Is Jesus Really Standing at the Door of Your Heart?

In Revelation 3:20 Jesus says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” With the phrase “stand at the door and knock” in mind, many picture the heart as a door where Jesus stands knocking waiting for us to allow him to come in.

But is that true?

Actually, the verse is addressed to believers, not unbelievers. The passage addresses the church of Laodicea, one of the seven churches of Asia Minor in Revelation 2 and 3. Their wealth at the time had lulled the church into spiritual apathy; Jesus Christ described this distasteful condition as “lukewarm” and invites them to repent of their condition and make Him the center of their lives.

Additionally, in Revelation 3:20, the Greek translation of "into" means “toward.” In a figurative language, Jesus is saying to Christians He will enter the Church and come “toward” the believer for fellowship. The word "dine" referred to the main meal of the day to which you invite an honored guest. It was a meal given to hospitality and conversation. Again, the issue is fellowship, not salvation.

Why is this phrase so dangerous to use in evangelism?

There are those who “invited Jesus into their heart” and sincerely believe they are trusting Him as their personal Savior; however, that becomes the totality of their spiritual life. Often, when they question their faith they will point back to that one prayer. Attributes such as, repentance, striving after righteousness, sanctification and the desire for a truly trusting relationship in Christ are never seen in their live, yet they claim salvation because they "prayed the prayer."

Ninety-eight times in the Gospel of John, the one book whose purpose was to tell us how to receive eternal life (John 20:31), we’re told to believe. It means “to trust in Christ alone as our only way to heaven.” There’s nothing wrong with someone praying to tell God they’re trusting Christ alone, but they must be aware that saying a prayer doesn’t save; it’s trusting Christ to do that which they cannot do for themselves that saves. When that type of trust is initiated, it will produce fruit.

Adapted from Larry Moyer's article: 5 Things God Never Says. Read the entire article at http://www.sermoncentral.com/articlec.asp?article=Larry-Moyer-5-Things-God-Never-Said&Page=1&ac=true&csplit=9060