How to Lead Someone in the Sinners Prayer

Whenever we preach the Gospel, there is always a response that we look for from someone, and that is the person hearing the Gospel repent, believing the finished work of Christ on the cross, and committing to follow Him. It may sound like there are many different responses to the Gospel, but they are all just one. If a person has believed the Gospel and has seen who Christ is, they will repent from their life of sin. They won’t only turn away from their sinful life but also have a newfound purpose: following Christ and living for Him (Matthew 3:2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.); (Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.); 2 Corinthians 5:17).

Heavenly Father, I thank You for sending Your Son Jesus, who lived the life we should have lived and died the death we should have died. In Him, we receive forgiveness and eternal life. Holy Spirit, thank You for opening our eyes to such precious truth. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

What is the Sinner’s Prayer?

It is a prayer where we lead those whom we preach the Gospel to help them articulate our response when we hear of the Gospel.

The Gospel is the Good News where God became man in Christ Jesus. He lived the life we should have lived and died the death we should have died. God expected us to live sinless lives, yet we can’t. Therefore, we deserve eternal death. Christ, however, despite sinless, was the One who died in our place. He didn’t stay dead when He died but rose from the dead. He proved that He is indeed the Son of God and that through Him, anyone can have eternal life. We can resurrect through Christ and receive forgiveness if we are in Him, for He paid for our sins on the cross.

Following all of the things we mentioned above, which is the Gospel, how do we respond to that? We respond by believing what Jesus did for us on the cross, that indeed, through Him, we can have forgiveness and eternal life (Acts 16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.). Therefore, we don’t respond by wanting to sin more because there is grace. Instead, we are convicted of it. Being freed from the bondage of sin, we repent and want to live a holy life and commit to following Christ (Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.); Titus 2:11-12).

That is why we will help articulate and put into words to those we preach the Gospel to. But knowing that the Sinner’s Prayer does not save a person is essential. A person may pray the prayer yet still has unbelief and is unrepentant in his or her heart. We can’t come to God and tell Him we are saved because we prayed. The Sinner’s Prayer, as mentioned, is more articulating what is in our heart: belief in what Christ has done for us on the cross and the desire to leave our lives of sin and commit to following Christ in whom we have found life.

How Do I Lead Someone During the Sinner’s Prayer?

When you lead someone during the Sinner’s Prayer, you can instruct the person to repeat after you. As you pray the prayer where the person will repeat after you, try not to pray something long, or else the person might have a hard time remembering what you said and repeating after you.

Below is an example of a sinner’s prayer where it is already divided so that you can pause and let the person repeat after you:

Lord Jesus, thank You for coming down on Earth . . . thank You for living the perfect life I couldn’t live . . . and thank You for paying the penalty of death for my sins which I couldn’t pay and will surely die . . . I believe that you lived the life I should have lived . . . and that you died the death I should have died . . . I also believe that You rose from the grave . . . because of that, in You I can have forgiveness and eternal life . . . I repent from my life of sin and am determined to leave it all behind . . . and follow You for the rest of my life . . . In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

If you have observed in the prayer we have given above, we have put into words the response of our hearts: believing the Gospel (what Jesus did), repenting from our life of sin, and following Christ.

As you preach the Gospel, while it is helpful to lead someone in the Sinner’s Prayer to help them articulate their response, it would also be helpful to ask them some questions. For example, after you have preached the Gospel to them, you can ask them if they believe what Jesus has done, that He is indeed the Son of God who died for their sins and rose from the dead. You can also ask them if they repent of their life of sin and commit to follow Jesus.