Christian Conversion
“Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:3
CONVERT = to change from one position, opinion, etc., to another.
Just as faith without works is dead, a sinner’s belief in Christ apart from conversion is fruitless. From Cain on, man has insisted on believing in God, without being converted from his way unto God’s way. Man’s purpose driven religion prioritizes coming up with a religious mixture suitable to man, that requires no real conversion from sin and self unto faith in God’s righteousness.
The first principle of non-converted religion is denial. Not self denial, but a denial of all that is disagreeable to self. Like Cain, man continues to deny that his likes and dislikes are wrong and sinful, unto rather denying any and all religion that does not accept him on his own terms. The denying of any and all preaching of God’s Word that disagrees with man’s views and preferred interpretations, amounts to rejecting the work of the Holy Spirit that would convict him that man’s ways and thoughts are not God’s ways and thoughts.
By man denying that he has a sin condition that comes short of the glory of God, he allows for no conviction of sin that will lead him to real repentance. Without a Holy Spirit-wrought broken and contrite spirit over his lost condition, there will be no complete change of mind about one’s self before God, unto the acknowledgment of God’s truth.
Without coming before God as the publican did (Luke 18), “God be merciful to me a sinner“, unto being justified through repentance and faith, the sinner asserts himself as if he is one of God’s own, like the Pharisee, glorying in what he is in and of himself, but without being justified from his sin before God.
A very subtle position has emerged in highly esteemed fashion, that propagates a supposed salvation by grace, that ignores conversion. Rather than take the Biblical position, “that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11), they receive any and all as they are, in the name of God’s love. They hold no position true to conversion, that those who identify with Christ are to bring forth fruits meet for repentance.
The most disgraceful of all ideas is that since we are not under the law, being under grace, that it is all right to live contrary to the principles set forth in and by God’s laws. But anything that abandons conversion, is not true to grace. To approve of living contrary to God’s laws, is a defiance to the authority of the inspiration of all scripture, not only rejects God’s righteousness, but also violates grace, which elevates the sinner to justification from sin and imputed righteousness, that the sinner cannot attain to himself, being sinful. (Romans 6:1-2)
Under grace, the transgression of God’s law is still sin. 1 John 3:4
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What Does “Born of Water” Mean?
–See John 3:1-12
I. A WRONG THEORY: Some teach it is being immersed in water baptism. WHY THIS ISN’T TRUE?:
(1.) Because baptism isn’t under consideration in this scripture. Nothing indicates that baptism was being discussed.
(2.) If baptism was implied, then Jesus contradicted himself by putting salvation upon the basis of faith, John 3:16,18,36.
(3.) To assume that baptism is being set forth as the way into salvation, is to deny that salvation is “by grace through faith…not of works” Ephesians 2:8-9
(4.) To say baptism is here presented to be essential to salvation, is to make the New Testament teach two ways of salvation. For certainly the thief on the cross was not immersed. Cornelius was saved before he was baptized. These cases bear out that salvation precedes baptism. Those who teach baptismal regeneration are saying that Christ and His work must be added to with water and works. But salvation is not by “waterworks”.
II. ANOTHER THEORY: The idea here is that water is a symbol of the Word of God. This would make the passage read, “except one be born of the Spirit and the Word”. But we do not believe this to be what the passage is saying. Why?:
(1.) Because we believe if Jesus had meant the “Word” (or baptism), He would have said so plainly.
(2.) Because they were not talking about the Word.
(3.) Because such a conclusion requires that one go outside this scripture for the key to its meaning, whereas we believe the key to the passage is right in the passage itself.
III. WHAT WE BELIEVE TO BE THE CORRECT MEANING: We believe that a person must be born of the flesh (naturally) and of the Spirit (supernaturally) in order to enter the Kingdom of God; that the spiritual birth is just as real in producing spiritual life, as the physical birth is in producing physical life.
(1.) It is a stated fact that one must be born twice to enter God’s Kingdom.
