Bible Studies

Altar Calls?

by Doug Laird 
09/01/21
Free to Share

  Message Writer
  Hire Writer

Tweet

"Altar" Calls?

Part One

Frankly, I was never a fan of the phrase "altar call" when referring to providing the opportunity for individuals to receive salvation.

By referring to such an event as an "altar call," it can leave persons with the impression that some type of tangible altar, or some activity around a tangible altar, is necessary to obtain, retain, or to *regain salvation.
Salvation can not be *regained since it can not be lost in the first place (Romans 8: 1).

Salvation can be OBTAINED at any time and in any place that God the Holy Spirit chooses. We can become more or less religious at any time WE want, but we can only be born again, and in doing so become heaven bound, in response to a calling from God.

It's risky business to assume there will always be an opportunity for a "death-bed" conversion. While such last minute opportunities do present themselves to some individuals (Luke 23: 39, 40), there is no guarantee of there being such an opportunity. Note that when such opportunities take place, there is no time (or need) for the saved soul to engage in many of the activities that religious authority would have us believe is necessary in order to saved.

Individuals can be saved that never have, or ever will, step inside of a house of worship. Gathering together (Heb. 10: 25) is an essential part of the post (after) salvation spiritual life of discipleship, but one can spend a lifetime "going to Church" and yet never be born again (John 3: 5, 7).

Other than being one of many places where one MIGHT be presented with the Gospel Message, going to, or otherwise connecting with, a local assembly is a post (after) salvation activity.

Being a POST salvation issue means that the location of where one will spend eternity has already been determined. Born again believers do not gather together (Heb. 10: 25) to retain salvation. Born again believers gather together to worship God and to develop his or her post salvation spiritual life of discipleship.

I said "might be presented" because not all pulpits within the Christian Community preach the unadulterated Gospel Message. Not wanting to stir up questions and risk losing the financial support of the religious crowd, many pulpits dance all around the subject of salvation, while elevating religious traditions of men rather take a Biblical stance of faith alone in Christ alone as the unadulterated Gospel Message reveals.

An adulterated Gospel Message is one that contains one or more of the additional "requirements" that religious authority has added to what Paul referred to as the simplicity of placing one's faith in Christ ALONE.

"But I am afraid that, (just) as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. For if one comes and preaches another Jesus (denying His deity) whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit (1Tim. 4: 1) which you have not received (from us), or a different (false) gospel which you have not accepted (when you were born again), you bear (go along with) this beautifully (2Cor. 11: 3, 4 NASB parentheses mine)."

It is on or around the religious altars that Man have built that false Gospel Messages and accompanying religious traditions of men have taken root in many areas of the Christian Community.

Religious people have a l-o-n-g history of bringing falsehood (objects, furnishings, and practices) into (or back into) the house(s) of worship during both Old and New Testament dispensations. Case in point, a tangible altar from the Old testament period being brought back into the houses of worship during the Church Age.

The celebration of Communion (1Cor. 11: 24, 25) around and or on the tangible altar of Man has been distorted and corrupted by religion. The same can be said for caster baptisms. As a result, such ritual becomes like a soiled garment (Isaiah 64: 6), accompanied by meaningless chatter (Matt. 15: 8, 9) in the eyes and ears of God.

"...for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God (Luke 16: 15 NASB)."

"For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our RIGHTEOUS deeds (religious rituals) are like a filthy garment (Is. 64: 6 NASB parentheses mine)."

"This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far away from Me. But in VAIN do they worship Me, Teaching (and practicing) as doctrines (of God) the precepts of men.’”(Matt. 15: 8, 9 parentheses mine)."

Matt. 15: 8, 9 was spoken about the ancient Jews in the ancient world, but in principle applies to what has taken place in the Church Age, as well.

Paul, in his letter to the Galatians (Gal. 3: 1) and in his letter to Timothy (1Tim. 4: 1), refers to such false religious activity as being demonic.

Objects or practices that pay homage or otherwise glorify any individual other than God the Father, God the Son, or God the Holy Spirit have NO place in the worship services or gathering places here in the Church Age (Isa. 42: 8).

