WHAT MUST I DO?
Whenever someone is ready to begin a life of faith and discipleship, he or she rightly asks, “What must I do now?” While salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus, most believers in Christ would agree that something must be done.
Many modern-day evangelists would encourage the new believer to “come forward” at an “altar call.” Others might encourage the spiritual seeker to say the “sinner’s prayer.” That prayer might go something like this: “Father, I am sorry for my sins and want to turn away from my sinful life. I believe your Son Jesus died for my sins and was raised from the dead. I now invite Jesus into my heart, accepting him as Lord and Savior.”
There are many different versions of the sinner’s prayer (I found dozens of variations on the Internet), and there is a good reason there are many different versions—it’s not inhe Bible. Neither is the altar call. While the sentiment of repentance and commitment are biblical, no one in the Bible is ever told to pray the sinner’s prayer and invite Jesus into his or her heart.
Do Something
People in the New Testament are told to do something to express their penitent faith, but it is not to say the sinner’s prayer. Rather, they are told to be baptized. If we must do something to express saving faith, why not do what the Bible teaches? In the New Testament, baptism is the sinner’s response to salvation by grace through faith. It is not a work that earns salvation, but the response of faith that relies on God for salvation.
Throughout the book of Acts, baptism is the normative response a new believer makes to embrace the gospel. In New Testament times, there was no such thing as an unimmersed believer. I know of many unimmersed believers today who regard baptism as optional or something to do “some day when I get around to it.” If one were to meet a first-century Christian and ask whether he or she had been baptized, the question would be received with amazement.’ Of course I have, I already told you I am a Christian!”
There are several serious problems with the altar call. First, there is no biblical basis for the practice of altar calls. The Old Testament altar ministry was replaced by Christ with the institution of the new covenant (Hebrews 8:13). The book of Acts never presents the church having altar calls.
Second, there is a complete lack of historical support for the practice. In fact, until the 19th century, altar calls were virtually unheard of. The procedure was popularized by Charles Finney, who believed an emotional experience must be solicited at the time of a decision for Christ. This new practice was popularized by revivalists like Dwight L. Moody, Billy Sunday, and more recently Billy Graham. However, the altar call cannot be found in any of the church father’s writings, nor was it used in any of the churches until the 19th century.
A third problem has to do with the potential for manipulation, or perceived manipulation. Occasionally the plea for sinners to come forward and be saved comes across more like a used car salesman’s tactic than a biblical practice. Guilt, pleading, and prolonged singing of songs place pressure on people to respond—whether their response is sincere or not. It is possible to respond emotionally to an altar call and never really repent. Furthermore, despite no biblical support for altar calls or the sinner’s prayer, people are given false assurance of their salvation. Some might argue that altar calls are harmless, but they inevitably bring confusion about the true nature and way of salvation.
What We Do
At Churchill Meadows Christian Church, we give people an opportunity to respond to the gospel message on Sundays.It may involve an invitation to complete a card indicating their desire to become a Christian, or an invitation to meet with a leader or staff member for further instruction. It may even involve an invitation to come forward as a physical expression of their desire to receive Christ and obey the gospel. But the act of card-checking or aislewalking does not ensure salvation. A responder must have faith, genuine repentance, and be baptized into Christ. We endorse this approach because the book of Acts puts baptism as the proper response to the gospel. By this we do not affirm any kind of water regeneration, but instead affirm that the act of baptism is an obedient and physical response to the gospel.
Before Jesus ascended back to Heaven, he left marching orders for his disciples to take the gospel all over the world. They are commanded to “make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). Jesus specifically tells the apostles to baptize those who believe. That Peter and the apostles took Jesus’ words seriously becomes evident in Acts 2. When the people asked what they should do in response to the cross, Peter told them to repent and be baptized for the remissions of sins (Acts 2:37, 38) and those who received the message were baptized (Acts 2:41). Whenever salvation is mentioned in the book of Acts, baptism makes an appearance (see Acts 8:12, 36-38; 9:17, 18; 10:44-48; 16:14, 15, 30-34; 18:8; 19:5; 22:16).
