What does it mean to ‘ask Jesus into your heart'?

TL;DR:

The phrase “ask Jesus into your heart” isn’t found in the Bible, but it points to the life-changing truth of salvation through faith in Jesus. True biblical salvation comes not from a catchy phrase but from recognizing we are sinners, believing in Christ’s death and resurrection for the forgiveness of sins, and living for Him.

what does the bible say?

The idea of asking Jesus into our heart is not necessarily biblical, as it is likely rooted in an out-of-context interpretation of Revelation 3:20. We are better off understanding and explaining salvation biblically rather than watering down the message. The gospel is simple: We are sinners (Romans 3:23) who deserve eternal separation from God (Romans 6:23), but because of who Jesus is and what He did for us on the cross and through His resurrection, we can receive eternal salvation through believing in Him (Romans 10:9). Once we receive Jesus, our whole identity transforms into a child of God (John 1:12; 2 Corinthians 5:17). Receiving God's grace is through faith, not our own works, so we can’t give ourselves credit for anything, either. All the glory goes to God for the miracle of our salvation and His gift of incredible grace (Ephesians 2:8-9).

from the old testament

Asking Jesus into your heart is not addressed in the Old Testament.

from the new testament

Asking Jesus into your heart is not mentioned specifically that way in the New Testament either. John 1:12 more accurately describes the way to salvation: "But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." We become His children by faith through Jesus.
Believing in Jesus is a simple message, yet the process is difficult due to our human sinfulness. The Bible teaches all have sinned and fallen short of God's glory (Romans 3:23). We deserve death, yet salvation in Christ gives us eternal life (Romans 6:23).
Certainly, those who teach us to ask Jesus into our heart mean well. What is generally meant by this phrase is that we need to experience salvation in Jesus Christ (Romans 10:9).
Salvation is by grace through faith, not of works so no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). We cannot credit receiving Jesus into our hearts to ourselves.
The Bible does not use the wording of asking Jesus into our heart. The closest passage is found in Revelation 3:20 where we read, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me." But the original context of this verse discusses a group of people who were already Christians, not unbelievers who were answering Jesus’ knock. Christians at the church of Laodicea were told to leave their lukewarm approach to Jesus and to instead walk closely with Him.

implications for today

While “asking Jesus into our heart” is not directly taught in the Bible, it refers to the most important decision a person can ever make—the belief in Jesus as Lord. Our desire should be to accept this great gift of eternal life as well as to accurately communicate it to others. When we share our faith with others, we can refer to the clear teachings of Scripture regarding how to be saved rather than using phrases like "asking Jesus into your heart" which can miscommunicate the message. Salvation is not about asking Jesus into our heart, but giving our heart to Him. He is our Lord and the one we are called to serve. He has already come to earth, lived, died, resurrected, and ascended to heaven to show His love for us. All who believe in Him will receive eternal life (John 3:16; Acts 4:12).

understand

The phrase “ask Jesus into your heart” is not found in the Bible but is a phrase used by well-meaning Christians.
Salvation is not through what we do but rather, trusting in what Jesus has done.
Instead of relying on popular catchphrases, Christians should clearly present salvation as Scripture does: trusting by faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection for the forgiveness of sins.

reflect

What do you do when you hear phrases and terminology from other Christians that isn’t biblical?
What Scripture verses were most instrumental in you coming to Christ?
When you share the gospel with others, what Bible passages do you most frequently use?

engage

In evangelism, how can using catch phrases rather than what the Bible teaches backfire or cause confusion?
How can we ensure that our discipling efforts are Bible-based?
What impression might unbelievers have about the gospel when they hear phrases like “ask Jesus into your heart”?