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By Dr. Ken Matto
(John 6:37 KJV) All that the Father
giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise
cast out.
The subject we are going to discuss is called
“decisionism.” In the majority of churches today and in evangelistic
circles, when there is a meeting and a sermon preached, normally at the
end of the meeting the preacher will call for people to make a decision
to accept Christ as their personal Savior. This is known as the
invitation and those who want to accept Christ are asked to come to the
front, then when all are gathered, the speaker will lead the group with a
small prayer, something called, "the Sinner’s Prayer."
The prayer normally consists of a confession of sin, a personal call for
repentance, and asking Christ to be the savior of their life. These
activities fall under the umbrella of "making a decision for
Christ." I have been in meetings where the speaker asks everyone to
bow their heads and he is the only one looking and then proceeds to do a
long drawn out invitation. Basically, you will hear the term “anyone
else” repeated about 50 times until someone else feels compelled to go
down to the front. Whether that desire is from the Lord, or just a desire
to shorten the invitation by giving the speaker one more notch on his
spiritual gun belt, is yet to be seen.
WHAT
IS IT?
The question we must
pose is, “Is it possible for a person to make some kind of instant
decision after a message and then accept Christ?” We must define what a
decision is. This definition is from the Merriam Webster On Line
Dictionary, “a: the act or process of deciding b: a determination arrived
at after consideration.” The speaker gets up behind the podium on the
dais and preaches a message. He then begins to ask people to evaluate the
message and to determine in their own mind what they heard. As the
speaker begins to make a small homily concerning the contents of the
message, he begins to wind down with a compendium of the essence of the
message. He then conveys to his hearers that since they have now heard
the gospel preached, it is the utmost importance that they now act on
what they heard. The speaker is calling for a determination after the
people consider the message. He then declares that they must now make a
decision concerning their eternal destiny. If they accept Christ, they
will have eternal life from the moment they come forward and give their
heart to Christ. Essentially, decisionism is the person making an on the
spot decision about accepting Christ. However, the process which precedes
the coming forward is quite subjective to the speaker’s ability to
motivate people. When one looks at the Billy Graham Crusades in the
earlier years or even Jimmy Swaggart at his height of popularity, these
were two powerful speakers who had the ability to motivate.
The Billy Graham people have admitted they
acknowledge that not everyone who came forward in the meetings became
saved. Many were caught up in the moment. Decisionism is a flawed method
and a very dangerous system to try and bring souls into the Kingdom with.
The truth is that decisionism is a contrived technique and not a biblical
system.
WHAT
IS ITS HISTORY?
For the first 1800
years of the church, there was no such thing as decisionism when it
concerned salvation. There have been debates between theological systems
for hundreds of years where people make decisions concerning the
materials they heard presented by the debaters. Decisionism for salvation
was unheard of until the 1820’s when Charles Finney (1792-1875)
introduced this method. Up until this time, when people heard a message
that moved them, they did not do anything, because the Holy Spirit would
convict them and then they would begin their Christian life. It was
Charles Finney who preached that people have to make a decision. He was
very heavy into free will and even believed that a Christian can actually
lose their salvation in Heaven. Here is the quote from Finney’s
Systematic Theology: “Saints in Heaven can by natural possibility
apostatize and fall, and be lost. Were not this naturally possible, there
would be no virtue in perseverance.” Finney even denied the blood
atonement of Christ and the imputation of Christ’s righteousness to those
who became saved. Of course, if you do not believe that Christ imputes
His righteousness, then a person would have to fall from Heaven, since
they came in without a wedding garment.
(Mat 22:12-13 KJV) And he saith unto
him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And
he was speechless. {13} Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand
and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there
shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The truth is the believer is blessed with the
robe of Christ’s righteousness according to the following verse:
(Isa 61:10 KJV) I will greatly
rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath
clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the
robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments,
and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.
Finney did not believe that Christ died for the
sins of His People. He had come to believe that Christ just removed the
hindrances that kept people from making those decisions to accept Christ.
