Decisionism and regeneration are two entirely different realities. The regenerate believer is one who hears the gospel and is made alive through a new birth into an entirely new life which is defined by union with Christ. The decision maker is a person who hears the gospel (or maybe not) and decides to believe in Jesus through some type of on-the-spot transaction to get into heaven (or not go to hell). This is not to say that there has never been a decision maker who has received God's grace of regeneration. The problem is that thousands of churches and Christian organizations have used decisionism tactics to count numbers of Christians - many who are not truly Christians. Persuaded by music, effective lighting, emotional pleas and revivalist fervor, many people have been guided into a false transaction with God that has eternal consequences.
Probably the greatest irony of decisionism is found in the forgetfulness of the decision makers. It always amazes me how people can in one moment decide for Jesus because they want to go to heaven, and in the next moment live a life that shows no anticipation of that future glory. They live for now and not for later even though they claim a decision that's all about later.
As I read the Scriptures, I find that those claiming to be the people of God are not authentic when their faith is defined by forgetting who and what they are living for. We also find many examples of those who live by faith in their Redeemer and his promises to the end.
1. Psalm 106:24 Then they despised the pleasant land, having no faith in his promise.
This verse is part of a duo of Psalms which starts in Psalm 105 as it explains God's absolute sovereignty and wonder in his redemption and guidance of his people. It is a glorious Psalm that should instill praise and wonder in every reader. In Psalm 106 we see the devastation of those who would consider themselves to be a part of Israel, but they grumble against God. They hate his provisions, his appointed leaders, and they are more concerned with the idols of the world than the promises of their God.
In the middle of the vivid description of these people, the Psalmist describes them as those who have no faith in God's promise. In Egypt they wanted nothing more to be out of the heavy burden of slavery to live in their own glorious land. They were willing to claim the promise of God. Living in the presence of God in the land of promise would be so much better than the slavery of Egypt. The problem with these decision makers, is that they had no intention of actually living in anticipation of God's promise. For now, life was not about trusting in their Redeemer, it was about their love for the things of the world. God's promise for later had no living reality in their lives. They were faithless.
2. 2 Timothy 4:7-8 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.
In a more positive sense, the Apostle Paul tells Timothy that the crown of righteousness is waiting for him (and all like him) because from the beginning of his calling in Christ, Paul endured in faith living unto the day when he would meet Jesus face to face. His life could be described as an enduring good fight of trusting Christ in every reality of life.
These are just two passages in the Scriptures that help us to see that saving faith in Christ does not come from us raising our hand at a gospel concert. It comes from us seeing the devastation of our sin in the light of God's holiness and trusting in his forgiveness and mercy that is only possible when God's justice has been poured upon Jesus in our place. The promise of reconciliation with God, adoption into his family, and the glorious inheritance of an eternal crown becomes our entire life as we live in the relief and love of our Savior. To live a life marked by ignorance of what we have in Christ is to not have it in the first place.
Our decisions don't save us, God grace does - through faith - in Jesus Christ. The irony of those who simply make a decision about Jesus to obtain a ticket to heaven is that they never really understand the nature of what God's promised salvation is. Without a new birth, your ticket is void. When your life is depicted by the world, what's the point of claiming heaven?