Altar Calls - Are They Biblical?

[Aryon]

Yep, that's right... I went there...



Well guys, the title pretty much says it all. Are altar calls biblical or should individuals respond to the Gospel privately and make their decision public at baptism?

[SueAnn]

It would seem by your expanded question that you are really asking if alter call responses are biblical, not the alter call itself.

[Sue-M]

Matthew 10:32-33 (New International Version)

32 "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.

33 But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.

-------------------------

I believe at some point, every one of us is called to give an "altar call" before men. Does everyone who goes up to the altar to give their life for Jesus actually get saved? Probably not. I'm thinking of the parable of the seeds. Some take the step but the seed falls on a place where it doesn't grow. But, anyone who is truely saved, will be required to acknowledge their salvation in public. And this is outside of Baptism.

So, I do believe this is Biblical. Although, I don't believe it's the only way to be saved. A person can be saved privately. But, will eventually be required to speak about Jesus in public.

[Abiding in His Word]

Are altar calls biblical or should individuals respond to the Gospel privately and make their decision public at baptism?

Sure altar calls are biblical.

Peter said to them, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. "For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself." And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, "Be saved from this perverse generation!" So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. Act 2:38-41

Peter preached repentence, baptism and the gift of the Holy Spirit. About 3,000 responded to his altar call.

While I don't agree with everything we do in our churches today, I think very little of one that doesn't invite people to the altar to repent.

[daffodyllady]

I would like to say that there is far too much "easy believism" preached in todays' evangelism/altar calls.
What we need is the old-fashioned sawdust trail with an altar where people actually kneel and cry out to God for mercy on their souls!
God never promised salvation to one who never truely repents!

[Aryon]

At this point I would like to make a distinction, as I seem to have been misunderstood. In suggesting that altar calls may not be biblical, I am not suggesting that the Gospel not be presented at the end of a sermon with the opportunity for the congregation to respond. It is my belief that a powerful Gospel presentation can be given without asking for listeners to walk down the aisle while inspiring music is played to "get them in the mood" and the pastor is pleading with them to simply "come down the aisle." While it is true that Jesus tells us we are to confess Him before men, I do not believe that Jesus meant a one-time confession before the church congregation, but rather a continual confession throughout our lives. Also, in responding to the message (not just the Gospel, but rather the particular message of the sermon) far too many people substitute walking down the aisle for making a genuine change in their lives. I also believe that altar calls represent a lack of faith on our part, as too many seem to think that without an altar call no one will respond to the Gospel - we need to have the faith in God and His Holy Spirit to know that if we present the Gospel during a sermon, we don't need to see someone come down the aisle and cry at the altar to know that God is at work.

In the words of A.W. Tozer: "Now don't come down here and cry about it. Go home and live it!"

[Abiding in His Word]

What we need is the old-fashioned sawdust trail with an altar where people actually kneel and cry out to God for mercy on their souls!

This is the ideal, but just for the record, I didn't know I was a sinner until after I was born again. The Holy Spirit convicted me (one sin at a time) and continues to do so. Things I never saw as sinful were. I know many like to "box" the method of being saved, but God knows the heart regardless of words said. And I might add that I didn't even believe in God when I prayed a prayer I read in the back of a book by David Wilkerson. I figured it couldn't hurt. If it worked for David Wilkerson, maybe it would work for me. All I knew was that my life was a mess and hoped He could do something to help me.

God knows the heart regardless of any clumsy attempt at a "formula." At least He knew mine.

[Aryon]

God knows the heart regardless of any clumsy attempt at a "formula." At least He knew mine.

[Abiding in His Word]

Thanks for clarifying your question, Aryon. I still think a pastor should feel an obligation to at least provide the opportunity for those who may want to respond to the gospel. Then, the rest is in God's hands.

[daffodyllady]

Thanks for your testimony there, Abiding. That was beautiful.

I am like that too. I was born again when a child, and had much to learn. Don't we all at that point?

Perhaps I was just yearning for the old days of emphatic Fire and brimstone preaching,.. and the strong response it evoked. But I doubt if many in here have ever seen a sawdust trail. Much less people kneeling in the sawdust!

[aaron]

Well, there is a place for fire and brimstone preaching ... I personally love to hear it.
I don't have a direct quotation handy, but Spurgeon suggested preaching 90% law and 10% grace. That way, sinners (a term not heard in church anymore) would be convicted of their sin and their desperate need of a savior to save their lost souls from eternal separation from God in hell.

Back to topic ... I'm mixed on altar calls. When I attend a church meeting and there isn't an altar call, I wonder why not, shouldn't we always do altar calls? Then sometimes I'm grieved by altar calls when the preacher says: "come on down to the front ... Jesus is here, he loves you, he just wants to be your friend...." (My wife was fuming at that one!)

