Saved by a Prayer

The Myth
When people become Christians, it usually starts with a prayer, known as "The Sinner's Prayer". The prayer essentially summarizes our need for forgiveness, our thankfulness to Jesus for paying for our sins when He died on the cross, and our new commitment to follow Him. Here's an example:

"God, I know that I have sinned against you and that my sins separate me from you. I am truly sorry. I now want to turn away from my sinful past and turn to you for forgiveness. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. Thank you for dying on the cross to pay for my sins. Please reign in my heart and make me your disciple from this day forward. My greatest purpose in life is to follow your example and do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen."

Many Christians treat this as an incantation, and believe that anyone who has said this prayer at any time is immediately "saved."

The Reality
I think (or hope) most Christians will claim to recognize that this prayer has no magical ability to send people to Heaven or make their life perfect, and in itself has no actual bearing on the rest of someone's life. We all know it's just a verbal expression of an inward transformation, right?
Unfortunately, a common problem we have is acknowledging things verbally, but not necessarily thinking it through. People do this when they act like the "The Sinner's Prayer" has so much meaning when spoken, but then don't concern themselves with making sure that the verbal commitment is fulfilled with a change in their lifestyle.
Following Christ is not just some one-time commitment that saves you: You don't just say the prayer, and then that's your ticket to Heaven. The word Christian means like Christ. In other words, being a Christian means a daily commitment to trying to be like Jesus; and that's a point I don't feel is made clear in many altar calls.
We're quick to emphasize the Romans 10:9 part of becoming a Christian, which talks about believing and confessing, but then act like no further action should be taken on our part. We've got the insurance plan and are good to go, and ignore the words of John and James that say our faith must result in righteousness.

Why It Matters
When we treat our covenant with God like it's a mystical password that gets us into heaven, then we are essentially rendering it meaningless. As anyone who has ever heard of a politician or made a New Year's resolution can tell you, the words you say hold only as much meaning as the commitment behind them.
If you promise your son that you'll take him to a movie this weekend, and Monday comes around and you failed to fulfill your promise, then it doesn't matter how sincere that promise felt: if you didn't keep the promise, it holds no value. Why should our commitment to God be viewed any differently?

As a side note...
The whole "repeat after me" thing has bothered me for a long time. I'm concerned that it puts too much emphasis on the words themselves, and not the heart behind them. Rather than repeating a prayer verbatim, I'd prefer to see the evangelist provide an outline of what God requires of us, and then exhort the new believers to pray to God in their own words, from their own hearts. But this is simply a matter of opinion, and in no way is meant to say that repeating after someone is an invalid form of prayer.

Belief = Evidence?

The Myth
Christians have no need of evidence; we have belief.

The Reality
This is a tricky one, especially when you throw in Hebrews 11:1:

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

Does this mean belief in something is just as good as hard evidence? If so, how does one know what to believe?
I think it's necessary for there to be a balance between faith and evidence. There should definitely be some basis for your beliefs, but in many cases, it's a bit of a cycle: Evidence leads to belief. Belief, if well-placed and sincerely felt, leads to actions which lead to further revealing of evidence.
An example could be choosing a spouse: When choosing a spouse, I must first look for evidence that she is trustworthy, faithful, upstanding, and an overall good choice for devoting my love and affection. And, while I can do my best to gather all that information and examine the evidence, it will ultimately require an amount of faith in that person, because they can't prove that they're a good wife before they're a wife. But, if that faith is well-placed, it will yield further evidence, which will in turn strengthen my faith in her.
A friend of mine, Paul "Shammah" Pavao, shared an example of faith that resulted in evidence:

1985, I think. My sister sends me a letter that my nephew Joseph has lost all his sight in one eye and 50% in the other. Infection's been increasing for 18 months, and the Air Force has moved her to Andrews AFB so she can be treated at some really good medical facility there. I'm in Germany, and when I get the letter, friends and I pray for around an hour. I could feel the "release" as we prayed, and afterward I told my friends that I felt like God heard us but something didn't quite feel complete. Two weeks later, I got another letter, which had to have been sent a week after we prayed, saying that my nephew had 100% of his sight back, and the infection had retreated. They didn't know why. The infection was not quite gone, explaining what I was feeling way over in Germany, though it disappeared over the next few months.
I think that feeling of "release" I had was faith that was the evidence of things not yet seen. It was the substance--something tangible--of what we were hoping for.

Why It Matters

Our belief should not be the basis of truth. Instead, the truth should be the basis of our belief. To believe something without cause is like jumping from an airplane without first making sure you're wearing a parachute. I think some people mistakenly confuse following God blindly with following God without reason.

If my wife blindfolded me and ask me to let her lead me around the room, then I would have no problem following her blindly, but only because I know her and have reason to trust her. If a stranger blindfolded me and asked me to follow him, I would not comply, because I have no basis for my faith.

Likewise, we must get to know God. The more I know Him, the stronger my faith becomes.

Wherever you go, there you are!

The Myth
"Wherever you are, take comfort in knowing that God has you there for a reason."

