Altar calls are not biblical (Part 1)
Where exactly did we get the idea that someone can receive salvation by saying a ‘special salvation’ prayer?
I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve been in a worship service and the pastor announces over the megaphone, “If anyone wants to give their lives to Jesus, please come forward”
Enthusiastically and awash with great sorrow, I’d storm down the aisles with the herd of remorseful worshippers heading towards the altar. Entranced by sombre worship piano music, the pastor then directs the mob to place a hand over their hearts and recite a few words: “Lord, I recognise I’m a sinner, I ask that you come into my heart today”
I’ve recited this prayer in physical churches and perhaps many more times, sitting on my living room couch watching Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) with my dad. Under the soothing voices of TD Jakes, Joyce Meyer, and Joel Osteen, I’ve mumbled many versions of that prayer.
This popular prayer is known as the ‘sinner’s prayer’ and is common among many Protestant denominations (i.e. Baptist, Methodist, Evangelical, Charismatic, Pentecostal, etc). It’s reserved for contrite sinners seeking to convert to Christianity or Christians who desire to re-commit to their faith. If you attend any of these denominations, you know precisely what I’m talking about.
But the bigger question is, “Can someone receive salvation through a recited prayer?”
Does the Bible record anyone receiving salvation this way?
I’ll address these questions in this post.
The Sinner’s prayer originated between the sixteenth and early twentieth centuries. As with all things, scholars disagree precisely when. The point is there’s no record of the practice before the sixteenth century.
Key 19th-century American evangelists like Billy Sunday, R.A Torrey were responsible for popularising the practice. As well as college campus groups like Campus Crusade for Christ.
Popular as it is, what’s striking (and also scary) is that this prayer doesn’t appear anywhere in the Bible. Since the Sinner’s prayer is used to help sinners convert to Christianity, let’s review several conversion accounts in the Bible and see if the Sinner’s prayer pops up in any of these accounts.
Come with me to Acts 2, where the 1st Christian communities initially began. Peter delivers a sermon to a large multi-ethnic Jewish crowd, urging them to convert to Christianity. Peter says a lot here, but what’s important is verses 37–38. Moved by Peter’s rousing sermon, some from the crowd were eager to be saved and asked Peter, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
Pay attention to Peter’s response to this question; it gives us clear clues on how a person receives salvation.
Verse 38 — Peter replied, “Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit”
Does he say, “recite a prayer with me”?
No.
How does a person receive salvation? Two words: Repentance and baptism. Not a recited prayer.
Don’t believe me? That’s fine, I’m a stubborn sceptic too by nature, so seeing is believing. Let’s look at other conversion accounts to see if ‘repentance and baptism’ is consistent.
Account #1: Philippian jailer — Acts 16:22–34
- Who desired salvation? The Philippian jailer keeping guard over the prison Paul and Silas were thrown in after casting an evil spirit out of a slave girl in Philippi
- Who preached salvation to the jailer? Paul & Silas
- How did the Philippian jailer respond to the salvation message? The jailer baptised his entire household (including himself) that very night
Account #2: Ethiopian Eunuch — Acts 8:26–38
- Who desired salvation? A high-ranking Ethiopian official travelling through the desert from Jerusalem to Gaza
- Who preached salvation to him? Philip
- How did the Ethiopian eunuch respond to the message? The Ethiopian Eunuch asked Philip to baptise him when they stumbled upon some water in the desert. Water in a desert! What are the odds, huh?
Account #3: Paul (personally my favourite account) — Acts 8:26–38
- Who desired salvation? Saul of Tarsus, a zealous Pharisee killing Jewish converts to Christianity
- Who preached salvation to him? Anaias
- How did Saul respond to the message? After three long days without water and food, Saul allowed Ananias to baptise him
In all three cases, the messenger was different, but the salvation message was the same: repentance and baptism are required for salvation. Not a rehearsed prayer.
If these three accounts aren’t enough evidence, you can see Cornelius’ account (Acts 10:47–48) and Lydia’s (Acts 16:13–15).
I can imagine what you’re thinking at this point. What about the instances in the Bible where someone was saved without baptism?
