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Seeing my choice of this text, some people will instantly brand me a hyper-Calvinist and refuse to take in anything else I have to say. This, of course, is a mistake because I am not a full Calvinist at all. I lean toward Luther's view on some of the central points of Calvinism, although I strongly believe in total depravity, salvation by grace alone, and eternal security. So, instead of branding me, and dismissing what I say, please take a few minutes to hear me out.

I am going to answer a letter which came to a pastor friend of mine from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association last month. I am going to try my best to answer it from a Biblical and theological perspective. You can read the whole letter from the Graham organization at the end of this sermon on the Internet.

Before I answer the Graham organization, I feel I should give you a little background on my view of Billy Graham and his ministry. I love Billy Graham. I can honestly say that because it is true. When I was a young boy, back in the 1950's, attending a Southern Baptist church, he was the greatest man in the world to us.

It is perhaps difficult for someone who has been a life-long fundamentalist to realize how strong Billy Graham's influence was on a young man like me, growing up in a Southern Baptist church back in the 50's.

I believed in Billy Graham's ministry. I prayed for him every day. I listened to him on the radio every Sunday, on "The Hour of Decision." I remember, back in 1957, being so carried away with hearing one of his sermons on the Second Coming, broadcast on radio from the Cow Palace in San Francisco, that I could hardly breathe. I read his books. I literally preached his sermons, even using his preaching style of those early years. Some people say they can detect an echo of his style in my preaching even today, over fifty years later. He made a deep impression on me as a young person.

I have attended seven Billy Graham Crusades, in seven different American cities over the years, beginning in 1963 in the Los Angeles Coliseum. I went out of my way to meet Billy Graham in person and speak with him in 1983, when he was in Los Angeles to dedicate a monument at the site of his first crusade here in 1949. I had several photographs taken with him, his wife, and George Beverly Shea at that time. So, you see, I was very strongly under the influence of Billy Graham before I began to see the errors of "decisionism." I still love the man and occasionally remember to pray for him, but I have come to believe that the whole thrust of his decisionist ministry is out of tune with what the Bible teaches - and actually does more harm than good to evangelism and to our nation. The main thing that is wrong with the Graham crusades is that they are based on what the British call "decisionism." This is, I think, a good term and I will explain it as I answer the letter to my pastor friend. And, oh yes, we will get back to the text in Mark 10:26-27. But, first, here is my answer to the letter from the Graham organization. I will answer it under four points:

1. The definition of decisionism.

2. The Scriptures they used to support decisionism examined.

3. The historical roots of decisionism.

4. The ineffectiveness of decisionism.

I. First, consider a definition of decisionism and conversion.

The Billy Graham organization gives a very narrow definition of the meaning of "decisionism." They say, "This phrase refers to the use of an invitation at the close of a service…" Then they defend the invitation system. But their definition is far too narrow, and is restricted only to the invitation. Yet the problem of decisionism is far broader and more inclusive. Here are working definitions of decisionism and conversion, showing the contrast between the two.

Decisionism is the belief that a person is saved by coming forward, raising their hand, saying a prayer, believing certain Bible verses, making a Lordship commitment, or some other external act, which is taken as the equivalent to, and proof of, the miracle of inward conversion. It is the belief that a person is saved through the act of a merely external decision; the belief that performing one of these purely human actions shows that a person is saved.

Thus decisionism is disproved by our text, in which Christ plainly refutes human decisionism of any kind.

"And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved? And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible…" (Mark 10:26-27).

Jesus made it plain that a man has no power or ability to make any human decision that will save, or even help to save, him. Christ gives a flat, plain answer, "With men it is impossible." That should settle the question for those who think deeply about the Lord's answer.

But, of course, the text doesn't end there. Jesus went on to say,

"but not with God: for with God all things are possible"
     (Mark 10:27).

And that is the focal point of the difference between "decisionism" and true "conversion." In decisionism man does something, or helps to do something regarding his salvation (synergism). In conversion God does all the work of salvation (monergism). Here is a definition of conversion:

Conversion is the result of that work of God's Spirit which awakens a lost sinner to his fearful state, and then draws him to Jesus Christ for regeneration and justification, when the imputation of Christ's righteousness changes the sinner's standing before God from condemned to justified, imparting divine life to the depraved soul, thus producing a new direction in the life of the convert. The objective side of salvation is justification. The subjective side of salvation is regeneration. The result is conversion.

The contrast between decisionism and conversion becomes starkly clear by reading those two definitions.

"With man it is impossible" (Mark 10:27a).

Thus, all forms of decisionism have man attempting to do that which is impossible for him to do, or even cooperate in doing.

"With man it is impossible."

End of discussion!

Yet Jesus went on to say,

"But not with God: for with God all things are possible"
     (Mark 10:27b).

