Where does the “ask Jesus into your heart” expression come from? It’s not Biblical language.
No disrespect intended, I’m truly curious.
I agree that it is non-biblical, and a bit trite. It usually is served up with a sinners prayer, and once said, it is sometimes claimed that the one who offered the prayer is ‘born-again’.
It is not to say that some are not saved by this method, but too many have no signs of true regeneration (” show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works....” James 2:17-19. Note that this statement is descriptive, not proscriptive, which would lead to works righteousness ).
This, like child baptism/one true church-ism often leads to false converts who do not know they are false converts. “Hey, I was baptized/am part of the one true church/said the sinners prayer... I AM saved.”
Where did ‘asking Jesus into your heart’ come from? I suspect that it is from the time of the Second Great Awakening of Finney. Ugh!