Do animals have a soul/spirit

Hey Ben,

We're having a theological discussion about animals this morning. (: My son was asking for a Biblical reference about animals having souls. Personally, I think Scripture is not at all clear about the eternal fate of animals, but please correct me (with some hardcore Scripture) if I'm wrong. Ecclesiastes 3:21 mentions "the spirit of the beast". And "the breath of life" seems to present in creatures other than man in Gen 1:30, 6:17, 7:15, and 7:22.

We have looked into this subject matter in the past and could not find a clear answer in Scripture or anywhere else. I was told from the time I was a child that animals didn't have souls because God didn't breathe the breath of life into any creature other than man. But the Genesis references above seem to indicate otherwise.

Also, for what it's worth, I'm pretty sure (from my previous research on the subject) that many great Bible scholars including John Piper, Joni Eareckson Tada, C.S. Lewis, and Randy Alcorn expect animals --maybe even their own pets-- to be in heaven. (:


My responses.....came in a flurry of emails because I was in a loooooooong meeting and was there in body ONLY while I responded. :)

I trust that animals will be in the new heavens and new earth. Not necessarily our pets though. I wouldn't equate the breath of life with an eternal soul/spirit. I'll take a look at the references you gave me, but my first response is that soul/spirit are unique to those image bearers of God......to those He's given dominion over creation (including animals). What goes with a soul is responsibility, accountability, judgment and reward/punishment. I really see no development of critters participating in any of these things.

Regarding the Eccl 3:21 reference. The "preacher" speculates on MANY things that are better developed elsewhere. He also says life is meaningless......which it's clearly not. Context for eccl is our temporariness......not an ology for critter souls.

I don't have "hardcore" evidence against animals having a soul.......any more than I can find evidence against unicorns. It's just not developed. Ezekiel 18:20 says "The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself." It seems the fleshing out of "soul" here is with sons and fathers and the righteous and wicked. There's no mention of animals or their "wickedness" or "righteousness". While an animal might be put down if it's a killer or biter, there's a loud void in the development of an eternal outcome for a dog or horse or whatever. Acts 3:23 says "And it
shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people." Again it sounds like consequences and judgment are connected to the soul.....which seems to be unique to humans.

For me, the resurrection promises cinch it. If animals have eternal souls, does the African-eating lion go to hell? And the loving (and licking) Cocker Spaniel to heaven? If animals have a soul, what's the standard for heaven/hell? Is it the same for man? Perfect and absolute purity for living with a Holy God? If so, then they'll need a critter version of a Savior I'm afraid. They'll need something to atone for the tribesman they ate or the dookie they left on the den floor. God's still holy and creation still fallen so the only redeemable part of creation is what's (or who's) been redeemed through the finished work of the cross.

I think that's why we'll need a new heavens and new earth.....because this one's been cursed and contaminated by sin. As 2 Peter 3 indicates, this one will be completely destroyed. We'll get new resurrection, imperishable, un-contaminated bodies that will then live with God in a new heavens and new earth......at home with our Creator and at home again with body/soul together.

Can you direct me to Piper's thoughts on the souls of animals? I'm truly teachable in this if I'm off track and I have a lot of respect for him.

Ben

Apostasy

We, as a body, considered John 15:2 and 15:6 and wrestled with a pretty difficult topic - apostasy. The following is an email string to and from Donna. She had some VERY good questions and observations and our correspondence may help others wrestling with this difficult issue. Here goes.......

Dear Ben,
I was out of town Sunday and listened to your sermon yesterday and have been puzzled about some of the interpretations of the apostate and the security of our salvation in Christ. Here are some comments about your sermon:

The apostate are unbelievers in Romans 8:9 who do not have the Spirit of Christ. Jude 12-13, 17-23 says they are devoid of the spirit. 1 Corinthians 2:14 says he is natural and does not have the Spirit.

So who has the Sprit and what does he do? No one before Pentecost had the baptism, sealing, indwelling, regeneration and permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit. King Saul was not a saved man, but a used man, just as Pharoah was chosen to be used. God warned Israel that having a king would bring them injury. Only believers in Christ are called, chosen, elected, sealed, washed, baptized and indwelled by the Holy Spirit.

