Decisionalism expects you to raise yourself through a choice, but Scripture says only Christ raises the dead.
Growing up as a Southern Baptist in Atlanta during the 1980s and 1990s, I made a “decision for Jesus” at age seven. I remember thinking, Jesus is knocking at my heart’s door, and I want to let Him in—but how? At the next altar call, I walked the aisle, joined the church, and was baptized. That moment was real, etched in fond memories of my parents guiding me toward the gospel with songs like “Jesus Loves Me,” my pastor’s counsel, and the spiritual highs that followed. My parents’ strategy—placing the name and Word of Jesus in my ear from birth, ensuring church every Sunday and Wednesday, and sending me to Sunday School—led me to that point, eager to join the “Christian club.” My baptism was a true work of God, where he placed his name on me and gave me his Spirit. Yet, into my thirties, I wrestled with doubt: Did I decide “right”? Was my “sinner’s prayer” sincere? Did I mean it then, and do I still mean it now? After every sermon, revival, or youth camp, I’d examine myself, see my persistent sin, and wonder, Am I really saved? Should I rededicate my life, walk another aisle, or repeat the prayer?
Many of the hymns of my youth—“I Surrender All,” “Just as I Am,” “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus,” “Softly and Tenderly”—reinforced the idea that salvation hinged on my choice. This is decisionalism or decisionism: the theology of altar calls, “accepting Jesus into your heart,” raising a hand, or responding at a Billy Graham-esque type crusade.
The Harm of Decisionalism
Decisionalism feels empowering, like a bug zapper luring sinners in with the promise of control. It suggests you secure salvation by choosing to believe and responding through praying a prayer, raising a hand, or participating in an altar call. The hymns of my youth drove this home. “I Surrender All” urged me to give everything to Jesus as if my surrender earned his favor. “Just as I Am” called me to come to Christ by my own resolve despite “many a conflict, many a doubt.” “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus” made my choice the anthem, casting me as the hero of my forgiveness with its bold “no turning back.” “Softly and Tenderly” pleaded, “Come home,” implying my decision sealed my salvation. Sung in emotionally charged settings, these hymns placed the burden on me to act, choose, and commit.
Yet despite the widespread acceptance of this flavor of theology, the Scriptures do not offer a fork in the road where you choose Jesus. Instead, God’s word plants a cross in the road, proclaiming that Jesus has chosen you—dying for your sins and rising for your justification. It does not give the hearer a decision to be made it gives them a promise that is proclaimed on account of Jesus Christ for them. Let’s explore what Scripture teaches about salvation through four clear truths, countering decisionalism’s burden and assuring you of Christ’s promise.
We Cannot Choose God
Scripture is clear: we cannot choose God. This truth is a stumbling block for many Christians in America and the West, where so much of our theology, church life, sermons, and seminary teaching hinges on the notion that we must decide for God, that we must choose him. Yet Scripture refutes this idea. Romans 3:10-11 declares, “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.” Our sinful nature is hostile to God, incapable of choosing him (Rom, 8:7). Left to ourselves, dead in sin, we will always—ten times out of ten—choose sin over God. Our fallen will choose self, our desires, and our ambition to be our own god. That’s the bitter fruit of so-called “free will.” For many Christians, this fantasy of free will, especially the idea that we freely choose to accept Jesus, is the foundation of their faith.
Salvation begins with God’s choice, his free will to choose you, not yours.
Decisionalism—the belief that you have the spiritual ability to choose Jesus—urges you to “accept” Him or pray a sincere prayer to secure salvation. That’s why services often end with soft music and high emotions, designed to stir you to act, to make a decision. But imagine a preacher standing up at the end of a service and proclaiming the complete forgiveness of all sins for everyone in the room, no decision required. People would leave forgiven, not burdened with a call to act. Would that be so terrible? No—it would be Christianity! Scripture teaches that our will is bound by sin, unable to seek God on our own. Jesus Himself says in John 15:16, “You did not choose me, but I chose you.” Salvation begins with God’s choice, his free will to choose you, not yours. If you’re anxious that your altar call or sinner’s prayer wasn’t “enough,” rest in this: God chose you before you could choose him, and his choice is certain.
Some Christians, moved by love for nonbelievers, worry that if God chooses, what about those who aren’t chosen? This fear can grip the heart, but it misses the gospel’s promise. God’s Word doesn’t call you to speculate about who is in or out. Instead, it points you to Christ, who died for the sins of the world (1 John 2:2). The Gospel is meant to be preached to all, and faith comes by hearing (Rom.10:17). Trust that God’s promise is sure: where his Word is proclaimed, his Spirit works faith. Your job isn’t to unravel God’s hidden will but to cling to his revealed will: Jesus crucified for you and for all. That’s where certainty lies.
Salvation Moves Us from Death to Life
Salvation is not a decision we make but a miracle God performs, moving us from death to life. Ephesians 2:1-5 says we were “dead in the trespasses and sins” in which we walked, yet “God, being rich in mercy…made us alive together in Christ.” Dead people don’t decide anything, just as the unborn can’t choose to be born. In John 11:43-44, Jesus calls Lazarus from the tomb, not because Lazarus chose to live, but because Jesus chose to tell him to come out. It was by the Word of Jesus that Lazarus was raised. Jesus was the active doer, and Lazarus was the passive receiver of Jesus' gift of resurrection. Romans 6:4 adds, “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead…we too might walk in newness of life.” Decisionalism expects you to raise yourself through a choice, but Scripture says only Christ raises the dead. Your baptism, whether after an altar call or as an infant, is God’s work, bringing you from death to life in Christ.
