Jesus had just healed a man who had been blind from birth, and some of the formerly blind man's neighbors asked him, "How were your eyes opened? He answered and said, 'A man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me. 'Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.' So I went and washed, and I received sight.'"(John 9:10-11) At least two things upset the Pharisees.

1. Healing a man blind from birth would prove that Jesus was from God (John 3:2).
   
   
2. This event took place on the Jewish Sabbath, and this, to the Pharisees, would be sinful.
   
   

So they said: "... this man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath." Others said, "How can a sinner do such signs?" (v 16) Some of the unbelieving Jews asked the man who was healed, "What do you say about Him because He opened your eyes?" He said, "He is a prophet." (v 17) These unbelieving Jews were difficult to convince; they even doubted that he had been blind, so they asked his parents, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see? The man's parents said, 'We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but by what means he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know. He is of age; ask him. He will speak for himself.'" (John 9:20-21) Next let's read John 9:22-31:

"These words spake his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue. Therefore said his parents, 'He is of age; ask him.' Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him, 'Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner.' He answered and said, 'Whether He be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.' Then said they to him again, 'What did He to thee? How opened He thine eyes?' He answered them, 'I have told you already, and ye did not hear: wherefore would ye hear it again? Will ye also be his disciples?' Then they reviled him, and said, 'Thou art his disciple; but we are Moses' disciples. We know that God spake unto Moses: as for this fellow, we know not from whence He is.' The man answered and said unto them, 'Why herein is a marvelous thing, that ye know not from whence He is, and yet He hath opened mine eyes. Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshiper of God, and doth His will, him He heareth.'" After he said these words, they threw the healed man out (v 34). Later, he met, spoke with, and worshiped Jesus (v 37-38). Many people today are as difficult as some of those Jews to convince who is and who isn't a sinner, as well as whose prayers the Lord will honor.

How Did the Blind Man Know Whose Prayers God Will Honor?

I suggest his parents must have taught him, or later in life he learned it on his own from a study of Old Testament Scriptures, such as the following:

"Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear." (Isaiah 59: 1-2)

"The sacrifice (worship KET) of the wicked is abomination to the Lord: but the prayer of the upright is His delight." (Proverbs 15:8)

"He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination." (Proverbs 28:9)

"If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:" (Isaiah 66: 18)

Hence Jesus taught: "Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift." (Matthew 5:23-24)

In case someone is thinking, "But all of that was under the Old Testament system of law, and we are under grace today." (John 1:17) I hear you, and up to a point you are right, but grace doesn't exempt Christians from obeying the Law of Christ (Galatians 6:1-2; James 1:25; Romans 6:1-2). Besides, what was true regarding whose prayers God honored during Old Testament times is still true under the New Testament law of grace; for Peter, under divine inspiration, wrote:

"For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and His ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil." (1 Peter 3:10-12)

Christian, are you living a rebellious life before the Lord? Do your morals agree in practice with that which righteousness reveals on the pages of inspiration? If not, you need to come to yourself as did the Prodigal Son of Luke 15 and do some high-powered repenting and confessing of your sins so God will accept your prayers (worship) (1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Galatians 5:19-21; 1 John 2:15-17; James 4:4; Romans 12:1-2).

The same goes for those of you who are not living up to your responsibilities to the ongoing work and worship of the local congregation to which you are supposed to be contributing your time, attendance, and up-building (Ephesians 4;11-16; 1 Thessalonians 5:11-21; 1 Corinthians 12:13-27; Hebrews 10:23-31).

"If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son c1eanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us." (1 John 1:6-10)

God will not honor the prayers of His rebellious children until they repent (2 Corinthians 7:10; Acts 8:22; 1 John 1:9). He certainly will not honor the prayers of the alien sinner who expects Him to lay aside the teaching in the worldwide commission and grant salvation, or any other blessing found only in Christ, in answer to prayer! In short, a child of the Devil cannot address God as his Father.

The So-Called Sinner's Prayer

Several variations of the so-called "sinner's prayer" are recited on radio and television, as well as in the writings of uninspired Protestant preachers, who evidently think conversion is accomplished when the sinner invites Jesus into his heart and asks Him to save him from his sins. I'm confident you're as familiar with the ritual as I am. However, just a small amount of reflection should help one realize that the alien sinner's prayer for salvation, or anything akin to it, is not found anywhere in the New Testament.

Everything for which the sinner might pray is already provided in God's system of redemption, and it cries out for man's belief and acceptance--not prayer! Some of the following was taken from Nichol's Pocket Bible Encyclopedia.

For What Can the Alien Sinner Pray?

1. The alien sinner can not pray for God and Christ to love him (John 3:16-17; Romans 5:6-9).
2. The alien sinner can not pray for light or understanding (Psalm 119:130).
3. The alien sinner can not pray for the Spirit (Acts 5:32).
4. The alien sinner can not pray for Christ to come unto him (Matthew 11:28-30).
5. The alien sinner can not pray for God to be reconciled to him (2 Corinthians 5:20).
6. The alien sinner can not pray for God's grace (Titus 2:11).
7. The alien sinner can not pray for pardon (Isaiah 55:7).
8. The alien sinner can not pray for conversion (Psalm 19:7).
9. The alien sinner can not pray for faith (Romans 10:17).
10. The alien sinner can not pray for salvation (Acts 11:14; James 1:21; Mark 16:16).
11. The alien sinner can not pray for the new birth (John 3:3-5; 1 Peter 1:22-25).
12. The alien sinner can not pray for saving power (Romans 1:16-17; 1 Corinthians 15:1-2).
13. The alien sinner can not pray for freedom from sins (Romans 6:16-17).
14. The alien sinner can not pray for acceptance by God (Acts 10:34-35).
15. The alien sinner can not pray for remission of sins (Acts 2:38).
16. The alien sinner can not pray for regeneration (Titus 3:3-5).

We could prolong the list, but that would be superfluous. Even if the alien sinner was authorized to pray, the Lord has already provided, through His inspired apostles (John 16:12-13; 2 Peter 1:3; 2 Timothy 3:14-17; James 1:25), everything for which he might be inclined to pray. What the alien sinner should do is comply with the instructions in the worldwide commission that Christ gave His apostles and they preached to every creature. That commission will last throughout the age (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:45-47; Acts 2:22-38,40,41-47).