Is the "altar call" Biblical?

No, because I was saved in the SBC culture which equates walking the aisle with confessing before men.

Come to think of it, when the Lord saved me at age nine, I didn't say anything then, either. My pastor did all the talking.

But, I think you have a great idea. Make it standard practice for a new convert to relate how God saved him. Have him give his salvation testimony right after his conversion--and right before you dunk him.

 

Here, Here!! In the ORBs, some will give their testimony, and due to the fact that they want their family present, they will wait until the next sunday to be baptized.

That is very sad, Bro. Tom. I am not saying no one has been saved this way, but this is abused, and I believe more false confessions happen this way, don't you?

In the ORBs, we give them a chance to make their "statement of salvation"; IOW, what God did for them. When I gave my hand to the church, I told them,"I believe with everything in me that God saved my soul", while saying this through tears of joy!! If ya ain't got it, you can't confess it!!

i am I AM's!!

Willis

 

I beg to differ with this, Bro. Mike. I want to see a whole house full of sinners at my homechurch. Makes me think they may be concerned with the welfare of their soul, and are seeking His forgiveness. So, I'd be happy with a house full of sinners every sunday!!

The real problem any church would have is if there aren't any sinners coming at all. How can a church grow, unless they(sinners) hear the Word??

i am I AM's!!

Willis

 

Wow, I guess that'd be called a church for unchurched people! I think I get what you're saying but wow, could you imagine if unchurched people wanted to come to church! But, alas, church is just for church people... (I'm not accusing you at all, just commenting. And I'm sorry that it's off topic; your statement was the first I saw and it made me think.)

 

i like it. It also gives us an insight into the level of spiritual understanding they have.

I don't know how many people I can remember who "walked the aisle" years earlier, prayed the prayer, who concluded that they had not been truly saved.

Yet, the day the Lord saved me, during that invitation, it was the real thing. When I came under Holy Spirit conviction, I headed down the aisle to my pastor. There was no prayer, just a series of questions. Why are you coming. Do you understand that you are a sinner? Do you understand about Hell and the penalty for your sins? Do you repent of your sins? Are you sorry for your sins? Do you trust Christ and only him for your salvation? God bless you son, now sit down right over there.

People do get saved during invitations. Again, my concern is not the use, but the misuse.

I like that expression "gave my hand to the church."

 

I witnessed this one time, and this isn't coming from "second hand" knowledge because I was there when I witnessed this. I was at a church about a year to year and a half ago, and there was to be three siblings(two sisters and one brother) that were going to be baptized that day after church. At the conclusion each of them came up. One sister and the brother had already told their confession the week prior, so they didn't have to tell it again that day. The one sister was there, and right before she said this, I could fill the Spirit all over me, and I was crying like a little baby, feeling so good in the Lord! When they asked her if she wanted to say something, she said something like this,"Last week I had a dream I was going somewhere.........", after that, the Spirit left me just like you turning the faucet off. I honestly couldn't tell you what she said after that. My dad witnessed a church taking someone in who said they believed that God saved them in their dream. In each case, that church(both scenarios occurred at different churches) took them in with that confession. I have a real hard time swallowing someone being saved in their dream. I was wide awake at work when He saved me!! So yes, their confession tells us a lot, and sometimes we tend to hear things that are unscriptural.

This is what scares me the most with "altar calls". It tends to lead to MANY false converts, if you ask me.

One thing for sure, if you were not saved, they really couldn't have accused you of lying, could they? The pastor did the confession for you, sounds like.

I agree with this....but I would never do an "altar call", and if my home church started doing it, it would be "Good bye Mr. Chips!!"

That's exactly what I did!! However, I gave my heart to God prior to giving my hand to the church.

i am I AM's!!

Willis

 

Come on Brother, spit it out!! LOL


In comes the "Hallelujah Chorus"!!!

