We are living in a day in which many extra-bibilical practices in the assembly of God's people have come to be thought of as "the thing to do," and anyone failing to go along with such traditions is often considered to be something less than evangelical. One such practice is what men have come to call "the invitation." By this, they mean the period at the end of the meeting during which the pastor or evangelist begs men, women, boys, and girls to come to the front of the building or coliseum. During this time the impression is usually given that "poor God" cannot do anything until the sinner takes the first step. Then God can take over and do His part. Of course, if no one responds, then everyone will go away thinking that the speaker must not have been fervent enough, the singing must not have been lively enough, the Holy Spirit must not have been powerful enough and in short the entire meeting must have been a dismal failure.
We feel that this practice is not only unbiblical, unnecessary, and unprecedented before the nineteenth century, but that it has done positive harm, not only to those who sincerely thought that what God expected of them was a trip down the aisle to shake the preacher's hand, but also to the church of Jesus Christ itself.
Of course the primary reason for which we reject this practice is that it is totally without warrant in the scriptures. While we find plenty of Biblical warrant for calling upon men to leave their sins and trust fully in the Lord Jesus Christ, we find none for telling them to leave their seats and come to the front of the building. It is our practice as we preach, to invite all men to trust in Christ no matter how unlikely it might be (from the human standpoint) that they will respond. We love to invite whosoever will to take of the water of life freely, but the fountain of life is not at the front of the church building.
The reader is invited to carefully examine the invitations of Christ and the apostles for even a vague hint that a man must walk an aisle, or raise his hand at the end of a meeting in order to be saved or to give evidence of having been saved.
The following are just a few reasons why we reject this unbiblical practice.
The first reason for which we reject the invitation system is that the entire concept is destructive to the message of the gospel. The gospel teaches that men are helpless in the matter of saving themselves. They are bound by the chains of sin, (chains which they are most willing to wear) they are at enmity against God, and they will not come to Christ that they might have life. Furthermore, the gospel teaches that God must break these chains, He must change this enmity to friendship, and He must make men willing to embrace Christ as He is so freely offered in the gospels.
The invitation system on the other hand, leads a man to believe that the entire transaction between himself and God involves no more than walking the aisle (which is well within the power of anyone who can walk). "If you really want to go to heaven when you die, then step out of your seat, wherever you are. Come and let us know about your decision. Christ went all the way to the cross for you, won't you just walk a few steps for Him?" The man may know nothing of having a broken heart for sin. He may understand very little of what a profession of faith in Christ will involve him in. Still he is assured that, if he will only lay aside his natural timidity, and walk to the "altar," then his eternal destiny will be settled. This kind of thinking involves us again in the same kind of works religion taught by the Roman Catholic church. The invitation system satisfies man's natural desire to do something to save himself. The gospel is not do and live, but look (believe) and live. Faith is not a physical act. It is a total commitment of ourselves, and all that we have, to the safe-keeping of the Lord Jesus Christ. (II Timothy 1:12) For this we need not move a muscle.
Since we cannot be certain that God has wrought saving faith in a man's heart (except, of course, as he gives evidence of such faith, by continuing in a pattern of good works (Ephesians 2:8-10; I John 3: 9-10; James 2:18-20)) we dare not tell men to do something outward and physical, assuring them that if they do it, then they will be saved. This is not the gospel, and has nothing to do with it. The gospel is "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved."
Our second reason for rejecting this unbiblical system is that through its use, men and women have become limited in their concept of the sphere of God's saving activity.
In this connection, the question is often asked; "What if God is dealing with a man and the preacher lets him get out of the 'church' (unbiblical use of the word church, by which they mean building) without giving 'an invitation'? How will he ever be saved?"
To answer this question, we will first make a few brief observations concerning the unbiblical thinking which has gone into such a question.
The first error stems from a basic misunderstanding of the nature of a gospel church. We rejoice when unregenerate men come into the assembly of the saints, hear the gospel, and as a result, come to believe in the Lord Jesus. This, however, is not the primary purpose for assembling ourselves together . The people of God are to meet together to be instructed, encouraged, edified, rebuked and exhorted, in order that they might, in turn, go forth to evangelize for the glory of God.
God never commands unreegenerate men to "go to church." In fact there is only one place in the New Testament which makes any reference to any unbeliever being in the assembly of the saints. (I Cor. 14:23) Even there it is almost spoken of as a happenstance (what if an unbeliever should happen to come in). New Testament evangelism takes place primarily outside the assembly of the saints.
The second error stems from the assumption that an altar call and an invitation are synonymous. Whenever the gospel is truly and fully proclaimed, men are invited to believe, without delay on the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, if the gospel has been preached, then the man is not leaving without an invitation. But if the gospel has not been preached, then all of the "altar calls" in the world will do him no good.
