Soul winners or Soul-deceivers?
Hebrews
13:10
I am frequently asked why I
do not, at the end of our worship services, or at the end of the tracts and
articles I write, either invite sinners to be saved, or come to Christ, or
accept Jesus as their Savior? Today, I received a letter asking why I do not
put “the sinner’s prayer” at the end of my tracts and articles. Frequently,
people who have been guided by blind religious leaders ask, “Why don’t you give
an invitation (an altar call)?” “Why don’t you ever give people a chance to be
saved?” One person said to me recently, “You seem to leave sinners hanging.”
The fact is I intentionally
leave sinners "hanging," I hope hanging on Christ alone. The reason I
never close an article, a sermon, or a worship service with an
"invitation" for sinners to accept Christ as their Savior is quite
simple. -- Sinners are nowhere invited to "accept" the Son of God. We
are commanded to bow to him in faith. There is a huge difference. The issue is
not whether you will accept the Son of God. About that you have no choice. He
is the Son of God. He is your Lord, whether you “accept” him or not will not
alter that fact. The issue is this – Will the Son of God accept you? The Lord
of glory does not beg sinners for acceptance; but sinners in need of mercy do
beg him for acceptance (Matt. 8:2-3).
The reason I do not give out
a scripted "prayer" for people to repeat, read, or agree to, is that
prayer must be found in the heart, not on paper. If ever God the Holy Spirit
convinces a person of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment, that person will
not need some deceiver to tell him how to cry out for mercy.
The reason I never give an
altar call is that Christ is our only Altar. To set up any altar anywhere on
this earth is utter idolatry. Christ is the Altar to whom we must come, the
only Altar and the only Mercy-Seat, upon which God promises to meet sinners. We
cannot come to him with our feet. We come to him by faith, with our hearts.
Having people recite what is
called “the sinner’s prayer” is no more useful than having them to
superstitiously count rosary beads while saying “Hail Marys”. Inviting people
to come to the front of the church, to an altar, or to a mourners’ bench is
just as idolatrous as having them come to a confessional booth. Having a
preacher or “soul-winner” pronounce a person saved at the end of a series of
correctly answered questions is just as blasphemous as having a papist priest
pronounce his sins absolved. Nowhere in the Word of God are such tactics used
by inspired writers. They serve only to deceive the souls of men. By such
hellish trickery, unsuspecting sinners are made twofold more the children of
hell than they were before.
We are seeking the salvation
of God's elect and the glory of God in Christ. Therefore, we endeavor to be
obedient to both the precepts and the examples given in Holy Scripture. We
pray, and preach the gospel, and pray, waiting for God to do his work as he
will, showing his grace to whom he will.
Grace
Baptist Church of Danville - Grace For Today Radio
Message #725
2734 Old Stanford
Road - Danville, Kentucky 40422-9438
Donald S. Fortner, Pastor -Telephone 606-236-8235 - Email grace@mis.net