It is worth noting that the phrases “personal relationship with Jesus” and “personal savior” are not only not found in the Bible, but they are in fact fairly recent terms. Here is what Joel Miller discovered by performing research to see how frequently these phrases appear in books:
Once, while editing a manuscript, I ran across a claim that struck me as bizarre. The author suggested that the Pharisees got all snagged up in legalism because they didn’t grasp the point of faith was a personal relationship with God.
Rubbish, I said, before advising the line be struck, cut, jabbed, and beaten with a knobby stick. The Christian faith is about far more than a personal relationship with Jesus.
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Author: Joel J. Miller
Keywords: Personal savior, personal saviour, personal relationship with Jesus, accept Jesus as your savior, accepting Jesus as your savior, Accept Jesus in your heart, Accepting Jesus in your heart, Sinner's prayer, Praying the sinner's prayer, Born again, Being born again
Bible reference(s): Mat 7:21-22, Mat 25:11-12, Luk 6:46, John 3:16, Act 8:37, Rom 10:9, 1Co 3:1, 1Co 13:11, Eph 4:14, Heb 5:12-13, Heb 6:1, 1Pe 2:2
Source: “Why You Need More Than a Personal Relationship with Jesus,” Theology That Sticks, September 19, 2014.
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