Can a called, chosen, elected and regenerated believer in Christ lose his salvation? Romans 8:33-39 says nothing and no one can separate us from the love of God. Jesus said the Spirit would be with believers forever in John 14:16. He says in John 10:27-30 that no one can snatch them out of his hand because God is sovereign. Romans 8:28-30 says the believer has a secure salvation.

I Corinthians 9:24-27 says we might become disqualified, not for salvation, but for reward. God gave up on the ones who crossed the Red Sea, but his covenant with them is eternal. We are not told if they went to hell. Those who are cut off and burned from the vine may be judged in the flesh and all their deeds burned, but still be saved. Please read I Corinthians 3:11-15. I Thessalonians 5:9 says we are not destined to wrath. Many chosen lead sinful lives,but are listed in the Hall of Fame of Faith in Hebrews 11. I Corinthians 6 is addressed to believers who were going to be judged in their bodies, but they were not condemned to hell. We will all be judged at the throne of Christ according to the deeds done on earth. None of the church is thrown into the fire in Revelation, but the apostate will be.

I'm betting my life on these scriptures.

I hope you can clarify your position on a believer's security in Christ this Sunday.

Your sister in Christ,


Hi Donna,

You've been DIGGING IN!!  Thanks so much for sending me this.  A couple of
responses.....first regarding your paragraph:

Can a called, chosen, elected and regenerated believer in Christ lose his
salvation? Romans 8:33-39 says nothing and no one can separate us from the
love of God. Jesus said the Spirit would be with believers forever in John
14:16. He says in John 10:27-30 that no one can snatch them out of his
hand because God is sovereign. Romans 8:28-30 says the believer has a
secure salvation.

I do not believe for a moment that one of God's elect will go to hell.  I
agree with everything in me that God's elect are secure.  But apostasy
DOES take place in the church.  There IS a 3rd group....the apostate
really does exist.  I don't see any room in your view below for this
person.  Paul warned Timothy about it in 1 Timothy 4.  John wrote of these
people in 1 John 2:19. There is a difference between the visible church
and the invisible one.  The visible one has wolves and divisive people and
those with a root of bitterness that defiles many.  The invisible church,
however will have no wolves....and no Jezebels.....and no Balaamites.  The
visible church has many people who will hear the words "I never knew you."
 But the visible church will hear the words "come enter my rest."

The contemporary church has neglected consideration of this for fear of
communicating that we could lose our salvation......coupled with that, the
contemporary church has viewed salvation as an experience and an
event....often referring to when they were "saved" as past tense....and
placing faith (or hanging their hat) on a salvation event.  The word seems
to show more of a journey of being saved.....and what's characteristic of
God's elect.....those with the seal of the Holy Spirit (as opposed to just
sharing in the Holy Spirit - Heb 6:4)....is that they persevere till the
very end.  They, like Peter, like Abraham, like Lot, like Moses, like
Asaph fail and in snapshots certainly don't look like God's people.  But
they are characterized by a journey of faith that keeps coming back to
God.....relentlessly....like Peter flung himself out of the boat to get to
Christ.  Incorporating the Psalm 73 language......the elect are "held by
His right hand...guided by His counsel....and received into glory."

How in the world the apostate has these things (see below)...I don't
know....but I believe what I'm reading.

Matt 13 - sower/seed/soils parable
  •  some receive the word with joy, experience life and growth for a time
1 Cor 10:1-12
  •  they pass through the sea of baptism
  •  they eat spiritual food and drink spiritual drink (that is Christ)
2 Peter 2:10-22 
  •  They escape the defilements of the world, 2 Peter 2:20
  •  They know the Lord and Savior Jesus, 2 Peter 2:20
  •  They know the way of righteousness, 2 Peter 2:21
  •  They have lost something more than one who never new Him.
Heb 3:12
Heb 6:4-6
  •  they have been enlightened.  Heb 6:4
  •  They taste the heavenly gift, the word of God, and the powers of the
future age.
Heb 6:4-5
  •  They are partakers of the Spirit, Heb 6:4
  •  They receive heavenly blessing…..like rain,  Heb 6:7
Heb 10:26-31
  •  They are sanctified by the blood of the covenant, Heb 10:29

The last one is the most alarming and confusing for me I must admit....how
could someone be sanctified by the blood of the covenant and yet fall
away?  Maybe it's like the unbelieving husband who is "made holy" by the
faithfulness of his believing wife.....or like a city is preserved and
brightened by the presence of a living salty bright church enjoying Christ
outloud.