Based upon these beliefs held by Finney, I cannot see how this man could
even claim to be a Christian. His belief system was one of an apostate
unbeliever. He was a contemporary of George Whitfield who continually
refuted the free will apostasy of Finney. When we look at today’s
evangelistic methods, we see the technique of Finney being used on a
large scale. Probably, the best example of Finney’s technique being used
today is that of Billy Graham who calls people to make a decision for
Christ. Even his magazine is called “Decision.”
If you enter any church today that espouses the
Arminian doctrine of free will, you will find an invitation being given
at the end of the service for people to come forward and accept Christ.
Normally, accompanying this, you would be in for a fifteen-minute call.
IS
IT FOUND IN THE BIBLE?
There is one great
comparative mistake that those who believe in decisionism make. They
compare those in the Bible who Jesus called in a public manner to those
they are calling to accept Christ. In fact, you will hear Billy Graham
say repeatedly, “Every person Jesus ever called, He called publicly.” The
question that I have is, “which ones did Jesus call publicly that made a
decision to accept Him?” I cannot think of anyone whom Jesus called that
accepted Him as Savior. Let us look at some of those public callings in
Scripture, which the decisionists make their comparisons to:
Matthew
(Mat 9:9 KJV) And as Jesus passed forth from thence,
he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he
saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.
The public calling of Matthew teaches us that
Matthew was instantly convicted to who Jesus was, and instantly followed
him. There is nothing hinting of a decision to follow Christ.
Zacchaeus
(Luke 19:5-9 KJV) And when Jesus came to the place,
he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and
come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. {6} And he made haste,
and came down, and received him joyfully. {7} And when they saw it, they
all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a
sinner. {8} And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord,
the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing
from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. {9} And Jesus
said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he
also is a son of Abraham.
Jesus called Zacchaeus publicly, and instantly
he came down from the tree and stood before the Lord. When he stood
before the Lord, he was so convicted that he was going to make amends for
the evil lifestyle he led. Jesus then pronounces that Zacchaeus had
become saved and pronounced him a child of Abraham. (Gal 3:29 KJV) And if ye be Christ's, then are ye
Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. If you
notice above in Luke 19:9, we see that salvation came to the house of
Zacchaeus, he did not make a decision to accept Christ, yet he became
saved because he was a predestined child of God whom the Lord came to
seek and to save. (Luke 19:10 KJV) For the Son
of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. This
is how the Lord winds up his episode with Zacchaeus.
The
Calling of Peter, Andrew, James, and John
(Mat 4:18-22 KJV) And Jesus, walking by the sea of
Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother,
casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. {19} And he saith unto
them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. {20} And they
straightway left their nets, and followed him. {21} And going on from
thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his
brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he
called them. {22} And they immediately left the ship and their father,
and followed him.
Here we see Jesus calling four of His
disciples. All four were fishermen that made them equal to workingmen
today. Now, if they had the ability to make a decision concerning
following Jesus or staying with their trade, think on this for a moment.
As fishermen, they would no doubt have been poor men, so they literally
would have had to factor this element into their decision. Do they give up
their livelihood to follow this man, or do they stay on the job? If you
notice in these five passages, that all four of these men immediately
left their profession and followed the Lord. There was no contemplating
as to whether they had to make a decision on it or not.
Lazarus
(John 11:43-44 KJV) And when he thus had spoken, he
cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. {44} And he that was dead
came forth, bound hand and foot with grave clothes: and his face was
bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him
go.
Here we see a man who was dead for four days
being raised to life. Lazarus is a great picture of a person being called
out of dead sins into salvation. Before a person becomes saved, they are
dead in their sins and then Christ raises them up to newness of life.
This is the great biblical truth that the raising of Lazarus gives us. (Eph 2:5 KJV) Even when we were dead in sins, hath
quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
Now when the Lord called Lazarus forth, did Lazarus sit in the grave and
decide whether he wanted to come forth or not? Of course not, as the Lord
called the others and immediately they followed, Lazarus immediately came
out of the grave alive.
Summary
The practice of comparing
the public callings of Jesus to decisionism is a false comparison. When
Jesus called someone, the person being called didn’t stop to make a
decision. There is no biblical precedent for decisionism. This method is
a creation of man that makes him the final authority in salvation, and
without biblical precedent, it makes it a false teaching and practice.
