Author and pastor J.D. Greear has thought a lot about his salvation. He prayed the sinner's prayer when he was four years old, and over the course of his young adulthood was baptized four times. However, he didn't feel sure of his salvation in Christ, and obsesssively sought for the peace that assurance would bring him. Along the way, he discovered many other Christians who felt the same insecurity about their faith, and realized that this doubt was a trend for many believers.

In Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart, Greear takes a closer look at what the Bible says to bring clarity to believers and skeptics seeking answers to common questions about faith and salvation, such as How do we know we are saved? and Can we lose our faith and salvation in Christ? His answers will give assurance to the anxious and issue a challenge to those who may have become complacent. Discover how confessing Jesus as Savior and Lord is only the beginning of a challenging, yet remarkable and worthwhile life journey.

Average Customer Rating:

4.4

out of

(9 Reviews) 9

Rating Snapshot (9 reviews)

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8 out of 989%customers would recommend this product to a friend.

Customer Reviews for Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart: How to Know for Sure You Are Saved

Review 1 for Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart: How to Know for Sure You Are Saved

Overall Rating:

5 out of 5

I highly recommend this book to all Christians.

Date:May 17, 2013

Janis

Location:Saint Andrews, NB

Age:45-54

Gender:female

Quality:

5 out of 5

Value:

5 out of 5

Meets Expectations:

5 out of 5

Very well-written--at times humorous, but mainly just extremely insightful, timely biblical work. I will read more by this author for sure.

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Review 2 for Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart: How to Know for Sure You Are Saved

Overall Rating:

4 out of 5

Some good scriptural insights.

Date:May 16, 2013

Pastor John

Location:Santa Clara, CA

Age:45-54

Gender:male

Quality:

4 out of 5

Value:

4 out of 5

Meets Expectations:

3 out of 5

J.D. Greear deals with an important topic to many who have grown up in an evangelical church in America. The scriptural insights used are helpful, thought provoking and applicable. I have recommended the book many times already.

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Review 3 for Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart: How to Know for Sure You Are Saved

Overall Rating:

5 out of 5

stop asking

Date:April 29, 2013

nancy

Location:kentucky

Age:45-54

Gender:female

Quality:

4 out of 5

Value:

4 out of 5

Meets Expectations:

5 out of 5

thought it was a great book opened my eyes alot to needing a real relationship with christ not a lukewarm one i would definately reccommemd it .

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Review 4 for Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart: How to Know for Sure You Are Saved

Overall Rating:

5 out of 5

An Unfortunate Title for an Important Book

Date:April 16, 2013

Pastor Al

Location:Ottawa, ON

Age:35-44

Gender:male

Quality:

5 out of 5

Value:

5 out of 5

Meets Expectations:

5 out of 5

Summary

“…many are headed into eternal judgment under the delusion of going to heaven.” (Pg 6)

“Don’t try to find assurance from a prayer you prayed in the past; find assurance by resting in the present on what Jesus did in the past.” (Pg 47)

These two quotes clarify why this book was written and why we all need to read it. Sadly, all over the world there are unsaved people who falsely believe they are saved, sitting beside faithful Christians who spend every day wondering if they truly are. This book is written for them and for us who need the tools to help them. Within are answers to critical questions each believer must settle in their heart before they can live in confident faith.

Greear also brings new life to words like belief, faith, repentance, and grace which have become so commonplace in churches that they have been nearly stripped of their true meaning and significance.

Review

This topic hits home for me because I know what it’s like to struggle with doubt and have seen it in the churches that I serve. Assurance of salvation might be the most frustrating battle that gospel preachers face. Each week we look out at the people who we pastor and wonder, “Are these people confident in their salvation?” “How can I combat needless doubting and convince believers that they are secure in Jesus?” “How can I teach against false assurance?” “How many of these people know they are saved, beyond any doubt?”

J.D. Greear knows this heartache all too well and writes from a place of pain, passion and elation as he takes us on the journey that helped him discover the true gospel of peace. His style is a wonderful combination of grace and sensitivity for those who struggle with doubt, while pulling no punches with any who would use fear and doubt to control people. There is no “easy-believism” to be found in this book. It is full of hard truths told by a man with a soft heart.

He gives simple, applicable, and convincing scriptural insight coupled with well thought out explanations and applications – without being wordy or using unnecessary jargon. He has a great teacher with a remarkable strength for answering unasked questions (like “What if I have no ‘moment of salvation’”?). He treads carefully through difficult and controversial topics (like free-will), discussing them biblically and illustratively, but isn’t afraid to admit his limitations and allow the mysterious parts of salvation to remain a mystery. Though unafraid to address controversies, he doesn’t get swept up in endless debate or plant his head firmly in the cement, but keeps the main thing the main thing by rising above the fray to teach us about what is most important – our salvation.

