Thoughts to a young missionary

No 1.

Today l thought l might share with you some of the mistakes that people make about conversion.

A. Conversion is not the taking onto ourselves of the profession of Christianity.

Being a christian is more than just bearing a name. Paul said that his Gospel did not come in words only but in power. The church at Sardis and Laodicea were christians in name but not in reality. They all had the Reputation of knowing Christ and they were very happy to be known as Christians yet strangely Christ himself did not recognise them.
Paul spoke of many that call themselves christians but who do not depart from iniquity – They profess that they know God but their lives deny Him. Christ himself spoke of preachers and miracle workers who name the name of Christ and do miracles in his name yet Christ will reject them in the end because they are not really known of Him. Mat 7v22-23.

B. Conversion is not putting on the badge of baptism.

Ananias and Sapphira and Simon Magnus were baptised as well as the rest yet they were found out to be far from born again. One would have thought that preachers so not need to preach faith in Christ but only Baptism and baptise people wherever they go to ensure them of a place in heaven. Christ did not need to die but only to teach us how to be baptised. We would not longer say ‘few there be that find it’ but ‘few there are that miss it’. Is it true to say that a man may get baptised yet remain a drunkard, blasphemer and adulterer and still enter heaven? God forbid. Conversion in not based upon an outward act such as baptism.

C. Conversion is not found in moral righteousness.

Christ pointed out that our righteousness must exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees if we think that we might enter heaven. Paul describes himself as being a law abiding Jew and living in all good conscience before God yet still he was found to be a persecutor of the Church of Christ. In the present age God himself declares that ‘There is none righteous – no not one’. That they, ‘have all gone out of the way’ and that, ‘all have sinned before God’.

D. Conversion does not consist in an external obedience to rules.

Being a Christian is not obedience to the ten commandments – or even a list of ‘christian rules’. Clearly men might have an external form of godliness but have no inner reality. Nicodemus was a religious leader who was very particular as to how he lived before God and no-one could find fault in his life. Yet Christ could say to him that he needed to be born again. Some men give to charity others pray long prayers, yet they are unconverted. Some go to church five times a week and give themselves to the ministry of others. Some read the Bible and become experts in its teaching, but this is not conversion. There is no outward service that a hypocrite cannot mimic. Some people might even give up everything to feed the poor or even give their body to be burned, yet it is all nothing in the end. says Paul.

E. Conversion is not education.

None was more educated than Nicodemus and Paul before his conversion. Yet in all their knowledge they were found to be unconverted and in need of being born again. It is too common to mistake salvation for knowledge. God did not send his son into this world to make men clever, he sent him to take away the sins of the educated and give then forgiveness.

F. Conversion does not consist in a reformation or a promise to do better.

Conversion is not based on a human attempt to seek a better life. It is not turning over a new leaf. Not a new year resolution which is broken before the fourth day. Conversion is not repentance. The road to hell is full of men who are sorry for their sins and have often a failingly turned from their wicked ways but like a pig having been washed returns to wallow in the mire or the dog who returns to his own vomit.

So you might ask what is conversion? I will talk about this another day.