THE
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A RESPONSE AND A DECISION
Another area where
the decisionists get confused is when Jesus would speak to the people or individuals
to elicit a response from them. Jesus never spoke with an individual in
rote terms to try and persuade them to accept Him as their savior. That
is because that is the job of the Holy Spirit to convict the unbeliever.
Let us look at some of these conversations that were responsive and not
decisionist in nature.
The
Blind Man
(John 9:35-38 KJV) Jesus heard that they had cast
him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe
on the Son of God? {36} He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I
might believe on him? {37} And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen
him, and it is he that talketh with thee. {38} And he said, Lord, I
believe. And he worshipped him.
Jesus healed this blind man who was given the
third degree by the leaders. Finally, the leaders would not accept the
fact that Jesus was the Messiah, and they excommunicated the healed man
from their synagogue. When Jesus heard that this man was thrown out, He
sought him out and asked him if he believed on the Son of God. When Jesus
revealed this to him, he responded by saying, “I believe.” There is
nothing here to intimate that the man made a decision, instead, he
responded to the Lord’s query. This man was able to respond and worship
the Lord Jesus because God had qualified him and prepared his heart to
hear and understand. There is nothing in these passages to indicate a
decision. Instead, it was a divine response.
Nathanael
(John 1:48-49 KJV) Nathanael saith unto him, Whence
knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip
called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. {49}
Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God;
thou art the King of Israel.
Nathanael had asked Jesus a simple question and
the Lord’s response to his question caused a response in Nathanael
concerning the divine Sonship of the Lord and His position as King of
Israel. Nathanael gave a response of a saved person. There was no
decision on Nathanael’s part as to whether or not he should accept the
fact that Jesus was the Messiah and the King of Israel. Nathanael came to
that conclusion based on a very short conversation with Jesus. This was
because his heart, like the blind man’s heart, was qualified by God to
hear and to believe in Jesus.
Summary
The difference
between a decision for Christ and a response is night and day. Those who
respond in truth to the message are those who have been spiritually
qualified by God to respond to the message. Those who feel they have to
make a decision for Christ are not being called. A dead man cannot decide
himself and has to be regenerated by God first. Then when God makes you
alive unto Him, God calls you and you cannot refuse. Look at the way the
Lord called Matthew and the four fishermen as His disciples. They
immediately left their professions and followed the Lord. It was a Holy
Spirit conviction that caused these men to immediately follow the Lord.
DO
WE REALLY DECIDE?
One of the most
serious issues within decisionism or any aspect of soteriology, is, does
man possess the ability to decide on salvation? The question may also be
asked in the following manner, “Is man capable of deciding?” Salvation is
a spiritual event and not an intellectual happening. When a person
becomes saved, their physical body remains the same. The salvation
happens in the spirit or the soul. A person becomes spiritually alive
when they receive the Lord as their personal Savior. The first question
that must be broached is, what is the spiritual condition of man prior to
salvation? Once we ascertain that answer from the Scriptures, the answers
to the other questions of ability fall right into place.
(Eph 2:1 KJV) And you hath he
quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins:
(Eph 2:5 KJV) Even when we were dead
in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
In the above two verses, we see the word “dead”
used in both verses. The word dead is translated from the Greek word
“nekrous” which carries with it the meaning of “lifeless, useless, and
dead.” So here we see two plain verses, which teach us that before
salvation, a person is absolutely dead and lifeless. We must first
realize that what is in view here is not physical death, but a person
being spiritually dead. God is telling us that we were dead in sins, to
wit, our life before salvation. Now, can a dead person make himself
alive? Of course, the answer is no. All of us have been to funerals and
the guest of honor remains dead. Can a dead man choose his coffin? Of
course, the answer is no.
In Scripture, we have an excellent example of a
believer who goes from death to life. The example is Lazarus. We saw that
before. Lazarus did not decide to come out of the tomb; God Himself, who
stood outside the tomb, called him and summoned him. He then came forth
in qualified response to the summons.
