Bible Studies

Altar Calla Part 2

by Doug Laird 
09/03/21
Free to Share

  Message Writer
  Hire Writer

Tweet

Altar Calls?

Part Two

If one is presented with the unadulterated Gospel Message, but then chooses not to believe in it, he or she is not born again (John 3: 5, 7). If he or she does not repent (change his or her mind and believe) before leaving this world, he or she will spend all of eternity in what the Bible (Rev. 20: 15) calls the lake of fire.

Q. Why?

A: "...because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God (John 3: 18 NASB)."

To believe in the name (John 3: 18) means to acknowledge and to place one's COMPLETE trust and confidence in the Person and the atoning Work of the Lord Jesus Christ to secure his or her salvation. If one places his full (100%) trust and confidence in the Person and the atoning Work of the Lord Jesus Christ, then there is nothing left in his faith account to place on the religious traditions of men.

One of the indications that one understands the unadulterated Gospel Message is that he or she can see the evil behind all of the "required" additives promoted by "Christian" religion.

There is a time and a place for SOME of these activities that are promoted by Christian religion, but they are NOT for the purpose of obtaining or retaining salvation.p
The individual part that Church Age believers play in the Great Commission is to live the type of lifestyle that WILL draw the attention of inquirers, and to then respond to the opportunities (1Pet. 3:15) that God gives the believer to present the Gospel Message to unbelievers and edifying principles of doctrine to fellow believers. Like a runner in a torch-relay race, one cannot pass along to others something that he or she has not first taken possession of for him/herself.

Keep in mind that, "...neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth (1Cor. 3: 7 NASB)."

If a Church Age believer's opportunities to either evangelize or to edify others are few and far between, a 2Cor.13: 5 self-examination might be in order.

There is NOTHING to be added to the atoning Work that God the Son "finished (John 19: 30)" on the cross, or the sealing (baptizing) and the regenerating (Titus 3: 5) Work performed by God the Holy Spirit that automatically takes place at the moment of salvation. This is where many so-called Christian Religion(s) and Biblical Christianity part ways.

Note that nowhere in the unadulterated Gospel Message (encapsulated in John 3: 16, 18) is there any mention of a tangible altar or involvement of human clergy.

The disciples of John the Baptist were baptized in water as an overt testimony of their IDENTIFYING with John's message of REPENTANCE in preparation for the coming of the Messiah. Jesus was baptized in water by John IDENTIFYING Jesus with the Work He came to do. John made it clear (Matt. 3: 11) that there was a difference between the water baptism he promoted, and the baptism by God the Holy Spirit that seals (IDENTIFIES) believers as children of God the moment they place their faith in the Person and the Work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Soon after publicly identifying Jesus as the Lamb of God (John 1:29), John's mission was completed.
. . .
Becoming a "child" of God has got nothing to do with age. A child of do God refers to the intimate father-child (Romans 8: 15) type of relationship that begins at the moment of salvation.

Paul, one of outstanding apostles of the first century Church. made it clear that he was not sent to baptize (with water), but to preach the gospel (for salvation), not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void (1Cor. 1: 17 parentheses mine)."

Paul was not opposed to water baptism (1Cor.1:14), but did not promote it (or any other ritual) as being an additional requirement to either obtain, retain, or regain salvation.

It was not the practice of the local (Baptist) church that my family attended when I was very young to baptise infants. As young children, my parents decided to attend a local Methodist Church in my hometown.

A few years later, the issue of baptism surfaced. Arrangements were made by my parents to meet with the Methodist minister before the start of a Sunday morning worship service. It was then that I was baptized with water.
I had no problem with the ritual that required me to make a statement of faith. I don't see where any born again believer should have a problem doing the same. There is a problem, however, when such POST salvation activities are promoted as necessary in order to be saved.

Like most kids, I didn't question most of what went on in the local assemblies that parents chose. It is not until one pursues Biblical discipleship that the accuracy of doctrine and practices in any given denomination or local ministry becomes an issue of personal concern (1Cor. 13: 11).

"When I was a child (spiritually immature) I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man (spiritually mature believer), I did away with childish (reasoning) things. (1Cor. 13: 11 NASB parentheses mine)."

Spiritual maturity is not measured by time, but by the amount of accurate doctrine that a born again believer acquires, understands, and applies.

As will be the case with all Biblical disciples, I wanted to know THE truth, not someone's or any one denomination's version of the truth.

In doing so, one will find a degree of accuracy and error in both doctrine and practice in virtually every corner of the Christian Community that "religious" authority has left its mark.

All born again believers are equally and forever saved, but are at different levels of spiritual maturity. Religious roots are deep and religious convictions are not easily amended.

The baptism pertaining to salvation is the "sealing (Eph. 4:30 NASB)" Work that is automatically performed by God the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation when one is born again.

As of the Church Age, every individual in Scripture that was baptized in or with water were adults, having ALREADY been saved by having expressed their personal faith in Christ. While one doesn't have to wait to be an adult, I believe that one must have at least reached the age or stage of moral accountability before he or she can make a conscious, informed, decision to believe in a presentation of the Gospel Message.

It is a conscious awareness and willing participation that brings spiritual significance into ANY ceremonial ritual.
It is when an unsaved soul chooses to believe in a presentation of the Gospel Message that he or she is then, there, and forever (Romans 8: 1) born again (John 3: 5, 7, 16, 18).

At THAT moment, God the Holy Spirit automatically seals (baptizes) the saved soul (Eph. 4: 30), forever identifying the individual as a child of God. It is then and there that God the Holy Spirt regenerates what had been his/her dead spirit (Titus 3: 5). It is then and there that the born again believer receives possession (John 3: 16) and the assurance (Romans 8: 1) of eternal life.

