Well-known Words, Deep Meaning⤒🔗

At catechism class, it seemed so simple. Conversion, we were taught, had three sides: introspection, aversion, and return. The parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11–31) was used as elucidation: between the pigs he had a moment of introspection, he developed an aversion to sin, and returned to his father. This concise representation has always stayed with me. But to be able to name these three elements is quite different than giving an answer to the question: are you converted? It seemed that in all kinds of groups outside the churches there was much more people openly witnessing about their personal conversion. Within the church it was not stated “just like that.” Certainly, times and circumstances are constantly changing, but I still often encounter some hesitation in people in saying of themselves that they are converted. On the other hand, you also hear talk about spiritual change within the church.

Regeneration and Conversion←⤒🔗

Conversion in the Bible is closely connected to regeneration. Regeneration is a gift from God, worked by the Holy Spirit by means of the calling of the Word. The concept “regeneration” strongly emphasizes the character of “a gift” of grace. You receive new life. Conversion (together with faith) is fruit of the regeneration. New life becomes noticeable in one’s daily life. Conversion brings people into motion. Steps are taken toward Christ and away from sin.

Some Biblical Lines←⤒🔗

In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word “sjub” shows up. It is the indication of conversion or converting oneself. Conversion is listening to the voice of God; doing what he says (Deut. 30:2). It deals essentially with the return to God in order to serve him (1 Sam. 7:3). Conversion goes together with acknowledgement and confession of guilt, showing repentance and humiliation before the Lord. Regeneration has to do with

1. leaving behind a life without God and against him;
2. learning to follow the course of life with God and obeying his Word.

These two elements — aversion and return — are part of the same movement. Still, the positive aspect of returning to a life with God receives the most emphasis, because the call for conversion basically always goes together with the promise of God’s grace (e.g., 1 Kings 8:33–34). Even as the prophets criticize the unfaithfulness of Israel to the Lord, they still see conversion as an escape to the announced time of salvation (Isa. 41–44; Hos. 2:13–22; 11:8–11; 14:2–8; Amos 9:11–14).

In the New Testament, the keyword for conversion is “metanoia.” This word links with the use of words in the Old Testament but places an emphasis of its own on the thinking and wanting of people. Not that conversion now becomes a matter of intellect and emotional impulse. It concerns the conversion of the whole person. But is shows that the received grace also involves people to wholeheartedly let their lives be determined by God.

An impressive individual is John the Baptist, who called for penance and repentance, because the kingdom of heaven has come near (Matt. 3:2). The Lord Jesus agrees with the words of John the Baptist (Matt. 4:17). But Christ no longer refers to “another one who will come after me” (Matt. 16:24; Luke 9:23).

In the teachings of the apostles, various lines return from the Old Testament and New Testament; the call for repentance with the promise of forgiveness of sins (Acts 3:19; 5:31), repentance that leads to life (Acts 11:18; 2 Cor. 7:9), and an aversion to evil (Acts 8:22) and a return to God (Acts 20:21; 26:20).

The word “conversion” rarely occurs in the letters of Paul and John. However, that does not mean that this matter is lacking. Paul speaks about faith as “being in Christ” (Rom. 8:1; 1 Cor. 1:30; 2 Cor. 5:17) and about “dying and being raised with Christ” (Rom. 6:3–11; Eph. 2:1–10) and about “putting off your old self and putting on the new self” (Eph. 4:22–24; Col. 3:9–10). In his letters, John constantly speaks about the new life as a transition from darkness into light, from lies into truth, from hatred into love.

Conclusion:←↰⤒🔗

1. Conversion has a positive point. It concerns serving the living God. Inseparable from this is the giving up of a walk of life without God.
2. Conversion addresses people on their responsibility. Still, with that, conversion does not become a purely human decision. Conversion is the answer to the voice of the gospel. God’s searching love comes before the human reaction to it.
3. Conversion is not a goal in itself. Conversion is the door to following Christ and sharing in the full salvation of God.

The Heidelberg Catechism About Conversion←⤒🔗

The various elements that can be found in Scripture about conversion are incorporated in the Heidelberg Catechism, but it especially refers to Paul’s word usage regarding dying and being raised with Christ. In Answer 88, conversion is described as “the dying of the old nature and the coming to life of the new.” The formulation already indicates that one should not picture a finished event, but of a continuing process: dying and being raised. In other words, in this life there will not be a time when the believer is “finished” converting. By falling into sin, a constant return to God is necessary. Differentiation is made here between the “first conversion” and the “daily” or “continual” conversion. It means that conversion starts somewhere but is never completed in this life. With that, the reality of the temptation in this world, the power of Satan, the working of the old self, and the falling into sin are taken into serious consideration. Believers are not immune to that. Think of the biblical examples of David and Peter. David had slain Goliath in the power of faith, but after that, there were moments of serious derailment (Bathsheba) and sin (census). Peter had confessed with firm words that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, but shortly after that, he denied his Master three times. Peter also had to be seriously admonished by his fellow apostle Paul, because of his insincere attitude toward one part of the congregation (Gal. 2:11–14).

The further description in the Catechism in Answer 89 and 90 is beautiful and has a pastoral tone: the dying of the old nature is “to grieve with heartfelt sorrow that we have offended God by our sin, and more and more to hate it and flee from it.” The coming to life of the new nature is: “a heartfelt joy in God through Christ, and a love and delight to live according to the will of God.” The dying of the old nature is about a sincere sorrow. That sorrow is not the regret of someone who has been caught, but who is only sorry because he can no longer continue unnoticed. It is sorrow toward God, because of the sorrow done to him by the sin and over which he is angry. The sorrow does not remain in an emotional atmosphere, but is a powerful motivation to recognize the sin, to fight it by hating evil and fleeing from it. The resurrection of the new nature is characterized by joy in God through Christ. In line with the Bible, the positive has the upper hand: it is a tremendous privilege to love and serve the Lord. The joy of that forms a strong motivation to live “in imitation of Christ.”

On a Home Visit←⤒🔗

Not every congregation is equal and within a congregation there are also variations in involvement with the message of the gospel. The diffidence of automatism with which conversion is discussed, is probably recognizable. The home visit can be a nice opportunity to make the abovementioned things useful for the daily life of the congregation. A few points:

• Do you find joy in loving and serving God?
• Are there critical points in the struggle against sin, where we can be of help to one another?
• Is there progression in following Christ? What are some stumbling blocks?
• Do we realize that conversion is and continues to be necessary?

Spiritual Change←⤒🔗

Conversion is part of a complete spiritual change that is received as a gift from God. It is important to realize that in that spiritual renewing, Abraham, David, Paul, and Timothy have not been led along the same steps. Renewing is the work of the Holy Spirit, who is free in the way he leads people. Also, the renewing links up with the person; Ruth does not become Mary and John is not James. It shows that grace is multi-coloured and is directed at the person. The point in which everyone share is the joy of loving and serving the Lord, and fighting against everything that may hinder that.