Christ’s Promise Is Secure in His Cross and Sacraments
Your salvation rests on Christ’s decision, not yours, and his promise is secure. Romans 5:8 proclaims, “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” On the cross, Jesus decided for you, dying for your sins and rising for your justification (Rom. 4:25). This promise is delivered through Word, water, bread and wine. Baptism washes away your sins and clothes you with Christ (Gal. 3:27). Acts 2:38-39 declares, “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. For the promise is for you and for your children.” The Lord’s Supper gives Christ’s body and blood for the forgiveness of your sins (Matt. 26:28).
If you've walked an aisle, prayed a sinner’s prayer, or responded at a crusade or camp meeting, don’t let decisionalism steal your peace. Your salvation doesn’t depend on your decision’s strength, but on Christ’s promise. Even trembling faith clings to Christ’s finished work. Your baptism and the Lord’s Supper are God’s objective gifts, forgiving your sins and assuring you that Christ’s cross is enough.
Salvation Brings Rest, Not Doubt
Salvation frees us from the burden of saving ourselves, bringing rest, not doubt. Decisionalism breeds fear—Did I surrender enough? Was my prayer sincere?—because it rests on you. I carried that burden for decades, questioning my seven-year-old “decision.” But Jesus says,
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt.11:28). It’s not your decision, but God’s Word that creates faith. Romans 10:17 says, “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” The preacher’s role is to proclaim, “It is finished” (John 19:30); “You are forgiven” (John 20:22–23). This Word, empowered by the Holy Spirit, kindles faith to trust Christ’s promise. 1 Peter 3:21 declares, “"Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” The assurance you need for a good conscience is found in baptism! The Word of God says so. These gifts—God’s Word, Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper—are certain and unshakable because their effectiveness isn’t found in your own abilities but in God’s effectiveness for you. This means they stand secure even when your doubts arise.
If you’ve ever worried that your response to an appeal or altar call wasn’t enough, hear this: Christ is enough. 2 Timothy 1:12 assures, “I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me.” Your faith, sparked by God’s Word and sealed in baptism, rests on a Savior who cannot fail. You are freed from fear, resting in his promise.
The Cross in the Road
How are we saved? Not by a fork in the road where you choose or reject Christ, but by a cross in the road where Christ has already acted. It is not by chance or luck that you just so happen to be within earshot of the gospel in your life or reading this right now. God has proven time and time again that he is far more in control than we realize and that he loves you so much more than you think he does. Every time the gospel touches someone’s ears, it is a divine strategy woven and played out by God. Your reasons and decisions may have led you to church for all sorts of reasons other than to hear the gospel. But God knew you would be there and saw fit to have a preacher in place to hand over the goods to you. That was his choice. To give you the gospel in such a way. That is how God chooses: through the handing over of the gospel to sinners.
Jesus has decided for you. His death covers your sins. His resurrection secures your justification. His Word and Sacraments deliver that salvation, creating faith to receive it.
Ephesians 2:8–9 says, “By grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Faith isn’t a decision you muster; it’s God’s gift, kindled through his Word and sacraments. The preached Word creates faith by the Holy Spirit’s power. Baptism washes away your sins and clothes you with Christ, as my own baptism did, despite my doubts about my “decision.” These are God’s gifts, not your decisions.
The preacher’s role isn’t to offer a fork in the road or sing about your surrender. It’s to proclaim the cross of Jesus Christ: “It is finished” (John 19:30); “You are forgiven” (John 20:22–23). Jesus has decided for you. His death covers your sins. His resurrection secures your justification. His Word and Sacraments deliver that salvation, creating faith to receive it.
A Personal Proclamation Resting in Christ’s Decision
I never asked my sons if they wanted to be Georgia Bulldogs or Atlanta Braves fans. From birth, I told them who they were. I dressed them in team gear, took them to games, and declared their fandom for them. How much more should I, as a father, proclaim the good news of Christ’s decision for them? Every night, I remind my boys they are baptized children of God. In their baptism, God placed his name on them, sealing them as his own. Their baptism remains a proclamation, not a choice, reminding them that Jesus decided for them 2,000 years ago on the cross.
Some might ask, “But Pastor, if you remove altar calls, the sinner’s prayer, an appeal to make a decision for Jesus, or hymns about our choices, what will you replace them with for our assurance?”
Answer: Christ. I will replace them with Jesus Christ. We have the cross, where he redeemed us. We have the Word, where he proclaims redemption and the forgiveness of sins. We have baptism and the Lord’s Supper, where he seals this proclamation to us. Christ holds fast to us when we’re too weak to hold fast to him.
Rest in this: Jesus has chosen you. His decision is enough. Hear the promise: “For you, Christ died and rose.” In that Word, you are saved, forgiven, and secure. On the cross, Christ decided to surrender all for you.
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