If it didn't go through your head, it did go through mine. Let's start with an operational and clear view of what a biblical view of conversion is. Here is a definition from a strengthened version of the 1833 New Hampshire Confession of Faith.
We believe that Repentance and Faith are sacred duties, and also inseperable graces, wrought in our souls by the regenerating Spirit of God; whereby being deeply convinced of our guilt, danger and helplessness, and of the way of salvation by Christ, we turn to God with unfeigned contrition, confession, and supplication for mercy; at the same time heartily receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as our Prophet, Priest and King, and relying on him alone as the only and all sufficient Savior.
In the life of the church this view of conversion calls for man's response, God's empowering work, and fruit that gives evidence to genuine conversion.
Man's Work:
Jesus said in Mark 1:15 "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.
"We believe that Repentance and Faith are sacred duties"
Clearly you can see that Jesus calls mankind to respond to the gospel in faith. We can safely conclude that God calls sinners to duty, which is their response to the call of God.
God's Work:
At the same time that man is called to work it has to be anchored in the tension that man cannot work before God has worked in man. Looking at the definition again it reads:
...and also inseperable graces, wrought in our souls by the regenerating Spirit of God; whereby being deeply convinced of our guilt, danger and helplessness.
This definition suggests man cannot work unless it were "wrought in their souls by the regenerating work of the Spirit of God." In other words, God does a work in the heart of man to regenerate him or her, this is to make them a new creation in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17) before they can rightly respond to God in faith.
There is some question as to what a true regenerating work of God might look like? The definition clarifies this which three descriptions:
1. Being deeply convinced of our guilt: A true convert of Christ is genuinely guilty over their sin against God and the offense it is to Him.
2. Being deeply convinced of our being in danger: A true convert of Christ is deeply convinced of the eternal danger they are in due to their sin. They are ever so aware that they are, as Jonathan Edwards put it, "unconverted men walking over the pit of hell with a rotten covering."
3. Being deeply convinced of our helplessness: Here is another quote from Jonathan Edwards: Almost every natural man that hears of hell, flatters himself that he shall escape it; he depends upon himself for his own security; he flatters himself in what he has done, in what he is now doing, or what he intends to do.”
Here Edwards is describing the opposite mentality of true conversion. Those in whom the Spirit has done a work in will be done flattering themselves as they are truly aware of their helplessness. They will stop turning inwardly to their own resources but finally turn externally, like a drowning child on their last gasp who looks desperately for someone else to rescue them. This sense of utter helplessness is a fruit of the Holy Spirit of God and a genuine indication conversion has occurred.
God's Fruit:
True conversion will evidence itself in its fruit. Here are some questions for the church's consideration:
"Do lives give evidence of change-putting off the old and putting on the new? Are members interested in waging war against their sin, even if they continue to stumble? Do they show a new interest in enjoying fellowship with Christians and perhaps new motives in spending time with non-Christians? Are they beginning to respond to trials and challenges differently from how they did as non-Christians?
Thus, a church's view of conversion isn't just a theological stance tucked away in their doctrinal statements. Rather, it shapes the way the body functions within the life of the church.
In Christ,
Pastor Kevin
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