Charles Spurgeon and the “Sinner’s Prayer”

People often wonder if it is legitimate to use a “sinner’s prayer” to lead someone to Christ, since the practice is not found in Scripture. Let the person pray, if he wants to, because it is not the words that matter, but the person’s heart. God knows if he is truly sorry and repentant.

Even so, some of our gospel tracts end with what is commonly called a “sinner’s prayer,” preceded by the words “Pray something like this.” Some have criticized the practice, but Charles Spurgeon did a similar thing in suggesting what the sinner might say to God. At the conclusion of his sermon “A Call to the Unconverted,” he addressed this to the lost:

“People often wonder if it is legitimate to use a “sinner’s prayer” to lead someone to Christ, since the practice is not found in Scripture. Let the person pray, if he wants to, because it is not the words that matter, but the person’s heart. God knows if he is truly sorry and repentant.”

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“Oh, can you say, “I believe this Word—it is true—blessed be His dear name; it is true to me, for whatever I may not be, I know that I am a sinner; the sermon of this night convinces me of that, if there were nothing else; and, good Lord, you know when I say I am a sinner, I do not mean what I used to mean by that word. I mean that I am a real sinner. I mean that if you should damn me, I deserve it; if you should cast me from thy presence forever, it is only what I have merited richly. O my Lord I am a sinner; I am a hopeless sinner, unless you save me; I am a helpless sinner, unless you deliver me. I have no hope in my self-righteousness; and Lord, I bless your name, there is one thing else, I am a sorrowful sinner, for sin grieves me; I can not rest, I am troubled. Oh, if I could get rid of sin, I would be holy, even as God is holy. Lord, I believe… O Lord, it is all true what that man said; I am condemned, and Lord, I deserve it. O Lord, I have tried to be better, and have done nothing with it all, but have only grown worse. O Lord, I have slighted your grace, I have despised your gospel: I wonder [that] you have not damned me years ago; Lord, I marvel at myself; that you allowed such a base wretch as I am to live at all. I have despised a mother’s teaching, I have forgotten a father’s prayers. Lord, I have forgotten you; I have broken your Sabbath, taken your name in vain. I have done everything that is wrong; and if you do condemn me, what can I say? Lord, I am dumb before your presence. I have nothing to plead. But Lord; I come to tell you to-night, you have said in the Word of God, ‘Him that comes to me, I will in no wise cast out.’ Lord, I come: my only plea is that you have said, ‘This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners.’ Lord, I am a sinner; he came to save me; I trust in it— sink or swim—Lord, this is my only hope: I cast away every other, and hate myself to think I ever should have had any other. Lord, I rely on Jesus only. Do but save me, and though I can not hope by my future life to blot out my past sin, O Lord, I will ask of thee to give me a new heart and a right spirit, that from this time forth even for ever I may run in the way of your commandments: for, Lord, I desire nothing so much as to be your child. You know, O Lord, I would give all, if you would but love me; and I am encouraged to think that you do love me; for my heart feels so. I am guilty, but I should never have known that I was guilty if you had not taught it to me. I am vile, but I never should have known my vileness, unless you had revealed it. Surely, you will not destroy me, O God, after having taught me this. If you do, you are just, but, ‘Save a trembling sinner, Lord, whose hopes still hovering round your Word, would light on some sweet promise there; some sure support against despair.’”

Then, with perhaps a smile, the Prince of Preachers said, “If you cannot pray such a long prayer as that, I [will] tell you what to go home and say. Say this: ‘Lord Jesus, I know I am nothing at all; be my precious all in all.’”

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