I’m glad you brought that up.
Let’s examine those instances.
Let’s look at Paul’s letter to the Romans in Romans 10. In verses 9–10, he says, “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Seems straightforward, right? Paul is clearly teaching that a sincere prayer and genuine belief are all it takes to be saved, right?
That would have made perfect sense….until you read four verses down.
In verse 13, Paul makes an interesting reference that we ought to pay attention to. He says, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Again, this sounds like a simple, genuine, heartfelt prayer is the key to salvation, right?
Not so fast.
This isn’t the first time Paul makes this statement, “calling on the name of the Lord”
Where else does he make this reference?
He uses it again before a very angry mob in Jerusalem in Acts 22. Recounting his conversion story, Paul told the hostile Jewish crowd how God used Anais to save him. He recounted how Anais visited him in Damascus to deliver God’s message. What was the message? → “…Get up, be baptised and wash your sins away, calling on his name” (Acts 22:16)
Did you catch that? “Calling on the name of the Lord” refers to Baptism. There it is again, the B word. Surprise, surprise.
Still with me? I hope I haven’t lost you. Guess who else uses the term “calling on the name of the Lord” in reference to baptism?
Peter.
I’ll show you. Flip with me to Acts 2. Look down in verse 21. Peter says, “And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved”
There it is again. “Calling on the name of the Lord.” Sounds like a simple prayer, doesn’t it?
It would seem so, but then you’d need to jump down a few verses to see what Peter tells the crowd when they ask him “what to do to be saved” in verse 37. Check out his response. It’s not “Say this prayer after me” It’s not “Come to the front, let me put my hands over you”
He tells them in verse 38, “Repent and be baptised every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins”.
Calling on the name of the Lord is to “Repent and be baptised”. Not praying a prayer that’s supposed to save.
For some, this may not be enough. There are still unanswered questions.
What about the time in Revelations 3:20 when Jesus says, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”
This is the scripture popular used by Pastors before inviting would-be converts to say a prayer and receive salvation. It all sounds very convincing. But again, there’s important context that’s missed here.
We need to zoom out and recall who the Revelations 3 letter is addressed to. Jesus wasn’t speaking to would-be converts. Revelations 3:14–22 is a letter addressed to the Laodicean Church. This letter is one of several letters Jesus sent to seven churches in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey).
Laodicea was an ancient city near the modern city of Denizli in Turkey. Laodicea was one of the wealthiest ancient cities. Surrounded by all that pomp and ease, the Laodicean Christians had gotten distracted and lukewarm, and Jesus was charging them to return to their former spiritual zeal, hence the call to “open the door” to Jesus.
This letter was addressed to already converted people, not to would-be converts.
I hope one thing you’ve picked up on as we’ve navigated these scriptures is that context is everything. Drawing conclusions from a single line in the Bible is like driving a new car with a car manual written upside down in Greek. Nothing short of an accident waiting to happen.
The last thing I’ll address is one common defense I get from die-hard Protestants for the salvation prayer. “My pastor usually instructs the ‘converts’ to sign up for baptismal classes right after their altar call”
This is true, I’ve seen this done in many Protestant services. I’ve also signed up for far too many baptismal classes myself before. But it doesn’t much to sniff out the glaring contradiction in that statement.
The statement boldly assumes that a person becomes a convert after an alter call, which shows the pastor has done the “convert” a great wrong by leading them to believe they’ve been “converted” by the salvation prayer.
No one is converted TILL THE POINT OF BAPTISM.
Making someone believe they’re converted BEFORE baptism is a grave deception. The convert walks away feeling victorious that they’re saved, and then the Pastor “passively suggests” that baptism will be a good idea but certainly not a must. Basically saying, if time allows and your work schedule isn’t too hectic, think about going to baptismal classes.
In all those biblical conversions we walked through earlier, baptism wasn’t an after-show; it was the MAIN EVENT for salvation.
Okay, I’m done.
Want to learn more about popular Christian practices that have no biblical precedence? Let’s study the Bible together; click this link.
