When is it okay to use the saying 'take Jesus as your Lord and personal Savior'?
It is acceptable only when the person means the full gospel: that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, became flesh, went to the cross, shed His blood, was buried, and rose from the dead. If that whole body of truth is understood, the phrase is fine; otherwise it may create false security.
Les explains that the saying 'take Jesus as your Lord and personal Savior' is not found in Scripture; it is a coined cliché. He says he has no problem with it if a person takes the Lord Jesus Christ as personal Savior based on the fact that He, the very Son of God, became flesh, went to the cross, shed His blood, was buried, and rose from the dead, and puts that whole body of truth into the cliché. But he worries that many cannot do that and are led into false security by simply taking clichés without knowing the full truth. He compares it to 'just believe in Jesus' or 'take Jesus into your heart,' which are only valid when grounded in what Christ did on the cross.