Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart: A Review

Don't be misled by the title, the author of this book, J.D. Greear, is not arguing against salvation; he's arguing for it! Or, to be more precise, he's arguing for the assurance of salvation. The subtitle of this book reads, "How to Know for Sure You are Saved." At some point in most Christians' lives, doubts about the surety of salvation and eternal glory arise. But on the flip side, many people who think they are Christians have been falsely assured of a salvation that has not happened. The dual purpose of this book is this: first, to assure true Christians of their salvation and, second, to warn superficial Christians of their apathy and guide them to repentance and faith.

Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart is a relatively short book - 128 pages of eight chapters, with two appendixes at the back. The explanation of the title lies at the heart of a problem with much of the current evangelical scene. Greear is concerned that the biblical explanation of salvation has been muddled in "gospel cliché," as he states in Chapter 1,

"I have begun to wonder if both problems, needless doubting and false assurance, are exacerbated by the clichéd ways in which we (as evangelicals) speak about the gospel. Evangelical shorthand for the gospel is to "ask Jesus into your heart," or "accept Jesus as Lord and Savior," or "give your heart to Jesus." These phrases may not be wrong in themselves, but the Bible never tells us, specifically, to seek salvation in these ways. The biblical summation of a saving response toward Christ is "repentance" and "belief" in the gospel." 

Many people think that the sinner's prayer in and of itself is what saves, but Greear is clear to define true belief not as a pre-written prayer prayed over and over when you're doubting your faith, but the "posture" of repentance of faith. This posture changes at the moment of our conversion and continues for the rest of our lives. And for those of us who don't know the exact moment of our conversion and when our posture changed, it's okay! The important thing, Greear says, is that you're trusting in Jesus now and that your posture has changed now. In Chapter 4, he wrote:

"Don't try to find assurance from a prayer you prayed in the past; find assurance by resting in the present on what Jesus did in the past. If you are resting right now in what Jesus did two thousand years ago to save you, then, if never before, you are saved at this moment, even if you don't signify it with a prayer. It is the relationship to Christ that saves, not the prayer that signified the beginning of that relationship. When you started to rest is not as important as the fact that you are doing it now."

Going back to Greear's dual purpose, both are accomplished fantastically! The book is not a hard read, but a poignant and needed one for Christians today. Whether you are doubting your faith in Christ or not, I encourage you to read Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart and then give it to others to read as well.