We see then that before salvation, a person is
spiritually dead and absolutely incapable of making any spiritual
decisions. So then how does a person come to Christ? The verse below says
that a person will come to the Lord Jesus Christ. Doesn’t that constitute
a decision?
(John 6:37 KJV) All that the Father
giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no
wise cast out.
Let us look further on in the same chapter and
see if a person makes that decision.
(John 6:44 KJV) No man can come to
me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will
raise him up at the last day.
Now, we gain a little more insight to the reason
behind someone coming to the Lord Jesus Christ. We do not find a
decision. Instead, we find a drawing by the Father who leads the
saved person to His Son. Before someone can come to the Lord Jesus
Christ, God qualifies them by giving them the Holy Spirit who makes them
spiritually alive. In other words, the person has become saved.
They are not making a decision, but a qualified response.
(Rom 8:9 KJV) But ye are not in the
flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now
if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
Summary
We see that a person
cannot make a decision for Christ, even though it may look like the
person is making a decision. However, the person is coming to the Lord
Jesus Christ only because they have been spiritually qualified to do so.
God draws them and then gives them salvation. There is nothing in view in
Scripture whereby a person makes a decision and then is given salvation.
In fact, the opposite exists, whereby a person is first qualified to hear
the gospel by being given a spirit that is alive unto God. Notice in both
Ephesians 2:1 & 5, we see that God is the one who quickens us from
being spiritually dead. We can also see that the entire action is God’s,
and there is no involvement by the person receiving the salvation,
because they are totally passive.
DOES IT REFLECT AN INWARD TRANSFORMATION?
Decisionism does not
reflect outwardly that anything has taken place inwardly. Now, at the
moment a person is making their decision, there may seem to be a certain
piety on their face. True salvation does not emanate inward from the
outward. Instead, it emanates outward from the inward
transformation. Making a decision is an outward act in which no inward
transformation has taken place. Saying a few words like a "Sinner's
Prayer" or even coming to tears is not a valid manifestation of true
salvation. These are expressions of religious emotionalism, triggered by
a response to the preacher, who is probably going on incessantly with his
“anyone else” campaign. People sit under this manipulative method and
some think that maybe God is calling them, and then when they raise their
hand, they feel they have responded to God’s call, when in essence, they
have responded to the preacher who is normally going for numbers. There
is absolutely no precedent in Scripture for incessant calling to
salvation by means of repetitive pleas. Many that respond to these pleas
are back doing the same things they did before they responded. That is because
there was no spiritual transformation in their life.
I
GOT SAVED AT AN EARLY AGE, BUT I FELL AWAY
How many times have
we heard this one? Almost every time you hear someone giving their
testimony, they always start out by saying they got saved when they were
very young, but walked away from the Lord. This contradicts the Bible in
the area of God keeping His Saints. It says that the dead will of man is
superior in force to God. This, of course, is the invention of the
decisionist crowd who believe that they have the power and authority to
control God and His salvation plan. I would be very frightened to believe
that I have the authority to control God. Let me give an example of a
radio program I hear almost on a daily basis. It is called the Christian
Working Woman with Mary Whelchel. Now, many times she has some good
practical pointers on living the Christian life in a tough arena called
the job place. If you listen to the program for a while, you will hear
her say in many different instances, “I give God permission to be Lord of
my life” or “I give God permission for this or that, etc.” This is the
height of arrogance to believe that the clay controls the Potter! No
human being, saved or unsaved, gives God permission to do anything! He is
the Sovereign God of this universe, and no one tells Him what to do.
Those who believe they became saved when they were young probably
received a "parents salvation." That is, they probably
walked the aisle to please their parents, but never became saved. No one
whom God truly saves can walk away from the Lord or lose their salvation.
This is contrary to Scripture.
(Eph 4:30 KJV) And grieve not the
holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
(1 Pet 1:5 KJV) Who are kept by
the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in
the last time.
(Rom 11:29 KJV) For the gifts and
calling of God are without repentance.
