Alters In The Baptist Churches

[Earth Wind and Fire]

Dr. Lloyd-Jones on the Altar Call

http://www.banneroftruth.org/pages/articles/article_detail.php?422

 

[mont974x4]

Yea.... how so?

Our pride is a huge trap.
It can keep us from going forward when God prompts us to.
It can cause us to not like having one simply because it's not what we prefer...even though God never really says anything against them .

 

[mont974x4]

Personally I find no need to always have an altar or an altar call. Like Martin Lloyd-Jones and others I believe a call to respond is the important part of closing a sermon.

However, I can find no reason to say they are always bad. Nor can I find a reason to say not having one is always good.

We all have an altar of sorts in our life, and it is not always the same. It is the place where submit to the Spirit's prompting and come to Christ, or answer the call to ministry, lay our burdens at His feet, and confess our sins. It happens in the cab of pickup trucks, kneeling beside a bed, on the floor of a cheap motel, a cot in jail, on the ottoman in the living room, standing on a mountain top, kneeling at a pew in church, or even at a table we call an altar at the front of the sanctuary. The one I used when I came to Christ was the back seat of a blue Dodge station wagon Easter Sunday of 1980. In the end what matters is the position of the heart.

 

[smalltown]

I can only imagine what the apostle Paul would have to say on the subject of praying at an altar. Maybe it would be O foolish Baptists, who hath bewitched you? Another big problem I have with this unscriptural practice is that it can cause confusion and misunderstanding among the unsaved about how a person is truly saved and born again. When my dad (who I believe to be unsaved but only God knows for sure) was attending services he would always be one of the first ones down the aisle to pray at the altar. One day the pastor was visiting us and was discussing salvation. After the pastor left my dad replied that “He did that” meaning he had walked down the aisle and said a prayer at the altar. I am presently trying to clear up any misunderstanding he has on how to be saved. If poor lost souls die and go to hell because of the unscriptural practice of praying at an altar then someone is going to have to answer for that. It makes me upset because you would think that Bible college trained pastors who encourage this would know better.

 

[mont974x4]

I suspect anything Paul would say about this would have been in line with what he wrote in Col 2 and Romans 14 or to the Galatians.

Ask what he believes about Jesus and about sin. You'll find out soon if he is saved or not....regardless of whether or not he went to an altar. You can also know by looking at his life. Is he growing (producing the fruit of the Spirit)? Is he free from old sinful habits?


You assume it is cut and dry totally in Scriptural and wrong, yet you offer no proof.

 

[smalltown]

I’m certainly no storied theologian or seminary trained bible scholar but I’m pretty sure that Jesus’ death on the cross did away with all the old testament types. That would include the use of altars.

 

[mont974x4]

No one is saying they are a must have. We must be careful to not create an argument where none exists.

Have you carefully read through all the posts in this thread?

 

[smalltown]

I’m certainly not trying to create an argument and I’m sorry if I gave that impression. Yes, I have read the other posts and they have been very helpful and interesting. Again, my number one issue with inviting people to pray at an altar is that there may be unsaved persons who get the wrong impression thinking that walking the aisle and praying at an altar somehow saves them. If only one person dies lost because of that misconception then that is one too many. Also, if I thought for one moment that God would more likely hear and answer my prayer by walking the aisle and praying at an altar I would be the first one down there.

 

[Earth Wind and Fire]

No one is saying they are a must have. We must be careful to not create an argument where none exists.

Have you carefully read through all the posts in this thread?

Jason....I just walk out when they start that nonsense & I wont come back either. I feel the same way bout talking in tongues.

 

[mont974x4]

That people can be false converts is a real concern. That is why Scripture tells us to be sure of our election and examine ourselves. The reality is this is necessary whether an altar was used or not.

When we preach the Gospel be sure to preach it completely and faithfully. We do what we can to make sure people know walking the aisle, saying a traditional prayer, or being in a special place does not save them. After that, it's between them and God. We don't know what kind of soil we are sowing into it, we just make sure the seeds are pure.

 

[smalltown]

That people can be false converts is a real concern. That is why Scripture tells us to be sure of our election and examine ourselves. The reality is this is necessary whether an altar was used or not.

When we preach the Gospel be sure to preach it completely and faithfully. We do what we can to make sure people know walking the aisle, saying a traditional prayer, or being in a special place does not save them. After that, it's between them and God. We don't know what kind of soil we are sowing into it, we just make sure the seeds are pure.

Amen. Very well stated.

 

[smalltown]

There are no altars in a Baptist church--or there shouldn't be.

Altars are places of sacrifice, all over the Old Testament. There is no longer a need for an altar. Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice, and satisfies completely the demands of the law.

We use the term in a figurative sense to describe total commitment of life and soul to the Lord Jesus.

I tease preachers sometimes who, during an invitation, plead for people to "come to the altar." I ask them, where is the altar in the church? Is it down front where he is? Why do I have to come down there? Why can't one trust Jesus for salvation where he is; or rededicate his life? Why can't one pray in the pew?

Sometimes we fall into using "churchy" language without thinking it through what they're saying.

So true. You hit the nail right on the head. As one of my favorite bumper stickers says “Real Christians Don’t Go To Church…Real Christians Are The Church!” It took a awhile for that truism to sink into my head because I fell into the trap of using “churchy” language without thinking it through.

Besides, if the New Testament church is to have proper Old Testament altars then a Levitical priest would need to sanctify it. In this age of grace God doesn't sanctify buildings or objects, He sanctifies people.