Thought someone was gonna have to give you the Heimlech!! LOL

 

it is still an unScriptural addition to Biblical doctrines, and we all know what God thinks of our little additions to His designs.
Thank you for sharing your "opinion". It is true that the Bible doesn't expressly say that an invitation is a necessity at the end of a service, but that doesn't make it wrong. Actually, I've had them at the beginning of a service and during the middle (talk about stirring things up with a few tradionalists). Walking down the aisle doesn't save anyone anymore than baptism does. At my church it is simply a means of presenting one's self publically in response to the invitation.
I agree with this....but I would never do an "altar call", and if my home church started doing it, it would be "Good bye Mr. Chips!!"
I guess there are a myriad of churches that God couldn't use you in then. It is sad that you would make this issue a hill to die on. Public invitations can be abused but are also a viable method of giving people an opportunity to publically respond to God's call on thier life if they are so led to respond. I don't put pressure on folks to respond. I simply give them the opportunity to do so.

 

Since this was posted by me, I will respond to this portion only of your post. The reason why I stated what I did is because I had a real bad experience at a church one time. God had me under conviction, drawing me if you will, and I asked the church to pray for me. Well, one thing led to another, and one of the preachers was trying to "save me". He said I prayed from the heart, and I said "yes", he asked me if I asked God to forgive me, and I said "yes" again. He then said that all I had to do now was confess Jesus is the Son of God, and they'd take me out and baptize me!! I then went one step further and stated that I didn't feel the burden lifted, and he went ten steps further and said, "the bible doesn't say anything about feelings!" That right there stopped me in my tracks; I didn't know what to do. I remember thinking that when I get out of this mess, I'll not do that again. I know that we are not saved by our feelings, but we aren't saved without them, either.

This scenario that I put before you(an actual truth mind you) is what tends to happen in the "altar call". I didn't do this during the "altar call", but I wanted the church to pray for me....this was after the singing and right before the preacher was to preach. That is why I will never do it, and if the ORBs start doing it, its time for me to start looking elsewhere. God doesn't need man to get in the way. He can do His job just fine!! :thumbs::thumbs::thumbs:

i am I AM's!!

Willis

 

Convicted1 said:

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

ORBs have never practiced an alter call and we always ask a candidate to tell the church what the Lord did for them before they are baptized.

 

Yes....thank the Lord you guys aren't gimmicky....Praise God for whom all blessings flow!

 

Please tell me why in heavens name a sinner who has not been saved would want to go to church? I only went cause I had a young son, so I wanted him to go, but I really didnt want to be there. I still dont like going if truth be known...boring, boring, boring.

 

So you don't believe that church is for the Body of Christ?

 

Could you explain that in detail....your definition of the Body of Christ. Thanks

Also is that in Scripture?

 

This scenario that I put before you(an actual truth mind you) is what tends to happen in the "altar call".

I've been in SBC churches for over forty years and never witnessed this happening and I'm sorry that it happened to you. You are making the mistake of lumping a few bad examples in with all the good ones. You are, for a better lack of words, throwing the baby out with the dirty bath water.

 

Allan

Billy Graham used this exact language in some of His crusades.
Taking from Finney he said....by coming forward it is an act of your will in receiving Christ...come quickly....[you can probably google this,maybe you tube it]
Last week in okla. a radio pastor did a quick 10 second "sinners" prayer ,then said ....IF YOU PRAYED THAT PRAYER YOU ARE SAVED.
This is deluding souls.
While God is everywhere present....walking the aisle, raising a hand, or doing any physical thing...... does not get you closer to Him or the saving work of the Spirit.
Salvation is an internal work of the Spirit...baptism is the proper confession of that belief

i think it is on you to show otherwise Allan

just found this on facebook;
http://blessedquietness.com/journal/housechu/altarcall.htm

 

In the Bible the purpose of baptism is:
1. In obedience to the command of Christ (Mat.28:19,20)
2. A symbolic act of the believers death to his old life, and rising again to a new life in Christ (Romans 6:1-4).

Anything other than that is extra-Biblical.
Show me from the Scriptures where baptism is "the proper confession of faith."

I can show you from history where baptism was done in secret for fear of persecution--fear of one's life. Would you risk your life to be baptized in public, if you knew there was another way or another place to be baptized outside of the public and be out of harm's way, and live instead of die? Is the confession of baptism in public so important that it is worth dying for?

 

Very good point! We've got to be careful that we don't elevate good ideas to the level of doctrine!

 

I've been attending churches that have invitations for decades and I've never seen the same person go down the aisle for the same thing.