Since Jesus came into my heart

The refrain from the hymn by Rufus H. McDaniel, strikes a chord in the hearts of many Christ followers…

Since Jesus came into my heart,
Since Jesus came into my heart,
Floods of joy o’er my soul like the sea billows roll,
Since Jesus came into my heart.

But what exactly is meant by that phrase? I have been unable to find, within the pages of the Bible, any similar phrase or concept; so, what is actually being said? Looking for an explanation, I explored www.gotquestions.org, which said…

When an Evangelist encourages people to “ask Jesus to come into your heart”, different people see different images that can lead to wrong impressions. Many people (especially children) tend to take things literally, and if asking Jesus is all that is required to be saved, then some important things like repentance and faith are left out.

The Bible does mention that Jesus resides in the hearts of believers (Ephesians 3:17); but Paul is not telling the Ephesians to “ask Jesus into your hearts”, he is reminding believers that Jesus is present within them through the Holy Spirit.

The verse usually quoted as the source of the concept of Jesus “coming into your heart” is Revelation 3:20, in which Jesus said that He is standing at the door and knocking, seeking entrance. Jesus was speaking to the congregation of the church in Laodicea. They had effectively excluded Jesus from their fellowship and He was seeking to restore that relationship.

While the idea of Jesus “coming into your heart” is nowhere used in the Bible, Gospel presentations encourage a proper response to the salvation message: believe (John 3:16; Acts 16:31), receive (John 1:12), and repent (Acts 3:19). As far as we are aware, none of the apostles ever told someone to “ask Jesus into your heart.”

More importantly, the phrase “ask Jesus into you heart” is a simple way to say, “ask Jesus into your life”, or “allow the Lord to take control.” Before a person is told to “ask Jesus into your heart”, he or she should understand sin and its penalty. They must understand that Christ paid the penalty for that sin on the cross when He died and rose again.

Salvation is NOT about asking Jesus to come into your heart. Salvation is about trusting Jesus as your Saviour, and receiving the forgiveness He offers through faith. Salvation is about being made new through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5).