The Hebrews 10:26-31 passage seems pretty clear that the deliberate
in-your-face-God sinner no longer benefits from the cross.  I don't
believe this is referring to God's elect because I don't believe God's
elect will "go on sinning deliberately" but will instead be on the journey
of faith where God is sanctifying them and giving them victory over sin. 
God's elect will look more like Christ when they die than when they began
the journey of faith because of God's work of sanctification in them.

Matthew 18:21-35 is yet another picture of the issue of apostasy.  It's
not just a parable on unforgiveness.....it looks like the gospel.  A
servant can't pay back millions and is forgiven his debt.  (All have
sinned and all fall short of the glory of God....but the gift of God is
eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord).  Then he goes and doesn't
forgive another a very reasonable (you  might say horizontal) debt.  The
king then throws him to the torturers until he pays his debt.  Given the
size of the debt, it's clear it can never be repaid....especially from
prison.  "So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you
do not forgive your brother from your heart."  This is a picture of
apostasy through unforgiveness.  I don't believe this could happen to
God's elect because God's elect will not "go on sinning" in a state of
unforgiveness but would forgive as they had been forgiven.

There are too many pictures of apostasy and warnings about it to render it
an impossibility.  Paul's thoughts on potential "disqualification" may not
be in regards to salvation......but then again it may be.  It would fit
with his subjunctive tone in Philippians...."that I MAY gain Christ and be
found in Him"...."that I MAY know Him and the power of His resurrection
and MAY share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, that by any
means possible I MAY attain the resurrection from the dead."  I don't hear
doubt in Paul's tone.....but I do hear a man who knows he hasn't finished
the race....yet.  I hear a man who considers himself a "wretched man" and
who is "pressing on to make Christ his own.....because Christ Jesus has
made him his own."

That should be what we walk away with from a study on apostasy....an
urgency about abiding......a deep longing for "grace like a fetter to bind
our wandering hearts to thee."

Then there's Peter's words regarding false prophets and teachers.  They
have "escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of
Christ" and then became "again entangled in them and overcome." (2:20-21) 
The outcome of their "entanglement" is worse than the first state before
they ever knew Him. (vv 21-22)  This sounds much worse than simply losing
a reward...sounds like God has a special gloomier and darker place
reserved for them. (v. 17)

This is a VERY complicated issue......I was just thinking about John
8....where "many believed in Him."  (v. 30)  Then by the end of the
chapter (same setting) they are "picking up stones to throw at him."  I
trust with everything in me that God will not lose any of His
sheep......but I believe what the word tells me that some wear "sheep's
clothing" and will not inherit eternal life.

Donna, I think we agree more than we disagree.....I believe in the
security of God's elect....I too am betting my life on these promises.

Ben

Ben,

Thanks for the thoughtful response! I'm printing this to take to Small
Group tonight at Bill Ruth's. I still disagree about 2 Peter 2. He refers
to "them" and "you". The "them" group is condemned. The "you" group
is compared with righteous Lot. I don't believe there is a 3rd
group--only saved and unsaved. Jesus says to the apostate "I never knew
you", not "I used to know you". Did you look at I Corinthians 3?

Donna


Hi Donna,

He's talking about the false teachers who:
*  "feast with you"
*  "entice unsteady souls"
*  " are "forsaking the right way they have gone astray"
*  "have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of Christ"

That sounds like people who were (or are) among us, Donna.  The letters to
the churches in the book of Revelation show apostate false teachers in the
church.  Some hold to the teachings of Balaam....some to the teachings of
the Nicolaitans.....some teaching people to practice sexual immorality and
eat food sacrificed to idols.....like Jezebel.