My favourite parts of this book are Greear’s evangelistic outbursts. It’s as though he’s writing along, helping us understand an important topic, and can’t help but start preaching the gospel. This book comes from a very authentic place.

There are a lot of quotables in this book that belong on a poster or the wallpaper on my computer. I found myself saying “Amen!” aloud quite often. His explanation of progressive sanctification was so wonderful and powerfully simple that it gave me a deeper love for my Saviour – a great gift.

Conclusion

This book isn’t just for new believers who need assurance, but for any Christian who struggles with doubt, hopelessness, feelings of condemnation, or habitual sin. As I read it I found that it was uncovering some chinks in my spiritual armour like unrepentance and sins that I had grown comfortable with which were keeping me from God. I am indebted to this author who helped me move from a scholastic reading of his book to penitent and thankful prayer before my loving Lord. It is my prayer that everyone would read this book and be assured of their place before Jesus and at peace with God.

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Review 5 for Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart: How to Know for Sure You Are Saved

Overall Rating:

5 out of 5

A sound, punchy look at salvation, belief, & more

Date:April 6, 2013

Robbie Oh

Top 1000 Contributor

Age:18-24

Gender:male

I've read a few books, articles, and papers on the assurance of salvation, belief and other topics that where too wordy or didn't speak enough about those topics. This book I believe hits a nice middle ground on each topic it covers. It doesn't beat you over the head with information and it cuts to the point. As someone, like anyone, who does struggle with certain sins, this was a great reminder of some of the simple, yet at times, difficult truths to grasp that are found in the Bible.

Now is the book perfect? No. But it was easy to understand while staying Biblical and sound? Yes.

I gave it a 5/5 because this is the book that I would (and will) give to people that I lead and teach, that I believe wouldn't bog down the average reader with wordy explanations and tells them in short, what they need to know and why it's important. That's what Greear did and I pray that the people that read this book would find an answer to their question and be led to approach God about any concern that they have and seek answers form him.

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Review 6 for Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart: How to Know for Sure You Are Saved

Overall Rating:

5 out of 5

Convicting and also reassuring

Date:April 4, 2013

Matthew Bulfinch

Location:Mount Vernon, OH

Age:45-54

Gender:male

Quality:

5 out of 5

Value:

5 out of 5

Meets Expectations:

5 out of 5

I have some dominant sins in my life that made me question my salvation (still do from time to time). This book puts things in a very clear light. This type of book has been needed for some time. And now I am armed to deal with the life-dominating sins I'd mentioned earlier. I'd about given up and thought I was fooling myself, but this book does a great job of reassuring you (if you're saved) and convicting you if you aren't saved or have serious sin issues. WELL DONE.

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Review 7 for Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart: How to Know for Sure You Are Saved

Overall Rating:

1 out of 5

Circular Reasoning and a Misuse of Biblical Texts

Date:March 20, 2013

Nelson

Age:55-65

Gender:male

This book is an attempt to help Christains gain an assurance of their salvation. basically, the way someone knows they are saved is if they have "evidences" of Christ-bearing fruit. He comes from the Calvinistic "once saved, always saved" (p.5) perspective" (which, in itself, is problematic).

From my perspective, Greears answer is unsatisfying. That is not to say one cannot have an assurance of salvation, however, it depends on what kind of assurance is being discussed, that is: assurance of future salvation? or, assurance of present salvation. It seems Greear means the former. As such, his reasoning is circular. Two very brief examples of what I mean:

1. Greear states, "The mark, however, of someone who is saved is that they maintain their confession of faith until the end of their lives." If that is the case, how is one presently assured that they in fact will "maintain their confession of faith" until they die? He does not seem to ask and/or answer that question.

2. Greear states that the "Bible tells us [what] are the evidences that we really have believed" (p.12), and then dileneates those purported evidences in chaper 7. Unfortunately, he gives no advice on answering the question of how do we know our, for example, love for God is genuine; nor does he provide an answer to the questions of how to know one is not self-deceived or his faith is not temporary.

The primary issue I have with the book is Greear's faulty exegetical method (not that he really offers any in the book) regarding the warining passages (ch.6) and Rom 7 (pgs.60-67).

Regarding the warning passages, he seems to assume that the writers of the epistles took into consideration that they were writing to a mixed multitude. The opening of Paul's letters indicate otherwise, e.g. Rom 1:7.

Regarding Rom 7, he interprets it as describing the apostle Pauls' life as a believer who "fell often" into sin.

