“Ask Jesus into your heart.” You’ve heard it said. Maybe you’ve said it yourself. Often, it’s what we say to children as we encourage them to become Christians. I’ve heard it in the U.S., the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. “Ask Jesus into your heart” has become standard verbiage in leading someone to Christ.

But what does this mean? How does the Bible use this phrase? What do those who hear us say it think we mean by this? When did this phrase enter our Christian vocabulary?1

What Does “Ask Jesus into Your Heart” mean?

For someone who grew up in church, this question seems obvious. Asking Jesus into your heart is how you get saved! When you ask Him in, He saves you. But is this how the Bible describes way of salvation?

Where Does the Bible Say to “Ask Jesus into Your Heart”?

Actually, you cannot find this phrase in the Bible. However, a couple of passages use similar language. They could be assumed to provide a basis for this terminology.

Christ Dwelling in Your Heart (Ephesians 3:17)

“That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith…” This phrase is part of Paul’s prayer for the believers at the church in Ephesus. Just giving the context reveals that, though the wording is similar, this verse does not teach that we should invite non-Christians to ask Jesus into their hearts. Paul was praying that Christ would dwell in the hearts of who were already Christians. Whatever that means and how it relates to a fuller understanding of Christ’s love is a topic for another article.2 What is clear is that this verse provides no basis for the phrase “ask Jesus into your heart.”

Christ Knocking at the Door of Your Heart (Revelation 3:20)

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” At first glance, this verse would seem to support the idea of asking Jesus into your life. Preachers have long employed this verse in gospel invitations. However, once again, the context of the verse shows that this invitation is for believers, not unbelievers. The original audience was the church in the city of Laodicea in ancient Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). These believers had lost their fervor for following Christ and strayed away from Him. Jesus is knocking at the door of the heart of these wayward believers so that they can once again have closer fellowship with Him. This verse provides no basis for inviting nonbelievers to ask Jesus into their hearts.

Christ in You (Union with Christ)

The Bible does stress a believer’s union with Christ. Jesus speaks of this in John 14-17. Repeatedly, the apostle Paul uses the phrase “in Christ” to describe this unity. Colossians 1:27 talks of “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” However, in each case, this union with Christ is seen as a blessing of salvation, not the way to be saved. An unbeliever does not get saved by asking for this unity with Christ: a believer experiences this unity as a result of salvation.

Encouraging someone to “ask Jesus into their heart” is similar to telling them they must only ask Jesus to let them into heaven and they will be saved. Neither asking Jesus in to you nor asking Jesus to let you into heaven is the prerequisite for salvation. Like union with Christ, entering heaven is a blessed result of salvation, not the way to be saved. When the jailer at Philippi asked, “What must I do to be saved?” Paul did not reply, “Ask Jesus into your heart”–nor did He say “Ask God to let you into heaven?” Paul’s answer got the heart of the matter–“believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved” (Acts 16:30-31).

Conclusion: Avoid “Churchese”

In the church today, we sometimes speak “churchese”–the language of a Christian subculture. Some of this we inherit from previous generations of believers. Other spiritual jargon we develop on our own (let’s unpack this–or maybe not!). This “churchese” can distract or confuse those we hope to help.

For those who did not grow up in church, becoming a Christian involves learning a new vocabulary. Some of this is unavoidable. God gave us biblical terms like justification, sanctification, and propitiation to help us understand what He did for us. But we can limit the verbal barriers to understanding by not adding unnecessary insider terms, especially ones that may obscure the truth rather than illuminate it.

The phrase “ask Jesus into your heart” is unnecessary and unclear. Those hearing it for the first time may ask themselves “How does Jesus get into your heart? Is this metaphorical? Why do I want Him there?” Let’s use the terms the Bible uses to describe the way of salvation–words like repentance, faith, and grace. Tell those you hope to lead to Jesus to admit their sin and inability to save themselves (Romans 3:23; Titus 3:5). Urge them to trust Jesus alone for salvation because of His death in their place (2 Corinthians 5:21). Speak of His grace, offering this free gift that anyone can accept by simply by faith (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Speak truth–not “churchese.”

  1. I will trace the recent history of the “ask Jesus into your heart” verbiage in my next post. ↩︎
  2. Harold Hoehner has a helpful explanation of this passage in his Ephesians commentary. ↩︎

Photo Credit: Carlos Magno on unsplah