I recently was at a funeral where a 21 yr. old man died in a fiery car crash with three others while out bar-hopping on a Saturday night. This would not be a good way to die - out drinking and such. But nevertheless, the preacher at the funeral comforted the mourners there with the hope that at one point in the past, this man had "went forward." The preacher was saying that just because he went forward at an altar call that he was in heaven.

Jesus is going to judge us all, He'll make the final call ... but I believe altar calls are biblical ... and effective only after a solid gospel presentation.I'd hate to think of a sinner leaving a service convicted of his sin, yet wondering what to do to get saved.

[Abiding in His Word]

Thanks for your testimony there, Abiding. That was beautiful.

I am like that too. I was born again when a child, and had much to learn. Don't we all at that point?

Yes, daffodyllady, and some of us have things we need to "unlearn" because we were "taught" those things for so long. Believe me, I've heard the strangest teachings from the pulpit; things like Christians shouldn't wear red and others too lengthy to mention. But I wasn't saved until I was about 30 yrs. old so I hadn't heard some of those things taught over and over from young, so I didn't just accept them until I checked them out in the Word. Most often, I couldn't for the life of me figure out where those teachings came from because it wasn't what I saw in the Bible.

Perhaps I was just yearning for the old days of emphatic Fire and brimstone preaching,.. and the strong response it evoked. But I doubt if many in here have ever seen a sawdust trail. Much less people kneeling in the sawdust!

Boy, there's a lot of things from the old days I'd like to experience again, but we do live in a different time and there's no guarantee people would respond like they used to. It's a very hardened, sceptical, and "me" generation. Some of my own sisters, refuse to watch preachers on TV because they think they're crazy. They'd rather go to the catholic church and listen to the service in latin and leave in 20 minutes.

And why would anyone want to listen to fire and brimstone when they can listen to Todd Bentley and Joel Osteen?

[dshemjo]

The way we do church today in America is more based on human tradition than on the word of God, and this is yet another example. As I read through the NT, it seems that baptism was how a person "came forward," and there aren't any calls to an "alter." It seems that the people were baptized at the point of there conversion, rather than weeks or months later.

Act 2:41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

Act 8:12 But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

Act 16:33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family.

Act 22:16 "'And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.'

Gal 3:27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

1Pe 3:21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ....

Some people construe that last one to mean that baptism is a requirement for salvation (disproved by the thief on the cross) when in actuality it makes perfect sense when you realize that for these people, baptism was when they came to faith in Jesus Christ. They didn't "get saved" at an alter call and then go through a little course on baptism at their church and then, a month later, get baptized. They didn't "come forward" for salvation one Sunday and then get baptized and become a member of the church on another. It seems that baptism occured at the point of conversion for most of them. And there didn't seem to be any "alter" involved.

Does this mean people can't get saved at an "alter call"? Of course not. God can use anything do draw people unto himself. Maybe it's not a big deal. Maybe God just chuckes and says, "Well, I don't know where they got this whole "alter call" idea, but I like what's going on in their hearts when they come to it." But on the other hand, Jesus didn't exactly chuckle about the human traditions of his day...."And he said to them: "You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe* your own traditions!" So I don't know....but I definitly think we should strive to do everything exactly the way he prescribes in his Word.

[Abiding in His Word]

but I definitly think we should strive to do everything exactly the way he prescribes in his Word.

hmmm... would that exactness include baptism in a river? Or, again, can we assume God is really more concerned about what's happening in the heart? We must remember that most of the criticisms the Lord spoke were directed toward the Pharisees because their motives for most everything was less than enviable.

Just food for thought....

[M.C.Nige]

About 3,000 responded to his altar call.

Interestingly enough though, Peter didn't initiate anything. When he finished his message, those listening were convicted and asked what they needed to do. He then responded, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit"

Personally, I'm not keen on altar calls. I think it opens the door to pride, where the person preaching / teaching can see how many people have responded. If God does not force individuals to come to Him, why should we?

I much prefer the invitation for people to respond where they are. Start as they mean to continue, knowing that they can come into God's presence any time, anywhere and on their own. An invitation could be given for those who have responded to speak to clearly identified individuals located somewhere around the room / church so that the follow-up process can then start.

[dshemjo]

No, anywhere there's water, one can be baptized:

Act 8:36 As they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch *said, "Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?"

But I know God is looking at the heart. I'm just saying an alter isn't necessary, and that baptism, at the time of conversion makes a lot of biblical sense.

Rom 6:1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.

[Pretzelogical]

It seems that the people were baptized at the point of there conversion, rather than weeks or months later.

I agree, that baptism is to be done at the time of conversion. Though, I can't name one church to do so. It has bothered me a great deal for many years. So what would this look like today when a friend is talking with a friend in the car, and one decides to repent and trust Christ? Pull the car over, dump the water bottle on the head, sit in the car soaking wet, arrive at the disc golf park with people asking, "What happened to you?" And immediately, the deny Christ test is put into action!