(a) He seems to suggests a misinterpretation respecting the design of Rom 7, where he states that "sometimes" we do not "delight in God". First, Rom 7 does not show that, if it does depict Paul's life, he "sometimes" sins but that he sins all the time (vs.14-15). One who is at every turn falling into sin, cannot genuinely be delighting in God. He may have a desire for God but such a desires are deceptive feelings (something he seems not to take into account anywhere in the book; he seems to assume a desire for God is always genuine).

(b) Greear's assertion that the apostle "often fell" or the suggestion by implication that he did so a hundred times (p.63) flatly contradicts Paul's own divinely-inspired testimony of his own life. One who "often fell" into sin should never claim to be and could be an example of the Christ-life for others to emulate (e.g. 1 Cor 11:1). He fails to deal with those scriptures that declares the apostle Paul as things like being righteous, blameless, or having a clear conscience before God and men.

(c) I can agree when Greear states that the Christian life can be a "struggle" with sin. However, it is one thing to struggle and be defeated on a consistent basis so that you consistently fall into sin, which is what what Rom 7 depicts. It is another thing to struggle and consistently overcome sin, which the Bible clearly infers is the case with the apostle Paul and what Rom 8 depicts is to be the Christian life.

Although very few, there are some commendable things Greear said (e.g. p.60, God "didn't give us a list of things to deny; He said we must deny ourselves"). Neverthless, overall, he does not adequately grapple with the issue of assurance, misuses the Biblical data to support his view, provides only circular answers, and gives no rationale for obtaining and having assurance of salvation. It is not a book, contrary to the advice presented in the foreword, I would pass along to someone struggling in the area of doubt and assurance of their salvation.

I think that the rationally thoughtful mind, will find that Greear's book just confuses the issue even more.

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Review 8 for Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart: How to Know for Sure You Are Saved

Overall Rating:

5 out of 5

Date:February 14, 2013

AprilR

Location:Arizona

Age:35-44

Gender:female

This is a story about a man who worried about losing his salvation and how he found the assurance that he was indeed saved. It's also a warning to the person who thinks they are saved because they asked Jesus into their heart, but never really wanted to follow him.
If you fit into either of these catagories then this is the book for you.

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Review 9 for Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart: How to Know for Sure You Are Saved

Overall Rating:

5 out of 5

An excellent summary of Faith and Repentance

Date:January 22, 2013

Don Haflich

Location:Colorado Springs, CO

Age:25-34

Gender:male

Quality:

5 out of 5

Value:

5 out of 5

Meets Expectations:

5 out of 5

"By the time I reached the age of eighteen I had probably 'asked Jesus into my heart five thousand times"

This statement resonates with me because I was exactly the same way. Every sermon which I thought produced a conviction in me would draw me to walk down the aisle and re-give my life to Jesus. I had to assurance of my standing before Christ. I was so unsure of my future that every time the opportunity opened up to me I took it with renewed zeal. Recently I have adopted a Reformed Soteriology I have a fresh understanding of biblical truths regarding salvation and it's out working in the life of believers.

The Gist

J.D. Greear writes from personal experience as he explains the truth of our standing before Christ. He presents salvation in terms of two categories; faith and repentance. He goes on to say that, "Repentance and faith are heart postures you take toward the finished work of Christ". How well he does to follow his own terminology in the remaining pages. J.D. mentions "the finished work of Christ", no fewer than 32 times in the course of this text. That works out to roughly once every four pages. That's amazing considering that Greear also uses the terms propitiation, substitution, our righteousness, and advocate in regards to our salvation.

The Ups

J.D. does an excellent job of summarizing the core of our Christian faith in terms that are easily understandable and, probably more important, easily explainable to anyone. Greear doesn't use terms too weighty or complex for anyone to understand and provides excellent clarification on statements Scripture uses which could possibly cause some confusion. Greear is obviously well adorned in the doctrine of justification by faith alone and does a service for the church by drawing out it's implications for us in matters dealing with salvation.

The Downs

The only thing I could find wrong with this book would not come from me but from those who do not believe in the imputation of righteousness to those who believe in Christ for salvation. This book is filled with that language and anyone reading this would surely get the sense that a high view of Christ and his finished work is what drives Greear. From my standpoint there is nothing in this book but truthful statements straight from the pages of the Bible and anyone who would think differently on the subject of salvation would not have problems with Greear but with the Scriptures themselves.

Concluding Remarks

I believe this book has been a very helpful reminder for me of my assurance of salvation and standing before God based on the finished work of Christ. I have nothing of myself to stand with except for that righteousness which is, as Martin Luther has said, "An alien righteousness". The Bible would position me before God as a sinner who has earned the wrath of God but it is also provides the remedy which that wrath may be appeased, and the is the finished work of Christ. Anyone who has ever prayed the sinners prayer or has doubted an assured salvation ought to pick this book up and be reminded of the sweeping truth of Christ' work on the cross.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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