Altar call or salvation prayer believers (or converts from) question

[St_Francis]

I am discussing religion with a Baptist lady, and she has asked me (a Catholic) about Confession. she thinks that Catholics can just go to Confession and then run right out and sin again. (At this point, our discussion was stopped.)

So… I am wondering about what Baptists or similar folks believe. To me, it seems like y’all just say a prayer and then you can go to Heaven no matter what you do, so it seems similar to what she is saying about Catholic confession.

However, I know that what she is saying about Confession is wrong. I wanted to see if I could explain Confession to her in a certain way, but am not sure what precisely Baptists believe about salvation.

So, do you all believe that you just say a prayer and then you go to Heaven no matter what you do? I understand that you all baptize people (!), but it seems like that is more in accord with Christ’s command rather than sacramental like ours is.

Thanks!

 

[Trishie]

Untrue. If you have the intention of sinning again the absolution is invalid.
One might fear that human weakness could prevail again
but one must have a firm purpose of amending one’s life and of not sinning again.

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church

1431 I**nterior repentance is a radical reorientation of our whole life, a return, a conversion to God with all our heart, an end of sin, a turning away from evil, with repugnance toward the evil actions we have committed. At the same time it entails the desire and resolution to change one’s life, with hope in God’s mercy and trust in the help of his grace. **This conversion of heart is accompanied by a salutary pain and sadness which the Fathers called animi cruciatus (affliction of spirit) and compunctio cordis (repentance of heart).24

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church…the authority for Confession comes to the priests through Jesus Himself

1443 During his public life Jesus not only forgave sins, but also made plain the effect of this forgiveness: he reintegrated forgiven sinners into the community of the People of God from which sin had alienated or even excluded them. A remarkable sign of this is the fact that Jesus receives sinners at his table, a gesture that expresses in an astonishing way both God’s forgiveness and the return to the bosom of the People of God.44

1444 In imparting to his apostles his own power to forgive sins the Lord also gives them the authority to reconcile sinners with the Church. This ecclesial dimension of their task is expressed most notably in Christ’s solemn words to Simon Peter: "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."45 "The office of binding and loosing which was given to Peter was also assigned to the college of the apostles united to its head."46

 

[rskempf]

I do think baptists and other protestant faiths believe in “faith alone.” Meaning, when they complete the alter call, or whatever it takes to declare their conversoin, they have a “ticket to heaven.”

An expert on this is John Martignoni at www.biblechristiansociety.com

You can send him a question from the website. He is a great catholic that is doing wonderful work in the south - the land of baptists, among others.

He will also have good information on his website that may answer the question directly. I would give it a try.

You are doing God’s work to discuss the true faith with these people. I will pray for your success.

 

[Third_Day]

, but am not sure what precisely Baptists believe about salvation.!

The Baptists I have spoken to believe in the “doctrine” of Eternal Security. Once you accept Christ as your personal Lord and Savior you are forever “sealed”. No sin can remove you from eternal life. Adultery, murder, abuse nothing can separate you from Christ. You can completely fall away and stop believing and you are still secure in your salvation.
Confession and repentance are not required. Those would be considered" works" that add to the cross.
Ask your friend to expound on eternal security of the believer and get her to provide scripture… The hoops that they use in interpreting scripture to justify this teaching are amazing.
Fortunately not all Protestants believe in this teaching

 

[St_Francis]

Untrue. If you have the intention of sinning again the absolution is invalid.
One might fear that human weakness could prevail again
but one must have a firm purpose of amending one’s life and of not sinning again…

Thanks Trishie, those are good resources

I do think baptists and other protestant faiths believe in “faith alone.” Meaning, when they complete the alter call, or whatever it takes to declare their conversoin, they have a “ticket to heaven.”

An expert on this is John Martignoni at www.biblechristiansociety.com

You can send him a question from the website. He is a great catholic that is doing wonderful work in the south - the land of baptists, among others.

He will also have good information on his website that may answer the question directly. I would give it a try.

You are doing God’s work to discuss the true faith with these people. I will pray for your success.

That link looks good, thanks, RS!

The Baptists I have spoken to believe in the “doctrine” of Eternal Security. Once you accept Christ as your personal Lord and Savior you are forever “sealed”. No sin can remove you from eternal life. Adultery, murder, abuse nothing can separate you from Christ. You can completely fall away and stop believing and you are still secure in your salvation.
Confession and repentance are not required. Those would be considered" works" that add to the cross.
Ask your friend to expound on eternal security of the believer and get her to provide scripture… The hoops that they use in interpreting scripture to justify this teaching are amazing.
Fortunately not all Protestants believe in this teaching

I’m going to try to keep her off Scripture, and just use it as a balance to her idea about Confession. Thanks!

 

[autdrew]

When I was a Baptist, we were taught like 3rd Day stated, Once For Always. Jesus is my Lord & personal savior and no matter what I do, I will go to Heaven.
That made absolutely zero sense to me then and now. Thats why I started searching & after more than a decade of thinking, reading, praying etc I crossed the Tiber. Catholicism makes sense. Going to confession makes sense. I know I have to make a firm decision to reform and NOT do those sins again.It is life changing. Once for all basically means as long as I accepted Jesus at age 7, I can be the biggest jerk, murderer, blasphemer etc but he will take me to heaven. Not life changing.

 

[Sherry_G]

Try keeping a Baptist “off the bible”…good luck with that plan! If you want to make any headway at all with a Baptist, you must be able to lock horns with them on Bible verses that prove your points or you will get nowhere. Common sense tells us that we cannot keep on sinning and still expect to go to heaven, but my Baptist relatives really and truly do believe that their ticket is punched and they ARE going to heaven, regardless. You have to admit, that sounds really good if you want to …(fill in the blank) and still go straight to heaven. Their pastor says not even Baptism is really necessary. All you must do is an altar call. Confessing that Jesus is Lord will get you in. It’s just that easy!

 

[Third_Day]

=St Francis;6701406]
I’m going to try to keep her off Scripture, and just use it as a balance to her idea about Confession. Thanks!

I think that would be a mistake. She needs to provide scripture that says that confessing and repenting is a one-time event. Remember she believes that once she made the altar call, confessed her sins and decided to change her life, her salvation was secure. No more need to confess or repent. She could commit murder, adultery, sexually abuse her children and she is still guaranteed salvation without telling God she is sorry for her sins or vowing never to sin again.

Show her John 20:23 where Jesus gave the apostles the authority to forgive or not forgive sins. Most likely she has never seen this verse. If confessing ones sins is required only one time when you accept Christ as your personal savior, why did the apostles have the authority to forgive or not forgive sins? Why didn’t the first Christians just go straight to Jesus?
Ask her what is meant by Matthew 9:8 where scripture says the authority to forgive sin was given “to men.”
Ask her why Paul says that he forgave sin in the presence (or person )of Christ.in 2 Cor. 2:10

Another thing to consider. She believes that all sin is equal. Stealing $10 from her neighbor is the same as committing adultery with her neighbor. That is unbiblical. Ask her to tell you what is meant by deadly and non-deadly sin in 1 John 5:16-17 and why Jesus says to Pilate “he who has delivered me to you has the greater sin” John 19:11

Remember, scripture is on your side.