It's not someone loosing their salvation....because they never had the
seal of the Holy Spirit....just a "share".  They did not finish the race
in faith but resorted to works righteousness (like apostate Israel -
Romans 9-11).  Apostate Israel WAS God's chosen people yet most did not
inherit the Kingdom.  Paul says "I could wish that I myself were accursed
and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers."  This is the same
language of John 15:2 and 6.....but in this case it's MOST of Israel
that's cut away.  Read Romans 9-11 and you'll see that God actually
ordained their apostasy and hardened their hearts so that the Gentiles
could be grafted in.

I believe, as in the case of Israel who was REALLY God's people - baptized
and drinking from Christ (1 Cor 10), that when someone is baptized into
the people of God that they actually join the body.  God declares them
part of the bride through the ordinance of baptism.  That's how the
blessing of baptism becomes their curse.  If a man marries a woman for her
money, they are no less married because his motives weren't pure.  So
there are people who are baptized into the body who will not continue with
us because they were never truly of us (as John says in 1 John 2:19).

1 Corinthians 3 clearly uses fire as a picture of refinement....revealing
the integrity of a believer's work (or lack thereof). But every reference
to fire in God's word can't now be interpreted as simple refinement and
testing.  Instead of interpreting all the other warning passages (like
John 15:2) in light of 1 Corinthians 3:13-15......I would offer that we
let the passages say what they say and believe that both can be true.  We
can trust that our work WILL be made manifest.....and the quality of it
will be tested.....and the outcome revealed.  The refining work of fire is
a great image of that event.  We can also trust that being "thrown away"
and "thrown into the fire" sort of language of John is in keeping with
passages in Revelation that refer to eternal damnation.  (Rev 19:20; 20:3;
20:10;20:14; 20:15)  The branches being "thrown away" were once in the
vine.

Thanks for digging into this with me, Donna.  It's a worthwhile study.  I
must tell you, you stand mostly alone if you have no view of apostasy (ie
the 3rd group of people).  The reformers, the puritans, good solid
theologians agree that God has much to say on apostasy.  Some reduce it to
merely warnings that couldn't really happen...but God's not one to make
empty promises/threats.  Others land in the place that God's elect will persevere
to the end (which is where I stand).  It's like wool to a sheep.  It's
what God's people do.  And those who don't were not elect.....as Matthew
13 shows, it's the nature of the Kingdom.

Ben

Some Trinity non-negotiables

Talking about the Trinity is dangerous. It’s so easy to focus too much on one aspect or too little on another. At any one point, there’s the potential to make a short movement to heresy. AND on top of that.....it’s hard to understand and much harder to teach. I understand why most avoid it or do little more than reference the triune character of God in baptisms or the Lord’s Supper or a wedding. However difficult and dangerous it may be, what I fear is that it is more dangerous to NOT talk about it. As we saw Sunday, the perichoretic nature of our God provides an ultimate reality for the nature of God’s people. We can’t know how and what to be apart from learning what He is!

In rock climbing, there’s a tool used called a piton.......it’s driven in the face of a cliff and provides anchor points on the journey upward. I want to nail some pitons in the wall regarding the nature of the triune God. These are from Robert Letham’s book The Holy Trinity. He does a good job of presenting the history on this issue.....it’s a reliable work and one worth reading if you have the stomach for it. Here are the pitons:

