"ALTAR-ations"

Q: Is it `biblical` to go up to the altar at church?

A: No, it is not biblical to go up to the altar at church. I would even go so far as to say that there is no need for an altar at all. In a biblical sense, what was the purpose of an altar? It was to make sacrifices to the Lord in order to receive atonement for sins. However, the sacrificial system used by the Jewish people in the Old Testament foreshadowed that which we already have in Christ. Throughout the Old Testament we continually see where bulls and goats were sacrificed in order to satisfy God as payment for sins. "But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins (Hebrews 10:3-4)." The pastor of my fellowship was born and raised a Jew. While studying to become a rabbi, he was confronted with the truths about Jesus and His death on the cross. It was on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, that he finally professed, in public, what God had been revealing to him for quite some time. In the middle of reading to the congregation, he stopped and said, "Who do we really think we’re fooling? Today is a day that we are required to sacrifice a goat for the atonement of our sins. The law is very clear that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness for sin." We know from Hebrews 9:22 that God requires that "nearly everything be cleansed with blood." I doubt that any of us have sacrificed an animal up at the altar in the middle of church. This confession of my pastor is what led him to later exclaim, "I think Jesus is the Messiah!"

Soon after becoming a Christian, I attended a fellowship that engaged in "altar calls" as a regular part of their worship practice. It seemed like every Sunday the pastor, or a church leader, would stand up in front of the congregation, get us focused on our sins, and then ask for anybody desiring to "rededicate" themselves to God, to come down to the altar. Personally, I followed the crowd down front for fear of being singled out if I did not do so. The motivation behind my actions, and, I presume, the actions of others, was that I did not believe that my sins were forgiven and it was up to me to get them forgiven. However, a Christian doesn't go to an altar, a Christian goes to the Cross. It was John the Baptist, who proclaimed, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29)!" And, it was Jesus, Himself, who proclaimed with His last breath, "it is finished (John 19:30)." If our sins have been taken away, and Jesus said His work was finished, there is no more for us to do. Going up to the altar at church is only participating in a religious ritual that doesn't even fulfill that which it claims to do. As, earlier stated, it was impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Now, if you go up to an altar at church, and are not even sacrificing an animal for your sins, which doesn't take away your sins, how does that meet God's requirement? "Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more."And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 10:17-18)."

There are two important truths to grab ahold of when it comes to forgiveness and going up to the altar. First, the New Testament repeatedly reminds us that our sins have been forgiven. This is a past tense reference to what Christ accomplished on the cross. What this means to you and me is that we don't need to get more forgiveness. Rather, we rest in the fact that in Christ, "we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace (Ephesians 1:7)..." Secondly, scripture says that there is no longer any sacrifice for sin. What is going up to the altar if it is not a sacrifice for sin? A sacrifice that, not only doesn't meet God's requirement of shed blood, but one that is not even necessary. And if you are not participating in going up to the altar, you may be participating in other religious traditions that fall under the same category. Confession booths, repeating the "Lord's Prayer," keeping short accounts with God and a host of other religious activities, designed to get forgiveness from God, are not necessary and do not work. If you are in Christ, you have forgiveness of sins, past, present and future. "He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption (Hebrews 9:12)." The sin issue is over between man and God for all eternity. It has to be that way in order for us to have a relationship with God and He with us. Otherwise, a barrier exists that cannot be removed. If you still think your sins separate you from God, you will never grow to maturity in your faith. You will always be alienated from Him in your mind.

"Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16)." I remember a time when I was sitting in church next to a young lady who was struggling with some sin in her life. When the request was made to come down to the altar, she leaned over to me and said, "I am not ready." In her mind the altar represented God. And because she did not know that her sins were no longer separating her from God, she did not want to go in front of the church. She probably felt that she would have been a hypocrite if she had participated. Her situation is a perfect example of the fear that can paralyze a Christian when they believe they their sins are preventing them from a relationship with a God they have been told loves them. The only way we can approach God to to receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need is if we are confident that our sins have been taken away for all eternity. In the Old Testament, offering a sacrifice at the altar only purchased a temporary covering of sin. "Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins (Hebrews 10:11)." The author of Hebrews describes the difference between the atonement of the Old Testament sacrifices, performed endlessly by the priests, and the propitiating sacrifice of Jesus Christ which took away the sins of the world once and for all. You are perfectly welcome to go up to the altar, but remember that when you do, you are giving the impression that the death of Jesus Christ was not sufficient to take away your sins.