Remember that Christ's answer was given to the question, "Who then can be saved?"     (Mark 10:26).

Christ made it clear that salvation, from beginning to end, is the work of God alone. Man contributes nothing. Salvation is by God's intervention and grace alone.

"And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1).

"But God, who is rich in mercy…Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)" (Ephesians 2:4-5).

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9).

II. Second, consider the Scriptures that the Graham organization
gave to support decisionism.

Actually, none of the verses the Billy Graham organization produced speak of decisions regarding personal salvation in Christ. I am somewhat surprised that they didn't come up with a single New Testament verse to try to bolster their decisionist position. But let's look closely at the three Old Testament verses they gave.

First, the Graham organization said "God called Abraham to make a decision (Genesis 12:1)." Indeed, God called Abraham (Abram) to leave Ur and go into the land of Canaan. But Abram did not follow through on that "decision." Instead he went to Haran (Genesis 11:31). Abram certainly did not make a "decision" to obey God at that time. Abram was not converted until Genesis 17:5, when God changed his name from Abram to Abraham. The Apostle Paul spoke of Abraham's conversion in Romans 4:9-22. Here the Apostle tells us plainly that Abraham was justified by faith, apart from any mere human "decision." God said,

"I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead…"
     (Romans 4:17).

"And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness" (Romans 4:21-22).

So, Abraham was saved by grace through faith, "even [by] God, who quickeneth the dead," and not by a human decision!

Second, the Graham organization said, "Moses made a decision (Exodus, chapter 3)." A careful reading of this chapter (Exodus 3) shows that it was not a human "decision" of Moses, but the self-revelation of God to him (Exodus 3:4-6) that occurred. In the New Testament, Hebrews 11:23-29 repeatedly tells us that Moses "obtained a good report" (Hebrews 11:2) by faith - not by a human decision. The entire life and ministry of Moses shows salvation by the grace of God, not by a human decision.

The third and last verse that the Graham organization gave was Joshua 24:15, "Joshua called the children of Israel to make a decision (Joshua 24:15)." But was Joshua really asking the people to choose between God and the idols of the land? Look at the verse carefully.

"Choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood [river], or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell" (Joshua 24:15).

The choice Joshua offered was between the false gods Abraham had left behind and the false gods of the Amorites, "in whose land ye dwell." There was a great deal of irony in Joshua's words. He was saying, "Either choose those idols or these idols."  Thus, this verse gives no support at all to the idea of the children of Israel being saved by "making a decision."

And that's it! That's all the Scripture that the Billy Graham organization gave to support decisionism! Why couldn't they give more Scripture? The answer is simple - decisionism is not taught in the Bible!

By the way, Romans 10:10 is misrepresented in the Billy Graham letter. Dr. John R. Rice gave the correct meaning of Romans 10:9-14 when he said,

Many people believe that a sinner cannot be saved without a period of prayer, without consciously calling on God. However, the Bible does not say that a sinner must pray in order to be saved. In fact, immediately following the verse in Romans 10:13 is an explanation which shows that calling on God is an evidence of faith in the heart and that it is really faith which settles the matter…no matter how long one prays, if he does not trust in Christ, he cannot be saved. If he trusts Christ without conscious prayer, then he is saved already (John R. Rice, D.D., Litt.D., "What Must I Do To Be Saved?" Sword of the Lord, 1945, pages 16-17).

III. Third, consider the historical roots of decisionism.

The Graham organization admits that "the use of an invitation…is a relatively new method in evangelism, beginning in the 18th or 19th century." I wonder, though, why they are so unclear about the date. It certainly was not in the 18th century! Whitefield, Wesley, the Tennents - none of them ever gave an invitation to "come forward." The Graham people ought to know that! Dr. Christopher Cagan gives the date when "decisionism" began. Dr. Cagan said,

Beginning in 1821…Charles Finney started the process of replacing true conversion with a human act, a "decision" of the human will. He told people to stand up, come forward, or pray to indicate that they had committed themselves to God. Finney took these "decisions" as the equivalent of conversions. He taught that a person who made a decision was automatically converted. He was the first to do this, the first major evangelist to say that an outward decision was the equivalent of conversion. Finney and [the] evangelists who followed him got tremendous "results" from a human point of view. Millions of people were quickly led into such decisions. Decisionism became the prevailing religious view of American evangelicalism, and continues to be so to this very day…The victory of decisionism became so complete that many people today think there is no other way to bring about the salvation of souls (Christopher L. Cagan, Ph.D., M.Div., Ph.D., Preaching to a Dying Nation, pp. 165-166).

Iain H. Murray said, "Men forgot that regeneration is God's work, so belief in revival as the work of the Spirit of God disappeared. [This] was a direct product of Finney's theology" (Iain H. Murray, Revival and Revivalism: The Making and Marring of American Evangelicalism 1750-1858, Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, 1994, pp. 412-413).

