How to accept Jesus: a prayer of salvation

Short answer

To accept Jesus is to turn to God from your sin and trust Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord. No special words save you, faith in Christ does: you can tell God in your own words that you have sinned, that you believe Jesus died for you and rose again, and that you now trust Him and want to follow Him.

Perhaps you have been reading about Jesus and sense that God is calling you. You want to respond, but you are not sure how, or what to say. The good news is that the Bible makes the way plain, and that God is far more willing to receive you than you are to come. This page explains what it means to accept Jesus and offers a simple prayer to help you put your faith into words. For a fuller explanation of the gospel itself, read How can I be saved?

What it means to receive Jesus

The Gospel of John describes how many people rejected Jesus when He came. Then it says:

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
John 1:12 · King James Version (1769)

John MacArthur explains that the second half of the verse explains the first: to receive Jesus is to accept who He says He is, to believe in Him and so to give Him your allegiance. The word “gave” shows that becoming God’s child is a gift of grace, not a reward. William MacDonald puts it simply: it is not good works, church membership or our best efforts that make us children of God, but receiving Christ and believing on His name. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown note that the word translated “power” means both the right and the ability to become God’s children.

Jesus knocks first

One of the best-known invitations in the Bible comes from the risen Christ:

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Rev 3:20 · King James Version (1769)

These words were first spoken to the church in Laodicea, a church that had grown lukewarm and self-satisfied. MacArthur notes that the traditional reading sees Christ knocking at the heart of the unbeliever; he himself takes it as Christ standing outside a church without true believers, ready to come in if even one person would respond with saving faith. Either way, the invitation is personal: if anyone hears and opens, Christ will come in and share a meal with him, a picture of close fellowship. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown observe: “If He did not knock first, we should never come to knock at His door.” Albert Barnes adds that knocking means He does not force the door; He waits to be let in.

Turning from sin and trusting Christ

Accepting Jesus is not adding Him to a life that stays the same. It means turning to God, admitting your sin and trusting Christ alone to forgive it. The New Geneva Study Bible notes that in the apostles’ preaching repentance, sorrow over sin and turning from it, cannot be separated from turning to God in faith (Acts 3:19). God’s promise to those who come honestly is sure:

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9 · King James Version (1769)

To confess, MacArthur explains, is to say about our sin what God says about it. MacDonald points out that God is faithful because He has promised to forgive, and just because Jesus has already paid for our sins on the cross. The New Geneva Study Bible adds that forgiveness is given to those who know they need it, not because of any merit of theirs but by grace alone. The tax collector in Jesus’ parable had nothing to offer but a plea for mercy, and he went home justified (Luke 18:13–14).

Paul sums up the response of faith:

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Rom 10:9–10 · King James Version (1769)

MacArthur notes that confessing Jesus as Lord means more than admitting He is Lord of the universe: it means taking Him as your own Master. Believing that God raised Him from the dead means trusting that His work for you is finished. The New Geneva Study Bible points out that Paul ties both faith in the heart and confession with the mouth to salvation.

A prayer you can pray

There is no magic formula. The words of a prayer do not save anyone; Christ saves those who trust Him. God looks at the heart, and He hears even the simplest cry, like that tax collector’s. If you are ready to turn to Jesus, you can pray something like this, in your own words:

Lord God, I know that I have sinned against You and cannot save myself. Thank You for loving me and sending Your Son. I believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sins and that You raised Him from the dead. Please forgive me and make me Your child. From now on I want to trust Jesus as my Savior and follow Him as my Lord. Help me to live for You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

If you prayed this from your heart, the Bible’s promise is for you: whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Romans 10:13). Your assurance rests on that promise, not on your feelings. Anyone who is in Christ is a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17), and new life grows step by step.

A few next steps will help. Tell another believer about your decision. Begin reading the Bible, perhaps starting with the Gospel of John. Talk with God every day. Find a church that teaches God’s Word, and ask about being baptized, as Jesus commanded His followers (Matthew 28:19).