• God is One being in three Persons.......He is three Persons in One being. Focusing too much on the distinctive persons, you’re in danger of becoming tri-theistic (believing in 3 gods). Focusing too much on the oneness and you’re in danger of being a modalist (believing God morphs Father into Son and Son into Spirit). We have to keep both of these realities in clear view and we can’t rest on our minds to understand. Remember what Hilary of Poitiers said.... “what we can’t understand, God can be.” Nice, huh?
• The three Persons are homoousios. This weird word means they are of the same essence. It means that each person of the trinity is the whole of God. The three together aren’t more God than any given One Person of the trinity. There aren’t degrees of Godness or deity in the distinct Persons. They are to all three be worshipped.
• The three Persons mutually indwell one another in a dynamic communion. This is perichoresis.......mutually indwelling each other......reflecting each other.....revealing and explaining each other. When you look at the Father, you see the Son....and the Son reflects the Father.....and the Spirit reflects both Father and Son. This is a dynamic dance where the three together move distinctly in a union.
• The three Persons are irreducibly different from one another. While being completely One, they are distinct and different. The Son is forever united to humankind.....bearing the scars of His work here for eternity. The Father and the Spirit don’t have scars....or human hands for that matter. The three are different from each other yet indivisible and One.
• There is order among the Persons. There is order in God, but not a heirarchy or rank as we would imagine it. The best way to understand salvation in God’s order is that it comes from the Father through the Son by the Holy Spirit. Our response to His work in our hearts is by the Holy Spirit through the Son to the Father. They serve different roles.......the Father sends the Son and the Son never sends the Father. The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father, but never the other way around.
• A doctrine of the trinity that is faithful to the Bible from which it emerges must give equivalent expression to each of the above parameters. The three persons are: irreducibly different and they are one identical being. There is order among them and they mutually indwell each other, are equal in status an are one being. They mutually indwell one another and they are irreducibly different.

We need pitons.......anchors that keep us from getting off track.........especially in this dangerous work of trying to explain the nature of our God.

Enjoy Him this week.........Father, Son and Spirit.

Ben McGraw
Teaching Pastor
Crosspoint Fellowship

Why don’t we recognize infant baptism?

Let me begin answering this question with the clear statement that we DO recognize infant baptism. While we DON’T recognize it as believer’s confessional baptism, we DO recognize it as something......something very meaningful. I can’t say I’ve always felt this way. In fact, for years I thought the notion of sprinkling infants was ridiculous.......that’s because I didn’t understand it. After walking with a Presbyterian brother, Greg Fields, I’ve come to have GREAT appreciation for what it is and what it represents. Those who sprinkle infants, called paedo-baptists, consider the infant baptism as the New Covenant version of circumcision. They have a great reason to consider this valid. Look at Colossians 2:11-12 “In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.” If you’re paying attention, you’ll see that Paul seems to replace Old Covenant circumcision (physical) with circumcision of the heart (spiritual) and the ordinance of baptism. It indeed appears to be a sort of replacement as the covenant symbol.

So the question is now refined from “what is it” to “when is it to be done?” Proper paedo-baptists (who know what and why they’re doing it) consider the infant born into a believing family to be “ready” for this rite by nature of their relationship to their believing family and covenant people. It makes complete sense if you see a direct connection between circumcision and baptism. As circumcision marked the entrance into the covenant people Israel, baptism marks the entrance into the covenant people, the New Israel. They didn’t wait for the little Jewish boy to declare His allegiance to God and to His people before they circumcised him. So the paedo-baptist isn’t waiting until kids are able to declare or confess their faith before baptizing. Really if you look at it with an open mind, IT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE.

While we don’t recognize paedo-baptism as fulfilling the commission to baptize all peoples, we really do recognize it as something important. In fact, examining the practice it has helped us understand what it means for a child to be born into the people of God. It’s added a whole new meaning to our baby dedications. They’re no longer a few minutes of cute babies and funny videos. Now we present infants and toddlers to the covenant people as ours to raise and teach and minister to and walk with for the glory of God. We consider them to be part of the covenant people until they prove otherwise (as in Hebrews 6:4-8). YET we wait until they can actually acknowledge and confess their faith in Christ BEFORE we baptize them. Here are a few passages to consider:

• Mark 16:16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
• Acts 2:38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized 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.”
• Acts 2:41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
• Acts 8:12 But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
• Acts 9:18 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized

These are just a few passages that show some things that go along with baptism.....belief.....repentance......receiving the word.......spiritual sight. We are confessional Baptists because we believe one must believe, confess, repent and “see” in order to be baptized. We believe baptism is RESTRICTED to those who can/do these things by the sovereign work of God in their hearts. While we recognize infant baptism as a VERY meaningful presentation to the covenant people, we do not recognize it as fulfilling this believing, repenting, receiving, “seeing” sort of baptism.

