Concerning Conversion

Alden Swan, December 3, 2004

I've been wondering lately, "just how converted am I?" I usually start thinking about this when I've realized that my thoughts about something are not at all in line with God's thoughts. It's amazing that after several decades, hearing hundreds of sermons, and reading nearly as many Christian books, I still have so many opinions that are not in line with Truth. By the way, I am not talking about behavior; I am talking about the root beliefs and attitudes that fuel behaviors.

In reviewing the use of the word convert in the Bible (I thought that would be a good place to start) I found that in some places, the Greek word used actually means first-fruit. In other places, the word used specifically means to "change one's mind," similar to the concept of repent. And, in a couple of places the word used actually means convert, and is used in the context of non-Jews converting from idol-worshippers to God-worshippers.

So, what does that tell us? First, in a nutshell, convert is a legitimate word to use for those who have converted from a non-worshipper of God to a worshipper of God. However, people like me, who were born and raised under the covenant and who never had a non-relationship with God, probably would not be considered converts in that sense (just as those who were born Jews were not converts to Judaism).

Second, I find that it is not the Biblical use of the word that gives me pause, but the English word and its connotations. To convert something is to change it so that it becomes something different from what it was. It is, then, similar to what we think of as sanctification (being made holy) or the process of salvation.

The Airport Analogy

I think the salvation experience, for those who are being converted, is much like taking a long journey and having your destination changed mid-trip. You may have been on your way to Los Angeles, but now you find yourself sitting in the Denver airport with tickets to Zurich - a place you'd never dreamed of visiting - and a new itinerary. However, you realize that you left and packed with L.A. in mind, so the rest of the trip is a process of refocusing your thinking (and shopping) with the knowledge of your new destination.

Or, perhaps you're like me, who was born with the ideal of going to Zurich already. My choice was to stay on course, or veer off to another destination. Either way, the reality is we're still both in the Denver airport with a long layover, and still not in Zurich. We've got our passports, visas (or Mastercards) and tickets, but we're not even out of the country yet.

In my analogy, we have both been justified; that is, we have both been given our tickets without having earned or paid for them in any way, and our paperwork guarantees that we will be gladly received in Switzerland; in fact, we've even been granted citizenship! One of us has had a dramatic conversion of destinations; the other, a more subtle process. But, both of us still have to undergo a process of conversion from our current life in America to life in a new continent and culture, with a new time zone, language, currency, and so on.

The Salvation Process

Therefore, I think of salvation primarily as a process, which incorporates first of all the historic, objective event of salvation (Eph. 2:5; Titus 3:4-6). For those of us who have been raised in Christ, it's probably impossible to pinpoint a specific moment of conversion, except to look back to the cross. After all, that's when I was really saved. Salvation also includes both the ongoing process of being saved (I Cor. 1:18; 2 Cor. 2:15), and last but not least, salvation as a future event (Rom. 5:9, 10; Phil. 1:28).

There is certainly Scriptural support for using the word conversion to describe what occurs when people have an initial salvation experience and receive the Holy Spirit. However, we have gotten used to drawing a distinction between justification and sanctification, and I am not sure that we should. They are, I believe, the same thing seen from different vantage points.

Justification is salvation from a legal point of view; it's an objective, legal fact that we were justified when Jesus died on the cross in our place. Sanctification, on the other hand, can be seen as salvation from a practical point of view; it is the process of salvation being worked out in our lives, leading up to that point at which we are finally completely saved.

I think that the old debate as to whether salvation is an event or a process is a false dilemma. Whether or not you have an "event" theology, I think you'd have to agree that there also is an element of process that continues at least through our earthly life. The point I am trying to make here is that both the legal transformation (justification) and the practical transformation (sanctification) fall under the heading of salvation and come as a set, regardless of when the process begins.

The Resistance

Why, then, do we resist being fully converted?

As much as we need change and desire change, we have a tendency to resist it with everything we've got, except perhaps in times of crisis. In fact, we resist change to such an extent that we've done our best to create a religion that will protect us [who are justified and partially sanctified] from any future major internal change. Occasionally, our theology is even developed to turn our sinfulness (that part of us that needs to be converted) into something which doesn't need conversion, such as a personality trait ("this is how God wired me"), or sometimes even a spiritual gift. We come up with spiritual excuses for succeeding wrongly as well as for failing wrongly.

