Declaring someone Saved
Can someone be saved by just having someone share with them a few bible verses and then repeating a sinners prayer.
Yes-- One can be saved by hearing God's word and then repeating a sinners prayer, but it's by God's grace and by the power of His Holy Spirit that a person can have that Godly sorrow that leads them to repentance of their sins, and give them enough faith to believe on His Son Jesus Christ to be saved.
But what am concerned about is when we that are Christians share the good news of Jesus Christ with someone, and then ask them if they would like to repeat or say a prayer to ask God to forgive them of their sins, and ask Jesus Christ to save them and come into their life. And say after they had agreed and had said or repeated the prayer, we that are Christians many times will declare that person saved by telling him or her that they are now saved.
Now am thinking maybe this is a mistake on our part to declare a person saved so soon before that person had time to examine themselves to be sure that they had truly gotten saved or not. 2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
I think maybe we should hold off before declaring someone is saved, and wait and see if that person will start showing some type of signs of actually having been saved, by God's grace, and not just a false conversion by the works of the flesh. So I believe we should hold off trying to get that person baptized and joining the church so soon before seeing some evidence of a genuine salvation--- like turning away from the ungodly things and turning toward Godly things, and like reading God's word, praying daily, attending church regularly, and start hating their sins, and start seeking and doing things that which is good.
But am afraid we get in such a rush to declare that a person have gotten saved so that we can maybe take some credit in having lead a person to the Lord, or a church maybe being more concerned about the number of baptisms that they can perform then actually being more concerned on if who they are baptizing is truly saved, or are they nothing more then a lost hypocrite getting wet.
I know for myself I have seen people and known people close to me, that had someone tell them that they were saved after they had someone lead them in repeating or saying a prayer to be saved. But I can say these same people who was declared to be saved are living just the same as they was before or worst, with no turning from their sins, and had not seeked after things which is of God. And this has been years after someone had told them that they were saved.
So I believe we should hold off declaring someone has gotten saved so soon until there is some true Godly evidence in their lives--- Like love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperanceane, which are signs of someone having received the Holy Spirit, by having been saved. And giving them time to examine themselves to see if they are truly in the faith, that is saved. Because I believe there are only two that truly knows rather if they truly had gotten saved or not, and that is themselves and God.