One is insensitive to the truth of the New Testament if he thinks that eternity is determined by God in advance. For many God has predetermined whether or not you and I will spend eternity in Heaven or Hell. What we really understand is that God seeks folks who are given freedom to accept or reject the salvation which He alone can offer.  The ‘Whosoever moment’ is found in John 3:16, “whosoever believes in Him will be saved.”

God’s foreknowledge concerning those who would or would not be saved does not mean that He predetermined this before the beginning of time.. Certainly, yes, He does know who will be saved, but this foreknowledge does not interfere with of the freedom of choice. God provides every opportunity for anyone to believe in the Resurrected Christ as Savior and Lord. Our choice of salvation belongs to us as God has determined the condition and man’s choice determines the result.

And, here we find a sinner’s prayer, “Jesus also told this parable to some who were confident that they were righteous and looked down on everyone else. “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed about himself like this: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: extortionists, unrighteous people, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of everything I get.’ The tax collector, however, stood far off and would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, be merciful to me, sinner that I am!’ I tell you that this man went down to his home justified rather than the Pharisee. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Luke 18:9-14 NET2.

Billy Graham and all other evangelists who have and do employ the use of prayer for a lost person seeking salvation by grace through faith are being chastised horribly. There is no doubt God provides tools to be used for His glory. 

Most often those who are in protest of the ‘sinner’s prayer’ do not understand that the Apostle Paul’s letters to churches and others are addressing Jewish thinkers. More often than not, the people being addressed today are not concerned about Judaism, but they are more akin to the folks the Apostle addressed in Athens. There, he was speaking to godless pagans, not Jews. My guess is that most people in our culture are godless and pagan. Just a thought.

Jesus is Lord.