(Rom 8:38-39 KJV) For I am persuaded,
that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers,
nor things present, nor things to come, {39} Nor height, nor depth, nor
any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of
God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(John 6:37 KJV) All that the Father
giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no
wise cast out.
(Jude 1:24 KJV) Now unto him that
is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before
the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
(2 Tim 1:12 KJV) For the which cause
I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know
whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that
which I have committed unto him against that day.
Why would God speak about keeping His children
unto the day of redemption, which would either be the Last Day or the day
of our home going, when He would allow a Christian to walk out of
salvation any time they want. These and many other verses speak to the
eternal security of the true believer. The only reason those people
“walked away” from God is because they were never saved. Parents should
never force their children to run down the aisle and make a decision.
REDEDICATION
Here is another
decisionist method of manipulation. A person who believes they are saved
responds to the preacher who asks if anyone wants to rededicate their
lives to the Lord. A true Christian is dedicated to the Lord by means of
the inward transformation that took place at the time of salvation. Those
who need to rededicate their lives to the Lord should really check if
they are truly saved. No true Christian can ever walk back into the world
and then decide to come back when they feel like it. We saw that God
keeps His people right up unto the end. If God says that He is going to
keep His people through His power, then those who have walked away either
as adults or children were never saved to begin with, because they were
never kept. God does not lie, and we better not create our own prideful
systems of salvation that gives the notion that He does lie, especially
when we saw multiple Scriptures that refute the idea that any true
believer can walk out of salvation.
IS
THERE A TIME PERIOD TO TEST YOUR SALVATION?
We have already seen
a little bit of this test concerning those who claim to have been saved,
and then walked away from the Lord. Time will show the difference as to
whether a person has been legitimately called of the Lord, or if a person
made a decision. There is one easy way to distinguish a decision maker,
versus the truly called Child of God. Normally, the decision maker is
running to the altar every week. Some time ago I heard a preacher
speaking about our works and that we will not know if the works we do
will bear fruit until we get to glory. So here he was telling us that
there is a period of time involved in determining if our works would bear
fruit. Then at the end of his message, he asked everyone to bow their
heads and then he went into his “decision call.” Now, he believes that if
a person says those few words of “acceptance” then they have become
instantly saved. Now, why do our works need a period of time to determine
their value, but because a person says a few words bringing instant
salvation, it is accepted as effectual salvation?
The bottom line is that when a person claims to
make a decision for Christ, a time period is also needed to determine if
that person truly became saved. Normally, one year will suffice, because
within that time period, you will see if that person has a desire to grow
or a desire to go. This is why it is imperative that there be a follow-up
ministry in every church. This way, the progress of the person can be
measured to see if their salvation was real or forced.
IS THERE A PROCESS TO
SALVATION?
The following are three steps to salvation:
1. First, God named whom He was going to save:
(Rev 13:8 KJV) And all that dwell
upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the
book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
2. Secondly, He called those He was going to
save:
(Rom 8:28 KJV) And we know that all
things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the
called according to his purpose.
3. Thirdly, He drew those He was going to save:
(John 6:44 KJV) No man can come to
me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will
raise him up at the last day.
God took these three steps in the counsels of
Heaven before the person who is going to become saved even knows. None of
us know whom the Lord is going to save, and that is why we send forth the
Gospel, so His Elect may hear. Now, these three biblical steps which are
done by God shows us that those who are truly predestined for salvation
will respond to the Gospel because they have already been named, called,
and drawn. This is why those who have not been called cannot make any
type of decision to “accept” the Lord. If God has not qualified someone
to hear the gospel and become saved, then that person will NOT become
saved. Plus, God has already named who is going to be saved from before
the foundation of the world, and it is not a Guest Registry where He adds
new names to it every day.
(Heb 9:16-17 KJV) For where a
testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.
{17} For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of
no strength at all while the testator liveth.
When we look at salvation in terms of a legal
document, it brings up the Scriptures above concerning the Last Will and
Testament. When the Lord Jesus Christ, who was the testator, died on
Calvary that was the completion of God’s salvation plan. The time period
from Pentecost to the Last Day will be when God will be applying the
contents of the will, which is grace, to all the beneficiaries that were
named in the will. These were named before the foundation of the world
because that is when Christ, in principle, was crucified (Rev. 13:8).