There are other passages to consider when gnawing on this question. Consider these:

• Acts 16:15 And after she (Lydia) was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.
• Acts 18:8 Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized.

The peado-baptist might suggest these are examples of whole households (infants included) being baptized into the covenant people.....or they may be examples of families with members who believed, repented, received the word and “saw” the truth of the gospel and were baptized.

Wherever you might land as you read this, I want to clearly communicate GREAT respect for our paedo-baptist brothers/sisters. They embrace the FULL counsel of God’s word and the FULL sweep of His covenant work among His covenant people. I hope we are doing the same as we present children to the covenant people in dedication and baptize them by immersion when they believe, repent, receive the word and “see” Christ as Savior and Lord. While we require confessional baptism by immersion for membership, WE DO NOT want to EVER communicate that your infant baptism meant nothing. Our high view of confessional baptism does NOT negate the importance of that event in your early life.......we believe it builds on that important covenant ceremony.

Ben McGraw
Teaching Pastor
Crosspoint Fellowship

Baptism

The question...I see and believe baptism as a symbol of our salvation and not as something that saves us but I'm wondering what to do with Acts 2:38?  I have heard this verse taught as pointing to baptism as a saving event.

Acts 2:38-39
"And Peter said to them, Repent and be baptized 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. 39  For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord God calls to himself"

It just seems like it's some pretty serious "grammatical gymnastics" to assume that Peter is highlighting baptism as an agent in the forgiveness of sins. I guess this is how some folks might translate this passage (?)

 Baptism, in so many other passages, is our identification (or profession) with the people of God (Rom 6:3, Matthew 28:18-19, 1 Corinthians 12:13 and Ephesians 4 1-6).  Peter's emphasis is on God's calling (v39) and our repentance (v38).  Baptism is a step of obedience that flows from our repentant hearts.  The question I would ask is this...Why would Peter place the emphasis on God's calling people to himself and then take that power away from God by assuming that our baptism was what saved us?  The two don't reconcile.  Peter either believes that God calls us to repentance and saves people in Himself or he believes that their obedience in baptism saves them.  It can't be both.

The other verse that can look like its is pointing to baptism as a saving agent is Acts 22:16..."And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name"
It's important to know the context of this verse.  This is a man named Ananias talking to Paul (now a convert who used to be named Saul).  So Paul is already a convert when he tells him to be baptized.  And it's pretty apparent, based on the wealth of other Scriptures from Paul that this is the new SIGN of the covenant.  A SIGN of his sins being washed away.

Paul offers some great insight in Galatians 3:25-27... But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian,  26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.  27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.   We are in Christ THROUGH FAITH (v26). Our Baptism is our IDENTITY – like you "put on" a uniform to signify allegiance to a team.  We have "put on" our baptism to signify our allegiance to the ONE that HAS SAVED, IS SAVING, and WILL SAVE US.

Paul goes on in chapter 5 of Galatians to warn the church not to attempt to add anything to their faith in Christ in hopes of salvation, because it will give opportunity for their flesh.  Paul is so adamant that they understand and believe in Christ and His cross alone for their salvation that he wishes that those who are teaching that the people needed Christ PLUS circumcision would "emasculate" themselves.  This is pretty strong language that doesn't reconcile with ANYTHING (circumcision,baptism, rule keeping, positional leadership, etc.) improving our salvation EXCEPT being found in Christ alone through faith.  In fact Paul says that when anyone attempts to add anything to Christ alone, they actually "have been severed from Christ", "fallen from grace", and Christ is "of no benefit to you."

Brad Cardwell

Children and Salvation

What do we hope for in our children regarding salvation?  Should we be looking for a conversion experience and be ready with the “sinner’s prayer?”  A burdened father asked me this question regarding his son.  He, like me, comes from a background of altar calls and sinner’s prayers.  He, like me, believes the altar call to be unsavory and unbiblical.  But he, like me, wants to do right by his kids.....to know how to pray.....to know how to shepherd them to salvation.  

