The Disturbing Truth

So I was eating ice cream with Mr Lim 2 nights ago, when he started showing me random funny strips from 9gag. One of them was the above.

Then he said, "these cartoons poke fun at Christians but isn't there some truth in this?"

I said, enthusiastically because last Friday we had a lengthy discussion in cell about salvation and works,

"Yup! It's true ah. The girl who knocked down the hooker is still going to heaven."

"Wait! What?"

"Salvation is by God's grace, and so she said the sinner's prayer right, she's going to heaven. The hooker didn't, so she's not."

He looked at me with a frown, and said, "hmmm, do you believe in magic?"

"Nope."

"So, you don't believe that by saying a magical incantation, like hocus pocus, you can make something appear right?"

"Yup, don't believe in that."

"But why are you looking at the sinner's prayer like it is a magic word?"

"Hmmm.... It's what we were told when we converted. By saying the prayer, we are saved!"

"Can you find the sinner's prayer in the bible?"

"Uh.... Nooo..."

"Did the disciples prayed the sinner's prayer before they followed Christ?"

"Eh, I don't think so."

After a long discussion and some reference to the epistle of James, my eyes were opened, wider than before. I really had thought that saying the sinner's prayer garuantees a place in heaven. But of course, if you say the prayer, then go on to get wasted and snort cocaine, what Christian would that be? 

No wonder, when we become Christians, we automatically change our ways, or try to. Our faith breathes life into our works, which are acts of obedience for God. 

We did see the importance of the sinner's prayer though, that it is the starting point of the walk. The moment you start, but boy, that's definitely not where you end. 

It was a good discussion. What do you think about it?