Water baptisms (required by some denominations for membership) are at best, an overt testimony of what (spiritual baptism) took place in the unseen spiritual realm at the moment one was born again.

I used water baptism as an example, as in many cases this is the first in an never-ending list of additional "requirements" promoted by religion to obtain, retain, or to regain salvation.

Once one turns onto the highway of additives, the door of opportunity swings wide open for more and more additives to come along and be promoted in order for one to supposedly obtain, retain, or regain the salvation. The only exit ramp from this highway of additives that was built by Man is the one that brings the wanderer back to faith alone in Christ alone.

"Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected (finishing the job) by the flesh (religious traditions of men) ? (Gal. 3: 3 NASB parentheses mine)."

Naturally-minded Man is attracted to what is tangible. It takes faith to have confidence in what takes place in the unseen spiritual realm.

Just as new born babes in the natural realm need help to be nurtured and protected from harm, a born again believer in the spiritual realm needs to be protected from demonic doctrines and religious traditions of men that would cause them to question the integrity of their salvation.

"...whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea (Matt. 18: 6 NASB)."

The religious traditions of men (Matt. 15: 9) can easily become a stumbling block to a spiritually immature believer.
In Galatia, the issue was physical circumcision, but this would only be the first of many "requirements" that religious men would try to add to faith alone in Christ alone throughout the course of the Church Age.

The integrity of one's salvation is never in jeopardy, but if one can be deceived into thinking that it can be lost, it will greatly impact the quality and direction of one 's post salvation spiritual life. One will not move forward as quickly or confidently if he or she spends time and energy striving to keep that which cannot be lost.

Contrary to the teachings found in such passages as Romans 8: 1 and Proverbs 30: 6, Man-made religion has established a never-ending list of Do's and Don'ts that THEY say one "must" comply with in order to obtain, retain, or to regain salvation. Most of these "requirements" involve activities on or around the altars that Man has created.

While held in high esteem (Luke 16: 15) by the religious community, ANYTHING added to faith alone in Christ alone that is promoted as necessary to either obtain or retain salvation is an insult and attack on the integrity of the Person and the atoning Work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The last TANGIBLE altar of sacrifice (pertaining to salvation) that God the Father acknowledged was the altar of the CROSS of the Lord Jesus Christ. It was on THIS altar that the last sacrifice (John 1: 29) pertaining to salvation was made (Heb. 7: 27).

This sacrifice involved TWO types of death that the Lamb of God (John 1: 29) experienced on the altar of His cross.
All Christians will agree that Jesus died for them on the cross, but Christian religion has muddied the waters when it comes to distinguishing the TWO deaths (spiritual and physical) that took place on the last altar (the cross), and what each one accomplished.

Attempts to REPRODUCE (through religious ritual) the physical body that Jesus sacrificed and the atoning blood shed on the and cross has greatly contributed to misunderstanding what took place on the altar of His cross, and the false, but perceived need to establish a new altar with ongoing sacrifices here in the Church Age.

Celebrating Communion (The Lord's Supper) is for the stated (1Cor. 11: 23, 24) purpose of bringing into REMEMBRANCE the Person and the atoning Work that Jesus accomplished (past tense) on the cross. It is not for the purpose of REPRODUCING His body or blood, or for making an ongoing sacrifice at the hands of a religious priest.

The highly-esteemed (Luke 16: 15) pageantry and activity associated with celebrating Communion (the Lord's Supper) that has evolved on and around the altars of religious men within the Christian Community takes the focus of attention away from the altar of the cross and redirects it towards what Man attempts to do by way of religious ritual.

The shedding of His atoning blood took place on the cross while He was still ALIVE. By the shedding of His blood during His hours of His spiritual death, He made atonement was for the sins of the world (1John 2: 2).

AFTER finishing (John 19: 30) the atoning Work in a state of spiritual death (separation from God), He THEN gave up His spirit and He died physically. When the water and the blood flowed from His pierced side (John 19: 33), He was already physically dead (John 19: 33). His atoning blood had already been shed, and His atoning Work had already been finished (John 19: 30).

Note that it was the blood that He shed on the cross during His hours of spiritual death that atoned for our sin. If the shedding of His blood at ANY other time could have atoned for sin, God could have allowed such things as the plot of Herod (Matt.2: 13 - 16) or the deceptive suggestion (Matt. 4: 6) of Satan to unwittingly atone for sin, if either either one would have caused Him to shed His blood.

No, it had to be on the cross during His hours of spiritual death that the atoning blood was shed as the sin debt of the entire human race was placed on His bleeding humanity. This was what the transfer of sin onto the sacrificed animals of the Old Testament symbolically represented.

His physical death was His means of departure. His dead body was placed in the tomb, while He went to Paradise (Luke 23: 43) in Hades (Luke 16: 23) for three days and three nights (Matt. 12: 40).

The Paradise of Hades was where the souls of the departed righteous went after death prior to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Luke 16: 23, 25 teach that the departed souls of the unrighteous are in another section of Hades in torment, but could see Paradise and the comfort being given to the righteous.

As of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, departed souls of the righteous (born again believers) no longer go to Paradise (2Cor. 5: 1 - 6), but the departed souls of unbelievers will continue to accumulate in Hades until the Rev. 20: 13, 15 event takes placed when they are tossed into the lake of fire.

The physical death of His humanity (body) set he stage for it to be raised in resurrection form after three days and three nights.

Jesus certainly died physically on the cross (John 19: 30), but it was His spiritual death (separation from God the Father) in OUR place during the last three hours that He was ALIVE on the cross that atoned for the world's (1John 2: 2) sin debt.

This is evident by His own words, when He announced,"It (the atoning work) IS (not will be) finished (John 19: 30 NASB parentheses mine)," BEFORE He died.


To be continued in Part Three...