    First of all, we should hope/pray for the souls of our little ones.  We can’t assume that they are somehow reconciled with the Living God just because they’re young.  David wrote “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.” (Psalm 51:5)  Paul wrote “None is righteous, no not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.  All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good. Not even one.”  (Romans 3:10-12).  He also wrote “all have sinned and all fall short of the glory of God.”  (Romans 3:23)  I believe those passages and gobs of others indicate that we’re born crossways with our Creator.  We’re guilty at least by our relationship to our Federal Daddy, Adam.  Romans 5:18 says “Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.”  Romans 5:19 says “For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.”  Just by our relationship to Adam, we’re part of a guilty humanity and we need to be “transferred” to a new humanity.  (Col 1:13)  So we should be burdened for the souls of our little ones.  They, like us, need to be rescued (Exodus 12), reborn (John 3), adopted (Ephesians 1:5) into this righteous family by God’s sovereign work.  Just like we can’t achieve this for ourselves by merit, you can’t achieve it for your children by your merit or even your parenting.  It’s God’s work......so our primary efforts should be in God’s direction......so we should pray for the souls of our little ones.   

    Then in response to our prayer time with God (seeking His face and heart for the souls of our children), we do what we can to cultivate and sow into the soil of their little hearts.  We are to “bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”  (Eph 6:4)  We are to have God’s words on our hearts as parents and are to “teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up.” (Deut 6:7)  Burdened parents should saturate themselves with God’s words and then their homes with God’s words.  The true teachings of God as Creator, of man as sinner, of Christ as Savior become robust seed on the cultivated heart and should the Lord will it, will germinate, take root and bear fruit.

    Now, If you’ve been paying attention, you’ll appreciate that what I’ve shared regarding our children takes time.  Praying, diligent teaching, cultivating, sowing, saturating all sound like they’re p r o t r a c t e d events......ordinary moments factored over time......maybe years.........any of which in themselves seem as insignificant as a tiny seed in a big fertile field.  So the parent is a burdened gardener with a few years to pray/sow/cultivate before our kids leave to start their own families.  So should we be burdened for a conversion event and the sinner’s prayer moment?  If our burden is an event and an experience and a recitation of a prayer then we may be guilty of focusing too much on that “experience” so that we miss the bulbs we’ve planted that bloom here and there.  The gardener looks for and celebrates even the tiniest green sprout.  The parent should enjoy little expressions of faith.  We should celebrate the child that sings “Jesus loves me” as a three year old.  Their song isn’t somehow disqualified because they’ve not had a conversion “event.”  We should celebrate those tiny seedling expressions but as confessional Baptists we should hope for a time when they can articulate and express their faith in Christ as Savior and Lord.  While we should not be too focused on an event, we should hope for a day when, like Cami expressed on Sunday, they can say “I’m a sinner in need of a Savior.....and Jesus is that Savior and my King” and you can have some sense that they understand what they’re saying.  

    Romans 10:9-10 so beautifully captures what I’m describing. (A disclaimer – if you’re lazy you won’t get this....if you read it and re-read it and engage it, you’ll get it and treasure it).  Romans 9 reads “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”  The verb tense for confess and believe in this passage are what’s called aorist tense.  It’s a Greek tense that’s sort of like past tense but it contains the event to a point in time.  So this confess and believe may point to a moment or day or period in your life or the life of your child when they first believe and confess the Lordship of Christ.  Then the next verse captures the ongoing expression that’s characteristic of salvation.  Verse 10 reads “for with the heart one believes......and with the mouth one confesses.”  These are both present tense......not past tense “believed” and “confessed.”   They reflect the ongoing, living faith of the true believer.  They point to the dailyness of the faith of a Christian parent who’s enjoying the gospel/truth/word as we sit in our houses, as we walk by the way, as we lie down and as we rise up.  Maybe in connection to the altar call backgrounds many of us share, we’ve erred in making the “event” too important and diminished the importance of the dailyness......of the sowing.....of the praying.....of the diligent teaching....of the saturating.  It seems from Romans 10 that a confessional recognition is important and a daily response of confession and belief equally important.  