When I say "succeeding wrongly," I mean success achieved through use of our "unconverted" character flaws, or even misuse of good character traits. Greed, for example, is a great motivator for success, even for Christians. A more subtle issue is in when, for example, we have God-given leadership gifts. It is very tempting to use these gifts to lead others in directions we would like them to go. We can credit God with our great success, when in fact God may have had very little to do with it. Our tendency is to want to act according to our strengths, instead of seeking God and relying on His strength and direction, so often our apparent successes could be completely contrary to what God would want. As a wise man once said, "God's ways are not my ways."

We more commonly recognize that there are personality traits that tend to lead us to failure. People sit around with their lives in all kinds of disarray and come up with various scenarios to explain the circumstances in which they find themselves. Seldom if ever do they consider that perhaps it is they who are doing something wrong, and that just perhaps they should change their attitudes, their behaviors, or both.

In some Christian sub-cultures, there is an assumption that if you are not living on top of the world, it is due to a lack of faith. In other church cultures, the excuse is often spiritual warfare. For some, God is allowing these trials to test us. For others, it's actually a claim to spirituality. In my own particular theological paradigm, it's because the Kingdom is "already but not yet." It is also quite possible that our circumstances are due, at least to some extent, to something that is completely within our control, like overeating, poor money management, and so on. We may merely need to be further converted.

There is a saying (I don't know where it originated) that "your system is perfectly designed to produce the results that you have been getting." Of course, this presumes a closed system, taking "spiritual" forces out of the picture. But, there is a large element of truth to it. Whatever our situation, whether it is a troubled marriage, financial problems, or any number of other personal problems, we need to consider that we might need to change in order for the situation to change. To resist or deny the need to change is to deny the very process of conversion.

We need, on a constant, day to day basis, to allow ourselves to be converted. This is the process of maturing; it is sanctification, or being changed "from glory to glory." To resist change is to resist the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Paul chides the Galatians with, "you began in the Spirit, what makes you think you can continue on to maturity on your own?" (my paraphrase). We can't cause ourselves to be converted, any more than we could save ourselves. We can't even repent ourselves "from glory to glory." We can, however, allow the Holy Spirit to reveal areas where our thinking (that is, our attitudes, beliefs & opinions) does not line up with truth, and we can then choose to agree with God. That, by the way, is true repentance, and goes something like this: "You're right, I'm wrong, help me to change." It's uncomplicated, unemotional, but very, very effective.

It's all about Truth

All of us, to some extent, are afraid of truth (if you don't think that you are, I suspect it's because you're in denial). Truth often means that we have to change. Anytime we face Jesus, or are confronted by the gospel, or even are touched with the amazing love of the Father, we are put in a position where we may find something which needs to change. Sometimes truth can be painful, and often the realization that change is needed can produce great fear. We can get very comfortable in some very miserable situations and we all value comfort. However, remember that Jesus said the Holy Sprit would be our comforter, not make us comfortable.

What many of us fail to realize is that it is very hard to receive the grace that we need to succeed when we are avoiding truth. Grace is not found in denial-based fantasies or in schemes designed to circumvent truth. It may sound good, and you could even write a best-selling book about it, but if you are not facing up to the truth that the Holy Spirit is trying to teach you, you've put the brakes to the conversion process in your life.

Truth is always accompanied by an abundance of grace. This is not based on any spiritual principal (that I'm aware of, anyway) but merely in who God is. Jesus, after all, is the Truth. When we face truth head-on, we get to see Jesus. When we face truth, we encounter the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit. And, when we face truth we are met with the overwhelming love of the Father.

Ken Blue says that the two things people want more than anything else are to be accepted just as they are, and the power to change. Both require that we are willing to embrace truth (and God gives grace for that, too!).

If I keep preaching these things to myself, I think that eventually I will be able to believe them. I have found that as I have allowed the Father's love to soak in, I am more and more able to allow the conversion process to progress. I am being converted, and by the grace of God I know that "on that day" I finally will be completely converted.

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