Does the Bible support the Christian saying “Ask Jesus into your heart”?
As a Christian, I've often heard the Christian saying "Ask Jesus into your heart." I've heard this phrase used in Christian worship services and even outside worship services. The phrase is often an invitation to non-Christians to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
Does the phrase “Ask Jesus into your heart” come from the Bible? I have attempted to find the term “asking Jesus into one's heart” in the Bible. However, I have not seen it. So, my question is: Does the Bible support the Christian saying “Ask Jesus into your heart”?
Does this Christian saying really exist in the Bible?
Some verses speak of "believing in your heart." For example, Romans 10:9 (NASB): “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” It's essential to keep in mind that these are associated with saving faith — the belief that Jesus died for our sins and rose again. The verse does not have anything to do with inviting Jesus into your heart.
The Bible does not support the saying "Ask Jesus into your heart." The Bible does not read that way.
"Ask Jesus into your heart" is a misleading way of describing how to be saved. The Bible never uses this type of language. "Ask Jesus into your heart" implies that one believes by faith in their heart (Romans 10:9) and then invites Him in.
The problem with this is that the Bible teaches that we are saved by faith, "not of works" (Ephesians 2:8-9). It says that a person is saved by grace through faith alone — and not by anything else — so we see there are no works involved.
It is true that when a person places their trust in Christ, they have the Spirit of God come to dwell within them (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). However, the Bible never tells us to invite Jesus into our hearts. This is about what we read in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 and Romans 10:9-10. It is an inference based upon the idea that it can be considered a work to invite Jesus into your heart. But biblical salvation does not include any works at all, and therefore this is a widespread expression among Christians, yet no verse in the Bible supports it.
Let's take a look at some verses where this expression might have come from:
John 1:12 (NASB) — “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.“
Romans 10:9-10 (NASB) — “That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”
Both are great verses about salvation. The first one tells us how to become children of God (to receive Jesus), while the second one tells us what we need to believe to be saved. However, neither of them says anything about asking Jesus into our hearts — proving how we need to be careful about making up Christian sayings, and acting like they came directly out of the Word of God.
What are the steps to becoming a child of God?
Let’s put Christian sayings aside. We all have to do our research to know what is true and the steps needed to become whoever we want; this journey of becoming a child of God should be no different.
Here are some steps to consider becoming a child of God:
Admit that you are a sinner separated from God and in need of a Savior (Romans 3:23).
Believe that Jesus Christ died to pay the penalty for your sin, rose from the dead, and is alive today (Romans 5:8; John 3:16; 2 Corinthians 5:21).
Confess, or agree with God that you are a sinner in need of a Savior (Romans 10:9-10).
Repent or turn away from your sins and turn toward God (Acts 17:30-31).
Receive Jesus as your Savior by faith (John 1:12; Ephesians 2:8-9).
It is not just enough to go by what we have always heard when it comes to spiritual matters and eternity. We need to seek and search out a matter. As we see that this famous Christian saying can't be directly pinned down in Scripture, we might need to investigate other things we believe in to understand if we trust a manufactured truth or an actual truth brought forth by the living God.
Centerpoint Church is ready to walk with you on your faith journey
At Centerpoint, our community believes in purpose and passion, and we would love to walk with you on your journey in finding yours. You can also find out what our community's purpose and passion are all about by checking out some of the past sermons we've posted on our website.
Do you want to grow in your faith, or are you simply curious about who this Jesus guy is? You're not alone. We encourage you to listen to our podcast series online and welcome you to come to one of our Sunday morning services in Valrico, Florida.