(2.) In the very next breath, Jesus makes plain that He is speaking of two births (whereas baptism pictures death, burial, and resurrection, NOT birth), the two births being of the flesh and of the spirit. For He says, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” He clearly gives His own explanation as to what He meant.
(3.) Because the point of confusion in Nicodemus’ mind was the matter of contrasting births, John 3:4. Jesus had to say to him in substance, that the new birth was distinctly in addition to the physical birth, a spiritual birth into spiritual life, that which the physical birth did not provide.
(4.) Any physician can confirm the natural birth to truly be a “water birth”.
(5.) We believe that the obvious and simple meaning is in this case, as generally, the true meaning.
–Edited and copied from Grace and Life
SHARINGForget Not The Exhortation
“My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him.” Hebrews 12:5b
To be rebuked for sin, or chastened for it, or both, is the matter of God loving His children, Hebrews 12:6. This is understood in the physical parent-child relationship, Hebrews 12:9.
As children grow up, they are endeared to parents for training and discipline that developed right thinking and conduct. As God’s children mature spiritually, they, too, appreciate this process God uses for their spiritual success, Hebrews 12:10-11.
God uses His local New Testament Church ministry to reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine, through the uncompromising preaching of all scripture as the means for reproving and correcting, 2 Timothy 3:16-4:2.
Carnal thinking repudiates the use of sound doctrine for either the message or the method of the ministry, since it disagrees with the preferences of man’s carnal nature, 2 Timothy 4:3-4.
When and where the objective is to fight the good fight of faith, rather than be overcome by sin and Satan, then God’s Word must be sounded out that sin might appear sin…that sin by the commandment of God might become exceeding sinful, Romans 7:13.
Sin never reveals itself to be sin, but requires the exposing power of God’s Word to unmask it, Hebrews 3:13, lest we be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. To not expose sin, results in man’s willful darkening of his understanding regarding sin. Should sin not be exposed as being offensive to, and at enmity with God, man will then become accustomed to viewing sin as being an acceptable way of life.
The awful result of sin not being reproved unto appearing sinful, is that it obscures God from being recognized by the sinner. It took the message from Nathan the prophet (2 Samuel 12) to jar King David’s awareness of his sin against God. This conviction led him unto repentance and reconciliation with God.
Beware of the acceptance of sin: “…and sin when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren.” James 1:15b-16
SHARINGWhat Is A New Testament Church About?
1. It is about having a God given position, 1 Corinthians 12:18.
2. It is about doing what we do for God, rather than for ourselves, Ephesians 3:21.
3. It is about loving others for the reasons Christ loves us, John 13:34.
4. It is not about position, but rather about service, Psalm 84:10 “…I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God…”.
5. It is about doing things for God’s work without telling others about it, Matthew 6:3-4.
6. It is about being slow to take offense, but always seeking reconciliation.
7. It is about trust and staying “on board”; knowing that with God, all things are possible.
8. It is about looking beyond faults, to minister to the need.
9. It is about taking responsibility, rather than letting the burden fall on someone else.
10. It is about not quitting, but keeping on–knowing your labor is never in vain.
11. It is about confessing our faults one to another, rather than being given to criticizing the faults of others.
12. It is about empathizing–putting yourself in the other person’s shoes; where they are at, not where you judge they should be.
13. It is about keeping a good conscience with both God and man, knowing that God will uphold you for your faithfulness.
14. It is about starting again when others are quitting; it is about singing when others are grumbling; it is about find a way, when others are making excuses.
15. It is about getting up after you have fallen; it is about always coming back after you have strayed away.
16. It is about wanting to be an encouragement to others, by the things we do and say.
17. It is about wanting to be found faithful when Jesus comes again.
About our discouragements, our negative thoughts: let them be a testimony of how much we need God’s vision in doing God’s work.
About the changes we see in people: let it remind us of how much we need to “turn our eyes upon Jesus”, who changes not.
About the continuance in the church fellowship: it is about the TRIUMPH of the tie that binds us together–the love of God, which is shed abroad in our hearts by His Holy Spirit, which is given us in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The blessing is when we are about what the church is about.
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