Is it okay to say someone must take Jesus as their personal Savior to be saved?
It is not a direct scriptural phrase, but it can be acceptable if the person means the full gospel: that the Son of God became flesh, went to the cross, shed His blood, was buried, and rose again. Without that understanding, the cliché can create false security rather than true salvation.
Les explains that no verse says, "if you will take Jesus as your Lord and personal Savior, thou shalt be saved"; that wording has been coined. He says there is no problem if taking Christ as personal Savior is based on the whole body of truth: the very Son of God became flesh, went to the cross, shed His blood, was buried, and rose from the dead. Likewise, "believe in Jesus" or "take Jesus into your heart" is not basically wrong, but it is dangerous unless the person understands that the only reason one can have Christ in the heart is because of what He did on the cross. Les warns that clichés without the full truth can lead people into false security, whereas salvation comes by the power of God from the preaching of the cross (verse 19).