05.06 - Chapter 29 - A Crisis of the Heart
Chapter 29 A CRISIS OF THE HEART A Confession of Faith
"Whereas there is none that doth good and sinneth not, and the best of men may, through the power and deceitfulness of their corruption dwelling in them, with the prevalence of temptation, fall into great sins and provocation’s; God hath, in the covenant of grace, mercifully provided that believers so sinning and falling be renewed through repentance unto salvation." (The Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689, Chapter 15, Section 2; study Ecclesiastes 7:20; Luke 22:31-32) Conversion: Defined
Conversion is the turning from sin unto God. Conversion is the human side of that transaction which unites the soul to Christ. Faith, repentance and conversion are human activities. This does not deny that they are supernatural effects. They are both. “Work out your own salvation in fear and trembling, for it is not ye that work but God that worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.”
Some biblical authorities say that turning from sin is repentance and turning to God is faith. It is doubtful if such discrimination is valid. Rather the term repentance covers both. What is repentance unto life? Saving repentance is, “an evangelical grace, whereby a person, being by the Holy Spirit made sensible of the manifold evils of his sin, doth, by faith in Christ, humble himself for it with godly sorrow, detestation of it, and self-abhorrence, praying for pardon and strength of grace, with a purpose and endeavor, by supplies of the Spirit, to walk before God unto all well-pleasing in all things” (The Baptist Confession of 1689, Chapter 15, Section 3; study Zechariah 12:10; Acts 11:18; Ezekiel 36:21; 2 Corinthians 7:11; Psalms 119:6, Psalms 119:128).
Conversion Involves the Whole Person • There is the intellectual element for there is a sense of sin.
• There is the emotional element for godly sorrow is involved.
• There is the volitional element for the soul must call upon the name of the Lord.
Repentance and conversion mean more than mere sorrow for sin. There is a sorrow of the world that worketh death. Judas had sorrow but no repentance or conversion. True examples of repentance are Job, David, Peter, the prodigal’s son, the penitent thief, and Paul. Each of these individuals experienced not only sorrow for sin, but they turned to God. How much conviction, sorrow, and faith is necessary to conversion? Henry Ward Beecher once said: “How many knots an hour must the wind blow to take the ship out of the harbor? Will ten knots do it? Yes. Will five knots do it? Yes, five knots will do it. Will one knot do it? Yes, one will do it if that is enough to move the ship.” Lydia came by gentle persuasion of the truth blessed by God, but it required an earthquake to move the Philippian jailer (Acts 16:1-40). A Conversion that does not Change The best terminology confines conversion to the initial stages of the work, when a new principle becomes dominant in the government of the life. "New blessings there may be, new steps, degrees of sanctification, fluctuations, falls and restoration, renewed endeavors and victories; but these are phases of a nature already changed by regeneration; and the first experimental change we call conversion." (David Clark) “This faith, although it be different in degrees, and may be weak or strong, yet it is in the least degree of it different in the kind or nature of it, as is all other saving grace, from the faith and common grace of temporary believers; and, therefore, though it may be many times assailed and weakened, yet it gets the victory, growing up in many to the attainment of a full assurance through Christ, who is both the author and finisher of our faith” (The Baptist Confession of 1689, Chapter 14, Section 3; study Hebrews 5:13-14; Matthew 6:30; Romans 4:19-20; 2 Peter 1:1; Ephesians 6:16; 1 John 5:4-5; Hebrews 6:11-12; Colossians 2:2; Hebrews 12:2). The Order of Events in Salvation
What is the order of events in the process of conversion? Does faith precede regeneration, or must a man be regenerated in order to believe? Does a man turn to God to be saved, or does he turn to God because he is saved? The process of conversion is so complex that many theological prefer to allow some variety in details. What is certain is that logically and chronologically a regenerated life follows, and is the result of, a regenerated nature. Dr. A.H. Strong once offered a simple illustration in an attempt to crystallize the concept. “A candidate for ordination was once asked which came first: regeneration or conversion. He replied very correctly: ‘Regeneration and conversion are like the cannon-ball and the hole—they both go through together.’ This is true however only as to their chronological relation. Logically the ball [regeneration] is first and causes the hole [conversion], not the hole first and causes the ball.” The True Cause of Conversion In answer to the question, “What is the efficient cause of a change of heart" the following replies have been offered.
• The Pelagian says, “The human will by itself can save the soul.”
• The Arminian says, “The co-operation of the human and divine wills is what saves the soul.”
• The Roman Catholic says, “Divine grace is deposited in the sacrament of baptism and saves the soul.”
• The Ritualist says, “The Spirit of God operating ordinarily through the Word and the sacraments saves the soul.”
• The Scriptures says that, ”The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and wither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:8) The true cause of conversion whereby a change is produced in the soul of the sinner is the Holy Spirit who imparts life to the one who is dead in trespasses and sin. Ephesians 2:1 "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sin." In conversion, "The understanding is opened to receive the divine light, the will opened to receive the divine law, and the affections opened to receive the divine love. When the heart is thus opened to Christ, the ear is opened to His word, the lips opened in prayer, the hand opened in charity, and the steps enlarged in all man of gospel obedience." (Matthew Henry) The Evidence of Conversion
While salvation is by grace through faith alone (Ephesians 2:8-9), the faith which brings salvation is not alone for it is accompanied by good works and a life of holiness. The converted person will "walk by new rules, towards new ends, from new principles." (Matthew Henry)
Conversion brings a change for all the world to see. "I’m one of your converts," a drunken man slurred at evangelist Sam Jones. "Yes," said the great preacher of the gospel, "you look like some of my bungling work!" Only God can save and when He does there is a definite change in the person. The Bible says that, "if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." The conversion or change of a soul reflects regeneration. A Repentance that needs be Repented of
While conversion is a Divine work of the Sovereign God, repentance is part of the ongoing Christian experience. "As repentance is to be continued through the whole course of our lives, upon the account of the body of death, and the motions thereof, so it is every man’s duty to repent of his particular known sins particularly." (The Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689, Chapter 15; Section 4; study Luke 19:8; 1 Timothy 1:13, 1 Timothy 1:15) No Sin too Great for the Grace of God
Such is the provision which God hath made through Christ in the covenant of grace for the preservation of believers unto salvation, that although there is no sin so small but it deserves damnation, yet there is no sin so great that it shall bring damnation on them that repent, which makes the constant preaching of repentance necessary (The Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689, Chapter 15; Section 5; study Romans 6:23; Isaiah 1:16-18; Isaiah 55:7)
Never too Late
"Such of the elect as are converted at riper years, having sometimes lived in the state of nature, and therein served divers lusts and pleasures, God in their effectual calling giveth them repentance unto life." (The Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689, Chapter 15; Section 1; study Titus 3:2-5)