    It’s appropriate to hope for a period in the life of our little one when confession and belief begin.  A better dream and prayer would be for a life transformed, a little soul surrendered, a worshipper reborn in a home where the gospel is discussed and enjoyed over time.   

Ben McGraw

Why we don't do altar calls

I realize a relatively young church in this community that says “we’re not doing it” may seem like we’re being rebellious and trendy. Actually, what few who fight for the practice realize is that it’s not good ole fashioned evangelism but rather new-fangled man-centered gospel-diminishing malarky. Here are a few thoughts to explain.


1. There are NO pictures of altar calls in our bibles....the practice has ZERO scriptural reference.
2. There are NO pictures of altar calls in the Christian faith until the last 170 years. Charles Finney didn’t start the practice, but he is largely responsible for perfecting it during the 2nd great awakening in the 1800’s. Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Wesley, George Whitfield and Jonathon Edwards would have no idea what you were talking about were you to ask them about altar calls. Nor would Peter or Paul or any of the other apostles.
3. It has contributed to a new vocabulary of belief and faith that is also unbiblical.....like “making a decision for Christ” or “asking Jesus into your heart” or “giving your heart to Jesus.”
4. It’s manipulative, especially toward the hurting or the young. This is why we’re so cautious about camps for children. We don’t want to send our children or youth to a camp where altar calls are practiced for fear that they may leave thinking they squared-up with God because they walked an aisle when in fact all they may have done is had an emotional experience.
5. It leads to people mistaking a walk down an aisle for “walking in a manner worthily” or “walking in good works prepared in advance” or “abiding in Christ”.
6. It’s associated with a VERY high rate of apostasy......for people who simply had an emotional experience will not bear the fruit of one who has over time recognized their wretchedness before a Holy God and repented, placing faith/trust/hope in the finished work of Christ alone. THIS understanding takes time to develop in the garden of the heart.
7. It’s associated with a numerical emphasis that counts “decisions” in an effort to quantify “soul-winning” results.
8. The altar call IS NOT the mark of an evangelistic church as some might suggest. In addition, the absence of this practice in a church IS NOT the mark of a church that is unburdened for the lost and uncaring about the souls of men. Burden and engagement are born and lived out in relationships. The evangelistic church seeks relationships and ultimately disciples....not simply “decisions.”
9. The appeal to “come forward” supersedes or completely replaces an appeal to repent and believe.
10. It redefines the mark of an evangelist as one who can best get ‘em down the aisle rather than one who is gifted by the Holy Spirit to expose the truth of the gospel in a life-altering way.
11. Most of those professing to be Christians in our community, when asked how they know they’re Christians, will point back to a time when they walked an aisle and made a “decision.” Biblically, assurance does not come from a “decision” or a trip down an aisle. Looking back to recent sermons, consider John 8:31 where Jesus tells those who have “believed” if they’re true, then they’ll “abide in my word.” Or even more recent, Romans 8:13 “if you live according to the flesh, you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” These are just a couple of recent samples from the gobs of scripture that point to an engaging dailyness of faith and mortification of sin that are characteristic of true believers......THAT’S where assurance comes from.
12. It confuses people regarding sacred space......the front of a sanctuary where the altar call leads is no more holy than your living room where you read your bible with your family or your bedroom where you snooze. Our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit now........not some special area in our church buildings.
13. It inappropriately takes the place of baptism as the public profession of faith. BAPTISM is the biblical public expression of our faith and is how we are identified with the people of God.
14. It limits evangelistic calls to the 11:50-12:05 holy minutes on Sunday mornings....at the lips of the beckoning preacher.....with the backdrop of verse after verse of Just as I Am........rather than the beckoning, witnessing work of the people of God EVERY day in EVERY place as a sweet aroma enjoying Christ out loud.
15. It’s filled the membership rolls of churches with unregenerate who think they’re reconciled with the Living God because they walked an aisle.


I must confess, I’m pretty disgusted with the practice.......even as one....maybe especially as one who once called for “decisions” myself. I repent from that man-centered effort to harvest new believers and I trust that God will be glorified and His sheep will be found in the daily and weekly outloud enjoyment of Christ by the People of God.


Ben McGraw