinking that it is actually found in the Bible. The truth is that these words, and nothing like them, is found in scripture. They have been passed on from person to person down through the years, with very few stopping to carefully study God’s Word to find what it really says about salvation. Countless sinners have followed this formula for salvation, only to find themselves still feeling empty and dirty on the inside.

What about John 3:16?

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

The major problem with using John 3:16 exclusively as a salvation scripture is that John 3:16, along with the rest of the New Testament, did not exist until some twenty to seventy years after the Day of Pentecost, the birthday of the Church (see study entitled “The Significance of Acts 2:38″). If John 3:16 or any verse other than Peter’s message on the Day of Pentecost was the true plan of salvation, then the Church was without a true plan of salvation for at least the first twenty years of its existence!

Another problem with basing salvation solely on John 3:16, without considering the Bible as a whole, is that it is quite possible for a Hindu, Muslim, or Buddhist to believe in Jesus Christ. It is quite possible, for example, for such a person to believe that Jesus Christ was a good man or even a good prophet (most do). This verse, taken by itself, does not require repentance, a belief in the crucifixion, resurrection, or ascension of Jesus Christ. Therefore, John 3:16 is not intended to be a “plan of salvation in a nutshell” verse, but rather is telling us that a person who truly believes in Jesus Christ does not have to perish.

What does the Bible really say about acceptance?

In fact, the Bible has a lot to say about acceptance. However, what the Bible tells us is what we must do in order to be accepted by God. It tells us nothing about accepting Him. The key is obedience to His Word. When we do what He has told us to do, then we will be accepted by Him, and this is all that matters. Only when He accepts us are we truly saved, and this only occurs through obedience. Let’s examine what the Bible says about acceptance:

If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door…(Genesis 4:7)

The first occurrence of the word “accepted” is found in the preceding verse. The verse is self-explanatory, in that it is clear that we will be accepted by God if we do well (obey Him).

And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which thou hast spoken. (Genesis 19:21)

In this verse, God accepts the prayer of Lot. Again, no mention is made of Lot “accepting” God.

And it shall be upon Aaron’s forehead…that they may be accepted before the LORD. (Exodus 28:38)

God’s laws for Israel were to be followed specifically to ensure that the children of Israel would be accepted by God. No mention is made of them “accepting” Him.

And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted…(Leviticus 1:4)

Burnt offerings made according to God’s instructions were guaranteed acceptance by God.

And if any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings be eaten at all on the third day, it shall not be accepted…(Leviticus 7:18)

And if it be eaten at all on the third day, it is abominable; it shall not be accepted. (Leviticus 19:7)

20 But whatsoever hath a blemish, that shall ye not offer: for it shall not be acceptable for you.
21 And whosoever offereth a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD to accomplish his vow, or a freewill offering in beeves or sheep, it shall be perfect to be accepted…(Leviticus 20:20-21)

23 Either a bullock or a lamb that hath any thing superfluous or lacking in his parts, that mayest thou offer for a freewill offering; but for a vow it shall not be accepted. (Leviticus 20:23)

25 …and blemishes be in them: they shall not be accepted for you. (Leviticus 20:25)

27 …and from the eighth day and thenceforth it shall be accepted for an offering made by fire unto the LORD.(Leviticus 22:27)

And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you… (Leviticus 23:11)

…If the LORD have stirred thee up against me, let him accept an offering… (1 Samuel 26:19)

Throughout the Bible, the theme of acceptance by God is overwhelming in its recurrence. Always, it is based upon obedience to His commands.

Bless, LORD, his substance, and accept the work of his hands… (Deuteronomy 33:11)

…And Araunah said unto the king, The LORD thy God accept thee. (2 Samuel 24:23)

…the LORD also accepted Job (Job 42:9).

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD… (Psalms 19:14)

…accept thy burnt sacrifice; Selah. (Psalms 20:3)

Accept, I beseech thee, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O LORD… (Psalms 119:108)

To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice. (Proverbs 21:3)

…for God now accepteth thy works. (Ecclesiastes 9:7)

…their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar… (Isaiah 56:7)

…they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar… (Isaiah 60:7)

…your burnt offerings are not acceptable… (Jeremiah 6:20)

…therefore the LORD doth not accept them; he will now remember their iniquity, and visit their sins. (Jeremiah 14:10)

When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and an oblation, I will not accept them… (Jeremiah 14:12)

40 …there shall all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, serve me: there will I accept them…
41 I will accept you with your sweet savour… (Ezekiel 20:40-41)

…the priests shall make your burnt offerings upon the altar, and your peace offerings; and I will accept you, saith the Lord GOD. (Ezekiel 43:27)

They sacrifice flesh for the sacrifices of mine offerings, and eat it; but the LORD accepteth them not; now will he remember their iniquity, and visit their sins… (Hosea 8:13)

Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them… (Amos 5:22)

…I have no pleasure in you, saith the LORD of hosts, neither will I accept an offering at your hand. (Malachi 1:10)

…ye brought that which was torn, and the lame, and the sick; thus ye brought an offering: should I accept this of your hand? saith the LORD. (Malachi 1:13)

Some will argue that the dozens of verses relating to acceptance by God are found in the Old Testament, and thus do not apply to us today. Since we are under the dispensation of grace, the argument goes, our works or obedience have nothing to do with our salvation. Is this true? What does the New Testament have to say on the subject of acceptance? Certainly not that we are to simply “accept Christ,” for this is found nowhere in the New Testament, either. Instead, let’s look at actual verses from the New Testament:

But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. (Acts 10:35)

So we are told by Peter that fearing the Lord and working righteousness are two requirements for acceptance in His eyes. Simply accepting Him as your personal savior is not enough.