The third and most serious error consists in limiting the sphere of God's saving activity to a few square feet at the front of the building. Oh, how unregenerate men brace themselves during the "invitation" thinking that if they can just make it out the front door, without walking the aisle, they will be safe for another week. But if God is really dealing with them, He will not stop when they walk out the door. They will not be able to escape His presence. The Psalmist gives us a proper concept of God in Psalm 139. In verse seven he asks, Wither shall I go from Thy Spirit? or whither shall I flee from Thy presence? Then in verse eight and following he gives the answer.
If I ascend up into heaven Thou art there: if I make my bed in Hell, behold, Thou art there: if I say, surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. (v. 11)
There is no escaping from God.
A man once told C. H. Spurgeon that he needed "to strike while the iron is hot," to which Mr. Spurgeon replied, "If God heats the iron, then it will stay hot." We must remember that God never fails to accomplish His purpose, (Isaiah 46:10-11) and He never begins a work that He will not finish. (Phil. 1:6)
There is nothing special about the front of the building. God can and will work anywhere.
Our third reason for rejecting this system is that many have been disillusioned through its use. How often those who are engaged in witnessing are met with the objection: "I went to the front just like the preacher asked me to but nothing changed. I tried it and it did not work." Of course it didn't work! God never promised salvation to those who walk the aisle! But He did promise salvation to those who will trust fully in His Son.
It is admitted that many have been saved in spite of this system, but what of those who have sincerely followed the instructions given them only to find that "it did not work."
R. L. Dabney, a great nineteenth century theologian, made the following statement about those who have been misled in this manner:
"They are conscious that they were thoroughly in earnest in their religious anxieties and resolves at the time, and that they felt strange and profound exercises. Yet bitter and mortifying experience has taught them that their new birth and experimental religion at least was a delusion. How natural to conclude that those of all others are delusions also. They say: 'The only difference between myself and these earnest Christians is that they have not yet detected the cheat as I have. They are now not a whit more convinced of their sincerity and of the reality of their exercises than I once was of mine. Yet I know there was no change in my soul; I do not believe that there is in theirs.' Such is the fatal process of thought through which thousands have passed; until the country is sprinkled all over with infidels, who have been made such by their own experience of spurious religious excitements. They may keep their hostility to themselves in the main; because Christianity now "walks in her silver slippers"; but they are not the less steeled against all saving impressions of the truth."1
In this connection it would be good for the reader to ask himself the question, "What has happened to all of the people whom I have seen walk the aisle?" I believe that the answer will be very revealing.
Our fourth reason for rejecting this system is an historical one. Sometimes a man will ask, "How can anyone be saved if you do not give an altar call? To answer this question we will ask some questions of our own. First of all, how were men and women saved under the preaching of Christ and His apostles? neither Christ nor His apostles ever gave an altar call. How were men and women saved under the ministry of such great men as John Knox, George Whitfield, Jonathan Edwards, Rowland Hill, John Bunyan, Charles H. Spurgeon and others? In fact, how was any one ever converted before the 1820's, when Charles G. Finney gave the first altar call ever recorded in church history? Of course, the answer to these questions is that they believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, and were saved. They did not need to walk an aisle, or raise their hand. God laid hold of them where they were and graciously saved them from their sins. Moreover history indicates that those who professed faith in Christ were stronger (with a much lower rate of falling away) and that their churches were more holy, powerful, and spiritual, to the glory of God.
The effects of the invitation system have been devastating, both in the lives of individuals, and in the life of the church. I believe that it is at least partially responsible for the fact that the meetings of many churches are filled with gimmicks and entertainment (such as fleshly music and a comedian in the pulpit). These are calculated to appeal to the ungodly with a view to getting them to "make their decision for Christ" when the altar call is given. When will men ever see that getting men to the front of a building is not synonymous with bringing them to the Savior. Just getting a man down the aisle does not save him or prove that he is saved.
It is inherent in man's nature to have a desire to see something, but certainly no one with a desire for the glory of God wants to see anything unless it is God's doing. We long for the day when we will see men and women crying out to God for mercy, and being converted under His good hand. Then we will begin to see evidence of the new birth in the holy manner of life of God's professing people.
It is high time that we return to Biblical methods of evangelism, tradition notwithstanding. We must be diligent in planting and watering, all the while trusting God to give the increase, in His own good time.
Soli Deo Gloria
For further study on this subject, may we suggest the following:
1 R.L. Dabney, Discussion: Evangelical and Theological, (London, 1967), Volume I, p. 572