IV. Fourth, consider the practical failure of decisionism.

The Graham organization gives a full paragraph to explain so-called "follow up." It sounds good, but what are the results? The results are a total failure. The facts are in - people are very seldom added to the local church through the methods of decisionism in its various forms. I could go on and show this from the miserable statistics of the Billy Graham meetings - a total failure in this regard. See pages 64-66 of Preaching to a Dying Nation by Dr. Cagan and myself.

But preachers already know that decisionism is a failure. Why have they quit using "evangelists"? Why have they quit having so-called "revival" meetings? Why have they quit passing out tracts and saying quick prayers with people door to door? The answer is really quite simple - they didn't get people to come to church by these methods! Trust me, if people came into their churches by the use of these decisionist techniques, every preacher in the country would still be using them! They've gone over to Rick Warren because decisionism is a failure! But, actually, Warren's methods are only a subtle new form of decisionism - and his methods also will fail in time.

"And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved? And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible" (Mark 10:26-27).

For a full treatment of the failure of decisionism and its remedy, please read Preaching to a Dying Nation, Today's Apostasy, and The Great Falling Away Plus Old-Time Pastoral Counselling. These three books can be purchased by phoning (818)352-0452 or by writing to Dr. R. L. Hymers, Jr. at P.O. Box 15308, Los Angeles, CA 90015. Iain H. Murray's great book, Revival and Revivalism: The Making and Marring of American Evangelicalism 1750-1858, can be purchased from Banner of Truth Trust, 3 Murrayfield Road, Edinburgh EH12 6EL, Scotland, U. K., or P.O. Box 621, Carlisle, Pennsylvania 17013, USA.

The letter from the Billy Graham organization follows this sermon below.

(END OF SERMON)
You can read Dr. Hymers' sermons each week on the Internet
at www.rlhymersjr.com. Click on "Sermon Manuscripts."

Scripture Read Before the Sermon by Dr. Kreighton L. Chan: Mark 10:23-27.
Solo Sung Before the Sermon by Mr. Benjamin Kincaid Griffith:
"Amazing Grace" (by John Newton, 1725-1807).

(The letter from the Billy Graham organization follows this outline)

The following letter from the Billy Graham organization is presented for your information.

Dear Pastor _____ :

Your e-mail to ____ _______ has come to me for reply, and I am happy to correspond with you on her behalf.

We appreciate your desire to find resources to answer critics of what they have termed "decisionism." This phrase refers to the use of an invitation at the close of a service or a revival meeting. While it is true that this is a relatively new method in evangelism, beginning in the 18th or 19th century, the call for people to make a decision is much older than this. In fact, God called Abraham to make a decision (Genesis 12:1). Moses had to make a decision (Exodus, chapter 3). Joshua called the children of Israel to make a decision (Joshua 24:15).

One of the objections to "decisionism" is the invitation to pray a simple prayer at the close of a service to receive Christ. The phrases "asking Jesus into your heart" or "praying the sinner's prayer" can be somewhat confusing, since these phrases are not clearly mentioned in the Bible. Salvation in Christ is received by faith (believing the gospel) and repentance (a heartfelt decision to turn away from sin). The "sinner's prayer" to receive Christ is simply a formal way of expressing our faith in Christ and our repentance from sin. Praying to receive Christ into our hearts is, therefore, not something extra that we add to faith, it is a confession that we speak that acknowledges what Jesus did on the cross for us (Romans 10:10). Jesus has done the work of saving us, and we are declaring to God through prayer that we gladly receive His free gift of eternal life.

Most preachers who use this method recognize that God has been working in hearts long before the preacher steps into the pulpit. And much is left to be done after the prayer is prayed. Mr. Graham has given much thought and prayer to the follow-up of crusade inquirers. Seekers are instructed at the close of the crusade service and then dealt with individually by counselors trained for that purpose. They are taught not only the way of salvation, but also how to succeed in the Christian life. They are given a free basic Bible study to take with them and complete at home. Later they will receive a letter and other materials from Mr. Graham to help them grow in their Christian faith. Whenever possible their names are referred to a church and follow-up group for further help. Beyond this, they are given the address and telephone number of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association where further prayer, counsel, and materials are available through the Christian Guidance Department. You may find it helpful to read CRUSADE EVANGELISM AND THE LOCAL CHURCH by Sterling Huston as you seek further insights into this matter.

You have been remembered in prayer. May the Lord bless and encourage you daily. As we believe God together, He will "show you great and mighty things, which you do not know" (Jeremiah 33:3, NKJV).

Sincerely,

^{____ _ ____}
Christian Guidance Department
Billy Graham Evangelistic Association