When I study the Bible with someone who is not a believer, I don’t ask the person to pray a sinner’s prayer or walk an aisle. I ask them to respond ultimately by being baptized. Of course, baptism is to be accompanied by belief in Christ (John 1:12; 5:24; 20:31; Acts 16:31), repentance (Luke 24:47; Acts 2:38; 3:19; Romans 2:4; 2 Corinthians 7:10), and confessing Jesus as Lord, calling on his name while obeying him in baptism (Romans 10:9, 10; Colossians 2:12; 1 Peter 3:21, 22). Again, I don’t believe the act of taking a bath saves anyone, but I do believe baptism should never be absent in our response to the gospel. Along with faith, confession, and repentance, baptism is a beautiful and biblical reply to the question: “What must I do?” Christ commanded us to make disciples and baptize them—this is the proper response to the gospel.
* * *
Jim Tune is senior minister of Churchill Meadows Christian Church in Toronto, Canada. He is founder and director of Impact Canada, a national church planting organization, and serves as a contributing editor for CHRISTIAN STANDARD. This article is adapted, with permission, from MoreAtStake.com
What We Believe
We Believe in God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit and that they are distinct personalities with distinct roles, but one God. And that One God is the Creator of the universe.
We Believe Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the Savior, the Son of God who was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died on a cross, and was raised from the grave. He will return as our victorious Lord.
We Believe our salvation comes only through Jesus Christ and cannot be earned. It is a gift of God.
We Believe faith in Jesus requires repentance, confession of that faith before witnesses, and obedience to His Word. Baptism by immersion demonstrates our faith and obedience while it depicts our union with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection.
We Believe everyone who accepts Christ has the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit who acts as a Comforter, Guide and Advocate.
We Believe the Bible is the divinely inspired Word of God in its entirety and that it does not contradict itself. It is our guide.
We Believe the church, as the body of Christ, is the extension of Jesus Christ's character, attitude, behavior, and mission in our world today.
We Believe God gives gifts to both men and women through the Holy Spirit for the benefit of the church's ministry.
We Believe that humility in prayer is the foundation for all we do and that celebrating communion together weekly is beneficial for all Christians.
Philosophy of Ministry
Grace Community Christian Church is an emerging congregation. Having been a very traditional church for many years, the past decade has seen a shift toward becoming more in tune with reaching out to the seeking community in ways that are appropriate and effective. This has not been an easy transformation, nor is it complete.
Under the leadership of Jim Dewar, Grace Community Christian Church is moving toward the ideal of becoming a biblically functioning community, where full devotion to Christ is the norm for every believer. One tool to help believers discern where they are on their spiritual journey is called "The 5-G's". If you're wondering, "What will be expected of me if I become a member of this church?", this should give you a good idea!
Grace - Do I fully grasp that my salvation is a gift from God and not something I can possibly earn or deserve? Have I abandoned all efforts to "work" my way into God's favor, recognizing that there is nothing I could possibly to that would cause Him to love me more?
Growth - Am I growing spiritually in my walk with God and relationally with my fellow believers? Is corporate and personal Bible study a regular part of my church experience? Am I more like Jesus Christ now than I was a year ago? Five years? Ten? What is different about my life because of this growth?
Gift - Have I discovered my spiritual gifts? Am I making the unique contribution to ministry that God has equipped me for? Am I giving anything back to the cause of the Kingdom for which God sent Jesus and of which I am now a part?
Group - Am I part of any regular, ongoing small group where I can really get to know others, and they me?
Giving - Have I learned that my life and talents and all my assets and resources have been "loaned" to me from God, and that my fullest enjoyment of them comes by returning them to Him in generous and selfless ways? Do I regularly evaluate my lifestyle and spending habits to see if there are ways I can honor God more with what He's blessed me? Is it clear from my personal budget that my trust in God is deep and real?
While not exhaustive, these questions are a good starting point for believers who are serious about following Christ. Like most any other church, Grace Community Christian Church is a work in progress. But we're developing a sense of where we're going, and we're certain that God's Holy Spirit will lead us if we're willing to listen and follow Him. If this sounds like a church you'd be interested in being a part of, check us out! Or, if you'd like more information or have any questions, feel free to call or