1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (Romans 12:1-2)

Now we find that in order for our bodies to be acceptable unto God, they must be a) a living sacrifice, and b) holy.

17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
18 For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men. (Romans 14:18)

Paul is clear that if we serve Christ in righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost, we are acceptable to God. Thus we cannot be acceptable to God without the Holy Ghost. This is further stated in the following verse:

…that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost. (Romans 15:16)

The offering of the Gentiles (non-Jews) is made acceptable because it is sanctified by the Holy Ghost. How can one possibly be accepted of God without the Holy Ghost, since it is the Holy Ghost that sanctifies our offering?

Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. (2 Corinthians 5:9)

Again, we labor to be accepted by God. Consider what the following verses have to say about being acceptable to God:

Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. (Ephesians 5:10)

But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God. (Philippians 4:18)

For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; (1 Timothy 2:3)

But if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to show piety at home, and to requite their parents: for that is good and acceptable before God. (1 Timothy 5:4)

Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: (Hebrews 12:28)

Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:5)

For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. (1 Peter 2:20)

In each of the seven preceding verses, we are told what is acceptable to God. None mention anything having to do with accepting Christ as savior. In fact, we do not encounter a single verse of scripture even remotely suggesting our “acceptance” of Christ other than II Corinthians 11:4:

For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him. (2 Corinthians 11:4)

This verse, which speaks of a gospel accepted by the Corinthians, is the only verse which suggests that we accept Christ at all. It is important to note, however, that it is not Christ that is accepted here, but rather the gospel. In other words, it is not simply an act of accepting Christ into our hearts, as some suggest, but embracing and obeying of the gospel, or good news, of Jesus Christ. This gospel is not only to be believed and accepted, however, but to be obeyed as well.

Ok, I see that I cannot simply accept Christ as my personal savior and be saved. But what else must I do? Exactly what do I have to obey?

You must obey (not just believe) the gospel. The Bible is explicit on this point:

But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? (Romans 10:16)

In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: (2 Thessalonians 1:8)

For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? (1 Peter 4:17)

I don’t understand. I see that I must obey the Gospel, yet I don’t know how. Isn’t the Gospel the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ? How do I obey His death, burial, and resurrection?

It is simple. You must die, be buried, and rise again. When you crucify yourself in repentance, are buried in baptism, and resurrected by the Holy Ghost, you have obeyed the Gospel. Let’s look at each of these steps in succession:

First, you must repent. Repentance is confessing past sins, renouncing those sins, and turning to God. It is a change of mind, and a change of attitude. You must purpose in your heart that you will serve God.

But isn’t repentance part of believing, or accepting Christ?

For some, it may be. For others, it is not. For example, the drunk or drug addict on skid row may sincerely believe in God, and may believe the gospel. However, he is still bound by sin. He has believed, but he has not obeyed, and there is a distinct difference between the two. Because he has not repented of his sins, he cannot be delivered from them. God demands repentance, and will not set us free through any other means. Notice that Mark 1:15 tells us to repent and believe:

And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. (Mark 1:15)

Repentance is a change of attitude, a change of lifestyle. It encompasses the “obeying” portion of the plan of salvation. Believing, on the other hand, simply means to acknowledge the correctness of something.

It is quite common in many churches to teach that the Holy Ghost comes into a person’s heart immediately when that person believes the gospel or “accepts Christ” in to his heart. Does the Bible teach this? Consider Acts 5:32:

And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him. (Acts 5:32)

So Acts 5:32 proves that the Holy Ghost comes not by simple acceptance, but by obedience.

Another example of this principle is found in the eighth chapter of Acts. In this chapter, we find that the people of Samaria heard Christ preached (verse 5), gave heed to preaching (verse 6), heard and saw miracles (verse 6), had joy (verse 8), believed the message (verse 12), and were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus (verse 16). Yet in spite of all this, they did not have the Holy Ghost (verses 15 and 16). Clearly, none of these things in and of itself is proof of the Holy Ghost.

What else does the New Testament have to say about obedience?

And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith. (Acts 6:7)

Note that the priests did not merely believe the faith; they were obedient to it.

By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name: (Romans 1:5)

5 But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
6 Who will render to every man according to his deeds:
7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:
8 But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,
(Romans 2:5-8)

In other words, those who do not obey the truth (verse store up wrath and indignation from God to themselves on the day of wrath and revelation.

But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. (Romans 6:17)

O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? (Galatians 3:1)

Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? (Galatians 5:7)

Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. (Philippians 2:12)

And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; (Hebrews 5:9)

Please note: Jesus is not the author of eternal salvation to all them that believe in Him, but to all them that obey Him. See Acts 5:32, which tells us that the Holy Ghost is given to them that obey Him.

Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: (1 Peter 1:22)

Your soul is purified by obeying the truth, not just believing the truth. It is our sincere prayer that you will go beyond simply believing the Bible is true and into the wonderful life in Christ that comes only through obedience.

Posted under Bible Studies