Lord Jesus,
I know that I am a sinner,
and I ask for your forgiveness.
I believe that you died for my sins
and rose again from the dead.
I turn from my sins
and invite you to come into my heart and life.
I trust and follow you
as my Lord and Savior.
Amen.
PROTESTANT MODERN; FORMALIZED 20TH CENTURY
The Sinner's Prayer
Also known as Salvation Prayer · Prayer of Repentance and Faith · Prayer for Salvation
About this prayer
The full text of The Sinner's Prayer above is presented with its historical context, traditional meaning, and primary public-domain source.
The Sinner's Prayer is a modern Protestant prayer of repentance and faith, expressing the petitioner's acknowledgment of sin, belief in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and decision to trust and follow him. It is associated with 20th-century evangelical revivalism: the named prayer in its current form crystallized through the preaching of D.L. Moody (1837-1899), R.A. Torrey (1856-1928), Billy Sunday (1862-1935), and especially the Billy Graham crusades from the 1940s onward. Variants appear in Bill Bright's Four Spiritual Laws (1952) and the Navigators' Bridge to Life tract (1969).
The pattern of the prayer is older than its modern naming. The biblical grounding is Romans 10:9-10, which describes confessing with the mouth that Jesus is Lord and believing in the heart that God raised him from the dead. The pattern also draws on the publican's prayer in Luke 18:13 ('God be merciful to me a sinner'), the Reformation tradition of acts of contrition, and the historical Christian practice of personal confession of faith at baptism. The Sinner's Prayer is therefore a modern formalization of a much older Christian prayer pattern of admitting need, believing in Christ, and committing to follow him.
Different Christian traditions hold different views on the relationship between prayer and salvation. Evangelical Protestants generally teach that the Sinner's Prayer is an expression of saving faith rather than a salvific act in itself; the trust in Christ matters, not the specific words. Catholic and Orthodox traditions emphasize sacramental incorporation (baptism, the Eucharist) alongside personal faith, with the Catholic Act of Contrition serving a parallel devotional function within the sacramental framework. The page presents the prayer in its evangelical context without taking a position on these contested theological questions.
The text below is a representative traditional form drawn from publicly available evangelical sources. Specific later organizational phrasings are not reproduced.
When it's said
Traditionally prayed by a person responding to a gospel message, expressing repentance from sin and faith in Jesus Christ. May also be prayed as an act of recommitment by a believer who is returning to active faith. The prayer is not regarded as a magic formula; evangelical Protestant teaching consistently emphasizes the sincerity of the heart and the work of the Holy Spirit alongside or beyond the spoken words. Used in personal conversion contexts, in altar calls at the close of services, in evangelistic meetings, and in one-to-one gospel conversations.
Notes on the text
The specific words of the Sinner's Prayer in its modern form are not in the Bible. The pattern reflects Luke 18:13 (the publican's prayer for mercy) and Romans 10:9-10 (confession with the mouth and belief in the heart). The named 'Sinner's Prayer' crystallized in 20th-century evangelical revivalism through D.L. Moody, R.A. Torrey, Billy Sunday, Billy Graham, the Four Spiritual Laws (1952), and the Bridge to Life tract (1969). The so-called 'ABC method' (Admit, Believe, Commit) is a modern teaching framework summarizing the structure of the prayer: admit need, believe in Christ, commit to follow him. The pattern itself, however, is much older than its modern names; it is the underlying structure of any genuine Christian repentance and confession of faith. Catholic and Orthodox Christians do not typically use the Sinner's Prayer in the modern evangelical form. The Catholic Act of Contrition serves a related purpose in the sacramental framework of confession; the Orthodox tradition emphasizes baptism, chrismation, and the regular reception of the Eucharist as the sacramental shape of Christian initiation.
Common questions
Does saying the Sinner's Prayer save you?
Different Christian traditions answer this differently. Most evangelical Protestants teach that the prayer is an expression of saving faith rather than the cause of salvation; the act of trusting Christ is what matters, not the specific words spoken. Catholic and Orthodox traditions emphasize sacramental incorporation (baptism, the Eucharist) alongside personal faith, and the Catholic Act of Contrition serves a related but distinct purpose within those traditions. The page presents the prayer in its evangelical context without taking a theological position on this contested question.
Is the Sinner's Prayer in the Bible?
The specific words of the Sinner's Prayer in its modern form are not in the Bible. The pattern of the prayer reflects two passages: Luke 18:13, where the publican prays 'God be merciful to me a sinner,' and Romans 10:9-10, which describes confessing with the mouth that Jesus is Lord and believing in the heart that God raised him from the dead. The named 'Sinner's Prayer' crystallized in 20th-century evangelical revivalism through Moody, Torrey, Sunday, and Graham.
What is the difference between the Sinner's Prayer and the Catholic Act of Contrition?
The Sinner's Prayer is a Protestant evangelical prayer of initial conversion, expressing repentance and faith in Christ for salvation. The Catholic Act of Contrition is a sacramental prayer of repentance, prayed by a baptized Catholic typically in the context of confession, expressing sorrow for sin and the firm purpose of amendment. Both prayers express genuine repentance, but they belong to different theological frameworks for the relationship between prayer, faith, and salvation.
Source
Modern evangelical prayer in its named form. Documented from mid-20th-century revival movements: Billy Graham crusade literature from the 1940s onward, Bill Bright's Four Spiritual Laws (Campus Crusade for Christ, 1952), the Navigators' Bridge to Life tract (1969). The text presented here is a representative traditional form; specific later organizational phrasings under modern copyright are not reproduced.
Last reviewed: June 2026 against primary source.