Pray for People to Be Saved

In my sermons I urged the congregation to pray for those who have not yet accepted Christ as Savior. One day, after the worship service, one of the church members informed me that God decides beforehand who will be saved and who will be lost and nowhere in the Bible are we told to pray for lost people to be saved. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, “Calvinism,” this is an example of what some Calvinists believe.

After he told me that, I began searching the Bible for evidence one way or another, and found a verse in which the Apostle Paul prays for people who are lost. Here is the verse (Romans 10:1 KJV): “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.” And, there is not just one verse about this; there are two entire chapters (Romans 10-11) about it. Those two chapters declare that salvation is offered through Christ to Jews and Gentiles alike. But those who are saved are saved by faith in the resurrected Christ. If you do not believe me about this, just read those two chapters in the Book of Romans and then tell me what you believe about it.

But does not Romans 11:26 teach that “all Israel will be saved?” Well, let’s just look at that verse, which reads in the King James Version, “and so all Israel be saved.” The little word, “so,” (Greek: “houtos”) is part of the overall discussion and means, “in this manner,” or “thus.” Translate “so” as “in this manner” or “thus”, and you have, “And in this manner (or, “thus”) all Israel will be saved.” In what manner? The little word, “so,” refers to the entire discussion which preceded it. Paul’s conclusion: Jews who are saved are saved hrough faith in the resurrected Christ as the Messiah.

There can be no doubt that Paul is saying that Israelites will be saved by faith in Christ, but some interpret this verse to mean that at some future date every Jew will suddenly believe in Christ as Savior. I would like to believe that, but I think the verse is saying that every Jew who is saved is saved in the same way as non-Jews: by faith in Jesus Christ as Savior (Messiah).

Coming back to Romans 10:1, where Paul says he is praying for Jews to be saved, it is clear to me that he means that Jews who accept Christ will be saved, which is the same to be said of Gentiles (non-Jews). The key verses of the two chapters, Romans 10 and 11, are, ” ..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” (Romans 10:9-10 KJV).

After all this discussion, I hope you join me in believing that we Christians should pray for unsaved people to be saved, whoever they are, and that means praying that they accept Christ as Lord and Savior. The song, “I Am Praying for You,” declares that message. We should pray for people to be saved.

The hymn for today is one of our greatest. It is a testimony about precious intercessory prayer. It is presented in the video below by the Revivaltime Choir.

 

I AM PRAYING FOR YOU
I have a Savior, he’s pleading in glory
Author: Samuel O’Malley Cluff
Tune: [I have a Savior, He’s pleading in glory] (Sankey)
circa 1870

I have a Savior, He’s pleading in glory,
A dear, loving savior, though earth-friends be few;
And now He is watching in tenderness o’er me,
But, oh, that my Savior were your Savior, too.
For you I am praying,
For you I am praying,
For you I am praying,
I’m praying for you.

I have a Father; to me He has given
A hope for eternity, blessed and true;
And soon will He call me to meet Him in heaven,
But, oh, that He’d let me bring you with me, too!
For you I am praying,
For you I am praying,
For you I am praying,
I’m praying for you.

I have a robe: ’tis resplendent in whiteness,
Awaiting in glory my wondering view;
Oh, when I receive it all shining in brightness,
Dear friend, could I see you receiving one, too!
For you I am praying,
For you I am praying,
For you I am praying,
I’m praying for you.

When Jesus has found you, tell others the story,
That my loving Savior is your Savior, too;
Then pray that your Savior may bring them to glory,
And prayer will be answered – ’twas answered for you!
For you I am praying,
For you I am praying,
For you I am praying,
I’m praying for you.

The song for today is repeated from the blog for January 8, 2021.
The remarks in today’s blog are different
from those in the earlier blog in January.