I too have come to the conclusion that my salvation was (and is) a process. While I don't doubt the "moment of salvation" people, my life experience, and much of what I've read, have pushed me toward the process side of things.

I've also come to believe that without repentance -- real repentance -- salvation doesn't mean much.

I was thinking about this just a second ago when the book I was reading asked the reader if he/she had a "moment in time" where they experienced salvation.

I said the sinners prayer when I was very young, but I would definitely say that my salvation has been more of a process as opposed to a moment of clarity. I don't doubt that when I prayed to receive salvation it was granted to me, but I do know that there was a long journey of understanding that happened in the following years.

Anyways, I'm no "pastor/theology buff" but I figured I'd throw my 2 cents in ;)

I always felt a little bit out of it because I can remember a specific period of time, but it lasted probably at least a year or two. I prayed the sinner's prayer many, many times in that period.

I remember a quote from Ruth Bell Graham - she would say something to the effect that "I don't know when the sunrise occurred, but I know the sun has risen" (I paraphrase - I don't remember her exact wording).

In reading the NT, you'll see very little attention paid to recalling the moment of salvation, and a lot more paid to where each of us is right now in "working out our salvation with fear and trembling". Paul, of course, was elected right there on the Damascus road, and does speak of it, but it's in the context of what Christ did for him, not something he did (and it certainly not of his own free will).

Here's my basic take on this: God knows where each one of us is - he knows who will be saved and who won't (without getting into here whether he chooses those meant for salvation . . . ) - I think that once you are in the "will be saved" column you are saved. Even if you don't feel like it. Even if you fall away for a time. But at the end of the day, it's sheep and goats time. Those who hear his voice are his children. By their fruits you shall know them. In other words (because I know that I'm not being very clear) it's important for each of us to surrender to the plain fact of God's salvation in our lives, and trust him for that. We may bounce back and forth in our fruit bearing, for a time, but if we are his child, we are his child. When the exact birth happened is not as important. To borrow from C.S. Lewis a bit, everyone may on the last day look back and be able to say "I was saved all the while" or "I was doomed the whole time".

Hope that makes sense. I'm having some trouble articulating right now

And even Paul spent three days blind before being baptized.

Yeah, I was thinking of that after I posted.

What Danielle said also makes sense to me - I've often thought that God granted my very first prayer to be in His family, but I didn't realize it until years later. There's a story there I can tell you sometime (and I may have already told you) that involved both me and my older brother years before he "officially" came to faith and before I did as well. I've wondered if that was when salvation was granted.

An important aspect of this all is to realize that we only see through a glass darkly. God sees with perfect clarity and also the entire shebang, from start to finish.

(As a side note, your aunt Kim doesn't know when she was saved. She just knows she is

Learning to be a better Christian is a process, "being" a Christian is a moment in time. (plus you guys need to give yourselves a break! God loves you; don't forget it! Quit trying to prove to him you are worthy!).

I don't think it's about proving I am worthy, but I do know that I can't point to any moment in time. That isn't to say it doesn't exist, for God could have just given me my crown at any point in time, but I truly believe that if that's the case, it was pretty random. My first conversion experience happened when I was four. I was baptized at six and repeated the process at thirteen. I was never so far away from God as I was after that. I spent the better part of five years running, denying, fighting and disbelieving. And I know, "Everybody goes through that," but I really hated God in that time.

I guess I came to think of it that way looking at my own experiences first of all. I've continued to stray from Protestantism, and a big part of that is the "sinner's prayer." I know lots of people who prayed it, and yet make no profession of faith now. Will they come back some day? Maybe, but my guess is that not all of them will. What makes us saved? Saying a prayer? If it really is a single moment, then does that mean those who never repent are also saved? Many who were sincere in the moment they prayed the prayer eventually fell away. I have nothing against the salvation prayers, and I hope that when I have children, I'll one day see them pray it. It's just that I don't think God saves anybody because they pray one prayer.
Grace alone saves, but I think we like to look at Grace in a way that makes us comfortable, when it really is the killing of the old self.

Of course, how much does an 8 year old know about Christ?

Children seem to get Christ a lot better than I do.

It's wonderful how the Holy spirit is personal.  Our relationship to the Spirit is different for all of us yet the Spirit is the same for all of us (yes, I'm talking about love).  I love the mystery of it all. ;)

When I share with others about faith (which is all the time) I continually hear people examining their salvation story and deep down I guess we all wonder if we really are saved.  Have we prayed enough, have we been dunked in enough water, did we profess it enough... etc...   

The bottom line is that we all have a void that needs filled.  We truly desire filling it with something meaningful.  I just love how God made us to desire communion with him.  It's awesome.

Thanks for the post Andrew and marie you guys are awesome and have reminded me that I'm not alone.  I'll stop gushing now and go back to being a grumpy guy. ' )">" title="" />

I'm with you, Andrew. I can't look back to a particular moment of conversion and say with any certainty, "That's when I became a Christian." But, I think that's okay.

It's hard not to over-simply or over-complicate salvation. But, my guess is that the actual conversion rarely takes place at the very moment of the "the prayer". When a person's heart is in such a condition to pray that prayer and genuinely turn to God, that person is saved. And, if a person's heart is not in such a condition, he's not saved. How do we mortals tell the difference? Well, we generally can't. But fortunately, that's not our job.

You said, "It's just that I don't think God saves anybody because they pray one prayer. Grace alone saves, but I think we like to look at Grace in a way that makes us comfortable, when it really is the killing of the old self."

Amen, brother. You got it. Don't let the trendy modern church muddy the waters.

So, here is a question: When in church history did "the sinner's prayer" come about? When did "the invitation" come about? Is that how they did it in the First Century?

I was saved about 2,000 years ago, give or take.

My conversion and repentance has been a gradual awakening, and not a cleanly upward trajectory by any stretch.

Interesting the contrast between "becoming a Christian" and "Christian growth." My oldest has been in a stage of Christian growth since she was about 2 years old. She's 7 now and will be baptized next week. No "sinner's prayer" prayed or anything like that. But she "gets it" and is ready to make a public profession of her faith by receiving the covenant sign.

I feel random posting on your blog, but here is my two cents ....
I can definatly recall an exact moment when the truth of God and what his existence meant to me, as far as a need for salvation, just dawned on me. Now, what being a christian meant that is a process, a very slow process.  But having not been raised in a christian home, where God was refrenced only vaguely, there was definatly a moment when I heard and really believed and understood for the first time. The fact that I said a prayer is irrelevant. I know I am saved because I can remember what I felt in the moment when the idea of God became real to me. I guess there are some people that the realization just crept up so slow that they can't tell where belief began but for me it was quite sudden.

Yes Aimee, thanks.

I think that there are many benefits to growing up in a Christian family, but one area that causes trouble is often times being able to see the contrast of unsaved versus saved. When you've always lived in an (albeit imperfect) covenant community sometimes it's easy to miss what's there.

I was raised in a Christian family but we were (in those days) in many ways nominal and our faith wasn't central to our lives. So when I came to faith as a College student the difference was striking. Earth-shattering. And I recall being immensely frustrated with kids I knew who had lived in the blessing their whole lives and took it for granted (treated it like garbage, actually). And, no, this criticism doesn't include your mother (just in case you're reading this, babe   ), who has always been a great example of steadfastness and steady-on faith.