Then one of those guys repents, use his own water bottle, people ask, he gives testimony...

I truly love this scenerio I replay in my head over and over as I wonder of the true conversion of those who are asked light-weight questions and then are slam-dunked as stars of the church *show*. I am growing so ugly in my attitude...pray for me, please!

[Aryon]

There's a chapter in John MacArthur's book Fools Gold? on this topic, I found it rather illuminating. Anyone read it?

I think one of the biggest problems with altar calls is that as soon as someone "comes forward" to "accept Christ," they are immediately presented to the church as a new brother or sister in Christ, no questions asked - then they're told, "now you're saved and don't let anyone question that." This can be dangerous if someone came forward without true understanding and conviction of personal sin and repentance.

Also, this might be a good time to note that, technically, altar calls do not occur anywhere in Scripture - I know this may seem obvious to some, but it is really a common misconception. That does not, of course, necessarily mean that they are bad simply because they aren't in the Bible, but I do believe that this fact should be duly noted.

[Rich Kelley]

Bible reading and study, teaches us what an "alter" was used for. Once Jesus made the once for all perfect sacrifice that was accepted by God, there was no other sacrifice to be made. The alter no longer has a purpose. As would be expected, man has continued to cling to many things no longer part of the Kingdom of God. The RCC has an alter in every Church building, so they can continue to have the Sacrifice of the Mass. The revolution by Luther, broke away from the RCC, however, it wasn't a clean break, and many "Things" were brought along with the split. As with anything that man keeps despite Gods direction, it will become twisted. Despite what ever good or bad feelings people have had "At the Alter", it isn't biblical at all. The answer to many things done or said today are often up front admitted as to not existing in the NT Church, however words like the "Theme" is there. The theme or the idea being there to me at least, doesn't make it right, and is not a justification.

[Abiding in His Word]

As with anything that man keeps despite Gods direction, it will become twisted.

Amen to that! And from twisted, it normally somehow develops into "doctrine."

While I do realize altar calls are not scriptural considering the purpose of the altar as you described, Rich, I see it as an attempt to pray with an individual and inform them of the need for repentence. I see it similar to Peter in the house of Cornelius preaching the Word and salvation and his whole family being saved in response to the Word. It's significance is (imo) simply a "location" for this meeting and prayer.

[moose]

An altar call, in my view, is really just a call to respond to the Word of God. Some of the teaching that happens during altar calls in some churches is unbiblical. I personally refuse to tell someone they are or aren't saved, but instead instruct them on how to be saved and leave it to the Holy Spirit to bear witness of their salvation. But that doesn't make the practice of an altar call unbiblical. Again, it is simply providing a means and opportunity to immediately respond to the Gospel. That is a good thing.

God doesn't force us to respond to Him, and neither should we force people. But I have no problem pleading earnestly with people to repent. If anyone has even a sliver of understanding of the terrible punishment that awaits the condemned, they would plead with people to repent. I'm sure many here can testify of reluctantly coming to Christ, but are they ever glad they did!

I preached at a camp meeting just a couple weeks ago, and I made altar calls. Kids responded to the gospel.





Is what you see in these pictures biblical? Yes, indeed. Will these kids go on and serve the Lord for the rest of their lives? I hope so, but I really don't know. But I do know this: they responded to the gospel and confessed with their mouth and as best as anyone can tell, believed in their heart, and I had a good ol' time rejoicing with the angels that night over the faith of these children.

Joe

[Aryon]

God doesn't force us to respond to Him, and neither should we force people. But I have no problem pleading earnestly with people to repent. If anyone has even a sliver of understanding of the terrible punishment that awaits the condemned, they would plead with people to repent.

Oh no! I have no problem with pleading with the lost to repent and trust in Christ for salvation! But pleading to trust in Christ, and pleading to "come forward" are two entirely different things. There are other ways to respond to the Gospel, in fact I believe that there may be more true conversions taking place in the pews than at the altar.

In Christ,
Matthew

[Lightseeker]

I have no problem with pleading with the lost to repent and trust in Christ for salvation! But pleading to trust in Christ, and pleading to "come forward" are two entirely different things.

[Rich Kelley]

I see it as an attempt to pray with an individual and inform them of the need for repentence. I see it similar to Peter in the house of Cornelius preaching the Word and salvation and his whole family being saved in response to the Word. It's significance is (imo) simply a "location" for this meeting and prayer.

I agree. The structure and common location is more than likely the problem in my eyes. Despite all that, I'm sure God has touched the hearts of many, despite our "Religion".

[Abiding in His Word]

Despite all that, I'm sure God has touched the hearts of many, despite our "Religion".

Praise Him for His mercy.....

[Aryon]

Yes. Praise God that He draws men to Himself despite our best efforts...