The Reality
Christians like to feel good about where we are. We're extremely inert, loving to continue doing what we're already doing. That's why many of the most successful modern pastors and motivational speakers are the ones who make you feel good about yourself: You're okay where you are --in fact, you're there because GOD wants you there!
In reality, it's actually dangerous to think that every situation is where God wants you. Think about it: If you murder someone and become a fugitive from the law, do you think God wants you there? Of course not! God wants you to be in HIS will. You're only where He wants you to be if you're there as a result of obedience to Him. If you're in the place you're at right now because of your disobedience, then you're not where God wants you.
That doesn't mean God can't still use you in your current situation, or that He won't work it out for good, but it definitely does not mean that God is happy with the way everything is.
I think we often read the verse, "All things work for the good..." and forget the rest of it: "of those who love Him, who are called according to HIS purposes."
If you're not called according to His purposes (aka obeying and doing His will), then don't blame your current situation on God and say, "Well this is where God wants me, so I'll just trust Him through this."

Why It Matters
Until you're obeying God, you can't have confidence that you're where He wants you. Don't pretend to "trust God in your current situation" if you're not trusting Him in your current actions.

"It's Not a Religion; It's a Relationship!"

The Myth

Evangelical Christians are often quick to counter anyone who calls Christianity a "religion," sometimes even to the point of being offended! We will often respond with, "It's not a religion; it's a relationship!"

The Reality

This is something I used to say, but I've had to re-evaluate it. Obviously, there is a relationship, but I think a lot of people are being too cheesy when they talk about their relationship with God and try to make it sound exactly like a friendship with a human. In reality, the whole "it's a relationship not a religion" thing seems to just be a recent trendy Christian thing to say.
By definition, of COURSE Christianity is a religion: "the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, esp. a personal God or gods"
I think problems arise when we try to pretend that there's more to it than there actually is. Christians often treat things like there's some emotional experience we're supposed to get out of it. Take worship, for example: People say stuff like "worship was really good today" if they were particularly swayed with emotion or some experience, when ACTUAL worship is a lifestyle, not just a time set aside for music. ACTUAL worship is a sacrifice to God, and it's giving sincere praise and thanks to Him; it's not about how warm and toasty I feel.
That's not to say God doesn't give us special experiences or speak to us through emotions, but I think there's way too much focus on that going on. It's also not to say we shouldn't have time set aside to sing praise music to him; just that we should have an accurate understanding of what it is.
My idea of a relationship with God is pretty simple:
1. Try to obey Him and represent Him with my life
2. Talk to Him
3. Listen to what He says to me through His Word and through fellow disciples
4. If He leads me to do something special through His Spirit, try to listen and obey

Why It Matters
Ultimately, you could say that it's a matter of semantics... but I think it's a good idea to make sure we're applying accurate definitions for the words we use. We can have a relationship with the Almighty God! Let's make sure we're not trying to dumb Him down to our level, like he's just some buddy we pal around with.
I think it's also important to make sure we're being down-to-earth and honest when we talk about our relationship with God. No matter how fantastic a concept it might seem to you to have God be your best buddy, nobody is going to be impressed if they feel like you're being cheesy. I'm not saying don't call Jesus your friend, but we must recognize that it's an incomplete description.

Sure, Christianity is a relationship with God, but it is also, by definition, a religion. And that's okay, too.

Freedom from the Law?

The Myth

Christians frequently say things like "we are no longer under the law" and claim that we dont' really have to worry about obeying any rules or commandments. After all, we're saved by faith, not by works, right?

The Reality

As James said, faith without works is dead. So, while it's not our actions that save us, our actions MUST be present, because they are the outward evidence of our inward faith.

When the Bible talks about the freedom that comes from following God, we need to be clear on the definition of freedom being used. It's not "free to do as we please," but rather "free from judgment and condemnation."

It's freedom from the condemnation of being judged based on the law, not freedom from having to obey God. Christians are still required to obey God's commandments, but we are no longer condemned by our failures because God has bridged the gap.
Christians who say we are free and therefore don't have to obey any laws are like Americans who says we are in a free country and therefore don't have to obey laws.
Just as we live in a governed society, which requires laws, we also live under God, and he has rules for us, as well.

In a nutshell, it's freedom from condemnation, not from obligation.


Why It Matters

If we trick ourselves into believing that we don't have to obey God's commandments, then James tells us that our faith is dead. And, if it is truly by grace through faith that we are saved, then our we really saved if our "saving faith" is dead? That's like claiming that a dead lifeguard has the ability to come rescue us from drowning!
Jesus, John, James, and even Paul all make it clear that works are not optional; they are required! Nowhere in the Bible are any of God's commandments followed with "...unless you don't feel like it." Our obedience is the evidence of our salvation. If there is no evidence of our salvation, what right have we to assume that we are saved?

See also: 1 John 2:29, 1 John 3:10, James 1:22-24, 2:24&26. Paul doesn't address it in general terms like "works" and "righteousness" as much as he addresses it in specific terms like "don't have a hint of sexual immorality."