This includes tangible altars, graven images, statues of personalities outside of the Trinity, candle stations, confessionals, and religious furnishings and apparatus that promote or facilitate the practice of false doctrine.

The truth is, if all such things were to be removed from many gathering places of the Church Age, what would remain would barely be recognizable as "Church" to many who attend such "churches" on a regular basis.
"But they put their detestable things in the house which is called by My name, to defile (contaminate) it (Jer. 32: 34 NASB parentheses mine)."

"You foolish Galatians, who has BEWITCHED you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works (overt activity, rituals) of the Law, or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun (your post salvation spiritual life) by the ( Eph. 4: 30 sealing and the Titus 3: 5 regeneration by the) Spirit, are you now being perfected (finishing the job) by the flesh (religious acts and traditions of men)?...(Gal. 3: 1 - 3 NASB parentheses mine)."

"But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith (accurate doctrine), paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons (1Tim. 4: 1 NASB parentheses mine)."

Evil is anything that is added (Prov. 30: 6) to or otherwise runs contrary to the Word of God in teaching or deed. This includes the religious traditions and precepts of men and the apparatus and furnishings that have been constructed to facilitate them.

What appears as plain or drab to Man can be pure in the eyes of God. Some of the more beautiful ancient cathedrals and modern day houses of worship are in God's eyes no more than great monuments to the false religious teachings and practices they promote.

No wonder Jesus taught His disciples to pray for deliverance from evil (Matt. 6: 13), or from the evil one.

What most people think of as Church would be the last place that one would expect to find evil. This is what makes it strategically the perfect place for the devil and his Eph. 6: 12 forces of evil to plant and cultivate the doctrines of demons (Gal. 3: 1/1Tim. 4: 1), giving credence to the concept of hiding in plain sight.

As with any successful counterfeit operation, the doctrines of demons and the personnel and apparatus facilitating them are designed to appear to be what God approves.
. . .
Presenting the unadulterated Gospel Message to unsaved souls was and is the "outside" part of the commissioned (Mark 16: 15/Matt. 28: 19, 20) work that the Lord Jesus Christ gave His Church to do. Presenting Bible Doctrine for the development of disciples (students and appliers of the Word of God) is the inside work.

Christian parents are to promote, by example, word, and discipline, a godly home environment and a godly lifestyle. But keep in mind, however, the arranging for the Gospel Message to be presented, the ability to understand the Gospel Message, and the INVITATION to respond to it, comes from God at His timing.

In some cases, it can be a "saved" son or daughter that will be used by God to evangelize his or her "religious," but unsaved parents.

One will find that presenting the Gospel Message or edifying principles of doctrine to other people to be acts of frustrating futility if God has not prepared and enabled them to receive and to understand the information (Mark 2: 22).

"No one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost and the skins as well; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins (Mark 2: 22 NASB)."

God the Holy Spirit prepares the soul (wine skin) to receive the new wine (evangelizing or edifying information ).
Formerly "religious" persons, including those who have been misled by so-called "Christian" religion, can be among the most difficult to evangelize and edify.

The evangelization and or edifying of one's family members will prove to be the most challenging (Mark 6: 4) of all.

The answer to our prayers for the salvation or spiritual growth of persons we pray for may very well be for great adversity to break out in their lives, if that is what it takes for God to prepare them to receive and to understand the Gospel Message or edifying doctrine.

It is God the Holy Spirit who prepares the individual and arranges the time and place where HE gives the unsaved soul the opportunity to be saved and or to be edified.

No unbeliever knows when he or she has been given his or her last opportunity to be born again (John 3: 5, 7).
Many people who got up this morning and began their day as usual will not still be here by the time the sun goes down tonight.

When given the opportunity to be presented with the Gospel Message, the unsaved soul makes a decision to listen or not to listen. If the unsaved soul chooses to listen, then God the Holy Spirit enables the soul to understand the Gospel Message. After understanding the presentation, the unsaved soul makes a decision to either believe it or not.

Note that throughout the process, it's the function of God the Holy Spirit that sets the stage, makes the message understandable, and provides the opportunity for the listener to believe.

Continued in Part Two...