Sola Scriptura: Altar Calls

I am not to overly aware of denominations and their actions outside of the Baptist tradition. I know some things about their doctrine, but for the way they conduct their service I am not. One of the things I most dislike about the Baptist tradition is that at the end of every service we have to sit through another song, not sang in the heart of worship, but in the hope that one might come down the isle to the pastor and give their heart to Christ. It is an emotional moment in which a hymn of peaceful melody is sang in hopefulness of one making that trip to the altar. Yet, I find it no where in Scripture prescribed to have this tradition.

So why then do we do it? Well, it all started in the early 20th century with a man hungry for converts. He called men and women to the altar to receive salvation. Well, as time went on the man who began it all was found to be a heretic, but the tradition of altar calls was well affirmed in that the numbers of converts increased. So with the use of pragmatism a tradition was started.
So why is it wrong? I find that in the modern church of America there are many churches, such as mine, which are great in number, but small in work. Now this can be related to the lack of church discipline in the church, but I will hit on that later. One of the largest reasons the church is ineffective in our society today is the fact that many, if not most, of its members are lost sinners lacking a Savior. But, when the preacher gave his sappy message of a better life, a better marriage, less stress, God's blessing, prosperity, and so on, who could resist such a calling to the altar to receive such things.

The message of hell and brim stone is given which terrifies the heart of the sinner knowing that if he don’t walk the isle he will forever burn in unquenchable fire. Not that this is a true statement (apart from the walking down the isle) and a preacher does well to teach his flock of such things, as that is what our Lord did, but what happened to the latter part. We must be willing to deny ourselves to follow Him. We must be willing to endure suffering to follow Him. We must be willing to lose all, even life, in order to follow Him. So it is that men and women come down the isle to seek salvation not knowing what salvation entails. They want the "fire insurance" of God, with out the regenerative and sanctifying work in their lives. Such salvation is not worth anything and won’t even deliver them from the hell they fear.

What the Scripture teaches is that a heart which is truly receptive to the work and Word of God will do all it can in order to display the fruits of repentance. A saved life does not happen on the altar of a church, but in the heart of a repentant sinner. When a sinner understands the depth of their wickedness and their inability to save themselves and seeks the forgiveness of God for their sin and is willing to turn from their sin and live in the manner which the Word calls for, then that sinner is truly forgiven and receives the Spirit of God which enables them to follow in obedience to Christ.

If the Spirit of God truly dwells in the heart of a repentant sinner who has been given a new birth they will have no fear to come to the pastor and to the church to tell them of the change God has made so the need of an alter call is done away with. Yet, when we use music and time to get them to come to that faith (which is not saving) we have over stepped the will of God in that we have created our own means of saving souls. "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing the Word of Christ" (Romans 10:17).

Praise God, deliver the message, and trust that God is at work in the hearts of those He has chosen and let Him do as His will dictates.