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The doctrine of Sandemanianism (named for Robert Sandeman) is the view that one can accept Jesus as saviour and later accept him as Lord. More formally, Sandeman maintained that justifying faith is a simple assent to the divine testimony concerning Jesus, differing in no way in its character from belief in any ordinary testimony.

Now the Sandemanian sect, dating from about 1730 is now almost totally defunct. There are now no Sandemanian churches, but at one time the teachings of Sandeman were becoming so prevalent that the Welsh preacher Christmas Evans famously had to preach against it after first coming under their influence.

But whilst Sandemanianism has vanished in name, it seems that it is with us still. There is a teaching widespread in evangelical churches that one becomes a Christian through a sinners prayer, but that it can be at some later date that one accepts Christ as Lord. I have heard many a testimony of the type: “I accepted Christ as saviour, but it was only after X that I accepted Him as Lord.” To quote Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones : “as if you can accept the Lord in little bits”!

If salvation is not a life changing thing which makes us want to have fellowship with Christians, search out God’s wword and do his will - then it is really not salvation. If the sinner’s prayer does not involve deep repentance and a change of heart, then it is mere words.