Remembering the Day of Acceptance

[Ginnybee]

How important is it we remember the date of our acceptance-prayer for Jesus? I have always prayed to Jesus, ever since I can remember, and I know I've quietly said prayers of repentance, accepting Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Therefore, I believe I'm saved. Yet, I do not recall the first time when I asked Jesus into my life. Can this be a problem? Should I make a special point to say a prayer of salvation and note the date for future reference? Or, would that wrongly discredit the fact that the Lord has already been working in my life for some time?

[Scribe D'Nucov]

I had been told this was really important, after getting saved. As a result, I have pin pointed the month and the year, but not the day. However, over time, I have become much more convinced that it is far more important to be able to mark your experience with God today. Christian discipleship is much more about a living walk, than remembrance of an event.

That is not to say that you should disregard your early experience. For me, I have been challenged by complacency and the dreariness of the demands of the ordinary, at times in my walk of faith, and I have found it very helpful to recall the things that God did to bring me through from being "dead in my trespasses and sins" to being "made alive in Christ".

What has helped me is to do two things:
1. Write down the answers to prayer and the amazing things God has done to answer my faith.
2. Tell the stories to others. We make memorials of the work of God in our lives, by telling others.

Consider this: When Moses led Israel across the Red Sea, they sang a song of memorial. When God delivered them the Ten Commandments and God slew Korah and his rebels with an earthquake and the earth opened up to swallow them, they built an altar of memorial and sacrifice to God. When Joshua led Israel across the dried up Jordan river, they built an altar of stones for a memorial. When David slew Goliath, the people sang a song to memorialize the victory.

We need memorials, tools of remembrance, so that we do not forget the amazing things that God has done. The purpose of those tools of remembrance is to remind us of God's faithfulness in tough times. We will be challenged to trust God in times of trial and difficulty. The articles of remembrance can help us keep our head when we are tempted to "lose it".

Personally, i think you would be better suited to keep a journal of answers to prayer from this point forward, than to try to create an artificial circumstance so you can put a date on the calendar. Frankly, there is no record of the Apostles telling people to say a specific salvation or "sinner's" prayer any way.

[Ron Payne]

Hi GinnyBear,

There is nothing in the Bible that says we have to remember the date we accepted Christ as Lord and Saviour.
Some people are fortunate in that the date has been put into their memory bank. It helps them to feel good when giving testimony to others. Other than that it enables them to calculate their age in the New Birth to the day.
I for one cannot remember the exact day but I do know that it was a couple of days before my birthday in 1958. Why do I remember this is because a dear Christian aunt came and gave me a Bible for my birthday a couple of Days after being born again, saying: Today will always remind you of the Best Birth Day you ever had.

Blessings
Ron.

[Carla]

Hi GinnyBear,

In addition to the answers you have already received... I'd just like to add this..

It is important to look at the ongoing fruit in one's life, rather then the day marked on a calendar. We are not changed because we spoke the 'sinners prayer'.. We are saved because God has gotten ahold of us by His Holy Spirit, and by His Power he has changed us from the inside out...because we have repented of our sin.

I don't think it matters that you know the day....We are told to examine ourselves, but in that, it does not once mention in scripture (to my knowledge) that we should remember that day. My personal concern over holding a date is that the day itself may become a false confidence, perhaps even idolatry... (Incidently, I do know my date...not everyone does) Rely on Christs Power and His ongoing work in your life, I believe that matters far more.

It is Awesome and Amazing to me, that we can only Love Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. The world does not love Jesus. Only the Holy Spirit Loves Jesus...If we Love Jesus, then we have the Holy Spirit living in us.

In His Great Love, Carla

[Christiaan J de Ruiter]

Hi GinnyBear,

Many good remarks and answers have already been given to you, place them in your heart and cherish the words of love spoken to you.
The most important thing to remember is that you gave your life to Jesus Christ, and with that you became the steward over this on His behalf.
The bible teaches us that when we commit ourselves to Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit is there to help us.
We as people separate us from the rest of the living beings by having a spirit. When God created Adam, he was nothing more then any other of God's creations, until God breathed His spirit upon him.
The only reason why we have a spirit is to be able to fuse our spirit with the Holy Spirit. See it as a glass filled with oil.
When we give our life to Jesus Christ, followed by Him releasing the Holy Spirit upon us, this glass is slowly but steadily filled with water.
What happens to the oil, the old things? They will spill out of the glass and go away.
The bible teaches us that the way we can recognize a Christian is by it's fruit. The more you will get of the Holy Spirit, the easier it becomes to bare good and healthy fruit (Galatians 5 : 22 - 23). Also read the story of the sower.
It is by our Faith in the one Triune God, that we will get more of the Living Water in our glass and less and less of our old self (oil). We will get more faith by the word of God (Romans 10 : 17)
The amplified bible says it in this way ; 17 So faith comes by hearing [what is told], and what is heard comes by the preaching [of the message that came from the lips] of Christ (the Messiah Himself).

God Bless you, the important things are as been said before, you know that you are saved.
carry God's word in your heart and make sure you are a good steward of the gift that Jesus Christ has given to you.
Let His Holy Spirit help you in everything you do and you will be recognized as a fruit baring Christian.

Pastor Chris.

[Greg, TheNET Coordinator]

Hi Ginny,

You post a lot of great questions. Many of these have been answered on the website www.gotquestions.org You may want to check it out. I don't think there is a question about the Bible or the Christian faith that they have not already answered.