Is it true that no matter what we do, as long as we have said the Sinner’s Prayer, we will go to heaven because of what Jesus did for us?

Sincerely,
Praying It’s True

Dear Praying It’s True,

The sinner’s prayer is not how people become saved.  If we want to know what it takes to be saved, we should see what people in the Bible did to become saved.  The Bible outlines five separate requirements for salvation, and all of them are necessary.

1. Hear the Word. Faith comes through hearing, and hearing comes through the Word of God (Rom 10:17). Until someone hears God’s Word, they are incapable of obeying it.
2. Believe the Word. It is impossible for someone to become a christian unless they believe that Jesus is the Savior and Son of God (Jhn 20:31, Acts 16:31, Jhn 3:16).
3. Repent of your sins. ‘Repent’ means to ‘change your mind’. That change of mind always involves a change of action as well. Repentance is when we change our mind about what is important and submit ourselves to Jesus and His Word. Repentance is a necessity of salvation (Mk 6:12, Lk 13:5, Lk 15:7).
4. Confess Jesus to others. If we have sworn our allegiance to Jesus, we must be prepared to publicly confess Him as our Lord. If we won’t confess Jesus before men, He won’t confess us before God (Matt 10:32-33, Lk 12:8-9).
5. Be baptized in the name of Jesus for salvation. Many groups baptize people, but very few baptize people for the right reasons. Baptism isn’t merely an “outward showing of an inward faith” or “for membership”. Baptism is what saves us (1 Pet 3:21). Baptism is the point where someone goes from being lost to saved because they are buried and resurrected with Christ (Rom 6:4-5). Baptism is the final requirement to become a christian (Acts 2:37-38, Mk 16:16, Acts 2:41). There is not a single example of someone becoming a christian without baptism. Baptism is just as necessary as the other four requirements.

If we want to have total confidence that we are saved, we must do everything the Bible says to receive salvation (Ps 119:160).  Prayer is a wonderful thing to do, but it isn’t a part of the conversion process.

Is it wrong to buy lottery tickets or buy chances at a drawing or raffle?

Sincerely,
Taking My Chances

Dear Taking My Chances,

The Bible never specifically mentions the lottery as a sin, but it doesn’t have to be specifically mentioned to be wrong.  There are a great many things surrounding gambling that are sinful.  Consider that:

1. Gambling focuses around money and greed.  God warns us clearly about being fixated with money (1 Tim 6:10, Heb 13:5).  God wants us to be satisfied with our income (Eccl 5:10).  Contentment is a major component of spiritual maturity (1 Tim 6:6).
2. Gambling is used as a means to gain money without working for it.  God finds pleasure in people working for their livelihood (2 Thess 3:10-12, Pr 10:4).
3. Gambling wastes money because, ultimately, the house does always win.  God expects us to be good stewards (1 Cor 4:2) and save for the future (Pr 6:6-8).
4. Gambling and the places where gambling occurs are often associated with other sinful things.  There is a reason Las Vegas is called “Sin City”.  That industry is not one that a christian should be supporting (2 Cor 6:16-17).

Gambling is addictive.  We can only have one master (Lk 16:13).

Will God ever stop giving us chances?

Sincerely,
One More Chance

Dear One More Chance,

When we die, our fate will be sealed because there will be no more opportunities to repent (Heb 9:27)… but that isn’t because God gave up on us.  God doesn’t give up on us; we give up on Him.  God tells us that if we repent and confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive us (1 Jn 1:9).  Our heavenly Father is ready and willing to forgive (Ps 86:5).  He doesn’t desire anyone to perish (2 Pet 3:9), but He accepts our choice… even if we choose to reject Him.

Is a Christian allowed to smoke cigarettes and drink beer?

Sincerely,
Does A Body Good?

Dear Does A Body Good,

God never specifically condemns drinking wine, but He does condemn ‘strong drink’ (Pr 20:1), drinking parties (1 Pet 4:3), and drunkenness (Rom 13:13).  Almost all alcohol that is consumed today would fall into the category of ‘strong drink’ because our alcoholic beverages are artificially fermented to increase their alcoholic content (unlike the wine of Jesus’ day – read “That’s Just Grape” for further details on the wine Jesus drank).  We would all do well to heed the words of Pr 23:31-32 and avoid alcohol as much as is possible.

As for cigarettes, anything that purposefully poisons our bodies is wrong to use.  There was a time where the facts were not clearly known about the effects of cigarettes, pipes, and cigars on human health.  Those days are long since gone.  The data is exceptionally clear that smoking is always harmful to the human body and that smoking has no positive health benefits.  God tells us to treat our bodies as a temple (1 Cor 6:19).  Our bodies are a gift from God, and life is something to be cherished.  When we purposefully abuse our bodies with unhealthy lifestyles, we rebel against God and show ungratefulness for the life He has given us.  Present your body as a living and holy sacrifice to God (Rom 12:1).  Who knows what work He has prepared for you in the days and years that would be lost if you died from the effects of smoking?

Is saying, “OMG” (oh, my God!) using God’s name in vain?

Sincerely,
TTYL

Dear TTYL,

Yes, emphatically, yes it is.  We are so thankful you have asked this question because it is such a problem in today’s culture.  Acronyms and shorthand used in texting (such as l8r, btw, ttyl, etc.) have become a part of the pop culture and our everyday speech.  When you shorten something, it still retains the same meaning.  For example, ‘ty’ still means ‘thank you’ and is accepted as a phrase of gratitude.  Therefore, when people type or say ‘omg’, it still means that they are treating God’s name in an irreverent and blasphemous way.  It is a sad fact that many christians treat phrases like ‘omg’ as a sort of “loophole” around using the Lord’s name in vain… but it is still blasphemy.  God isn’t fooled by shorthand (Gal 6:7).