Now, let us ask a follow-up question. Is there
a process to being saved on earth? The answer is no! Those whom God will
save will be passive in their salvation and will receive it without any
addition of any type of works. Trying to add any type of works to God’s
salvation plan adulterates it. Even if those works are just simple works,
like praying to receive Christ. That is because any type of work, no
matter how trivial, would make man a contributing factor in his own
salvation. This is why when the Lord went to the Cross, He scattered the
sheep, and so no one could boast that they had a part in the salvation
plan of God. It is solely of God and given by God to His Elect in God’s
timing. This is why those outside of the Last Will and Testament of the
Lord Jesus Christ cannot make a decision for Christ, because they have
not been named in the will.
Let us now follow up the follow-up question. Is
there any process that the believer goes through? The answer is yes! It
is the process of sanctification, which basically is the growth of the
believer in grace after salvation. There is never a process to attain
salvation but afterwards, we begin our growth toward God and away from the
world. We begin to grow in our commitment to the Lord. The desire to grow
in grace is a revealing tenet that a person has truly become saved.
Rededication or making a decision proves nothing.
IS
DECISIONISM A WORKS GOSPEL?
Decisionism is
definitely a works gospel. If you remember, we spoke of the difference
between a person making a qualified response and someone who is uncalled
trying to make a decision as to whether they should accept the Lord or
not. A person whom God has qualified to hear the Gospel will, at the
appointed time, when drawn, come to the Lord for salvation. If a person
who is uncalled hears a message, and then tries to decide whether they
should believe it or not, then they are actually performing a work,
because by acceptance of the Gospel, they are having a part in their own
salvation. We have all heard the analogy, “God wrote out the check and
signed it, but now it is up to you to co-sign it.” These analogies speak
for themselves. If someone signs a check, they are working as they are
signing. God’s salvation plan is totally of God, and man does NOT have
the slightest part, except for the Elect to receive it.
IS
THE ALTAR CALL WRONG?
In my years of
preaching, I have used the altar call, but from a Sovereign Grace standpoint
and not from a free will view. I must admit in my early years of
preaching, I did call for a decision at a church where I filled in the
pulpit, but only once. The altar call can be a valuable course of action
whereby those whom with God is dealing with may take the step and come
forward, so the leaders of the church may get them into a New Believers
class. The altar call should never be used to try and manipulate people
into an emotional response. It should be used to identify those in the
congregation whom God might be dealing with. As with everything in life,
there will be some churches that will have a Christian coming down the
aisle every week, but something like this should not deter using a good
tool to identify those who God may be calling or dealing with. An option
should also be given, that if a person does not want to come down the
aisle and if they believe that God has been dealing with them, then the
pastor and elders should have a room set aside for those who may want to
talk privately.
The altar call has been misused down through
the years by the decisionists who believe that when a person comes
forward and says a few words, and then they are saved. We saw this as
being an erroneous practice, which yields emotional responses. To get up
and walk the aisle would constitute a works gospel, because by getting up
and walking, they would be co-signing that check that God wrote. We also
saw that the dead cannot make a decision. The only ones who come for
salvation are the ones whom God qualifies to do so.
SUMMARY
We have looked at
decisionism and found that it really doesn’t exist from a salvation point
of view. Only those whom God has qualified will respond to the Gospel.
That is because they have been named, called, and drawn. Decisionism creates
an army of those who think they are saved and are under a dangerous
delusion that can end in one heartbeat. A heretical evangelist, Charles
Finney, basically adopted decisionism and then of course, whenever a
heretic is found in Christianity, what do we do? We follow them instead
of rebuking them! So many churches are adopting decisionism as a method
of evangelism, which is resulting in people with false salvation beliefs.
Because of this erroneous method, many are also walking around believing
they are saved. This is one reason the Lord warns us:
(Mat 7:21 KJV) Not every one that
saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he
that doeth the will of my Father that is in heaven.
Let’s just keep preaching Truth and let God do
the saving. Believe me, it works!
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