Word of Salvation – Vol. 22 No. 44 – July 1976

 

True Conversion

 

Sermon by Rev. W. J. Van Schie, Th Grad. on Lord's Day 33

Scripture Reading: Romans 6:1-11

Psalter Hymnal: 13; 55; 315; 456; 459; 487

 

Congregation in our Lord Jesus Christ,

These days we hear a lot about conversion, especially in evangelistic meetings, we hear that people are called to be converted, and if you are to be a Christian, then you have to be converted first.  Now, unfortunately, this term "Conversion" has been misused.  People use the term Conversion in its wrong context and they give the term Conversion the wrong meaning.  They talk about Conversion as if "making a decision for Christ" is Conversion.  But is this correct?

What people think is Conversion these days is really regeneration.  When I talk about someone coming to Christ for the first time, or for the first time being aware of their sins and their need of Christ, what I'm talking about is the Holy Spirit's work in their hearts, making their dead hearts alive.  That is regeneration.  That happens only once to a Christian.  A person is regenerated, when he is made alive by the Holy Spirit, alive to his need for a Saviour, and alive to the awareness of his sins.  That happens once, and once that has happened, then the process of Conversion can start.

Conversion follows on from regeneration.  We could also say that Conversion basically has two parts.  It's the TURNING AWAY from sin and the TURNING TO GOD.  The turning away from sin, that is called "repentance".  Turning to God is called "faith".  Well, we must examine these two more closely.  Firstly, what does it mean to repent?  What does it mean to repent, to turn away from sin?

I.  REPENTANCE = MORTIFICATION OLD MAN

(a) Heartfelt Sorrow.  One of the most important parts of repentance is sorrow, being sorry for our sins, having real sorrow in our hearts that we have sinned.  Now we must be very careful here because different people say they are sorry for their sins for different reasons, and most of these reasons are not right.  People say that they are sorry for their sins because of the mess that they are in.

If the mess wasn't there they wouldn't be sorry for their sins.  They are sorry for the mess in their life.  They are sorry for what they have done to themselves.

They are not sorry for their sins, they are sorry for the CONSEQUENCES of their sins.  Other people are sorry for their sins because they felt, well, I've missed out on something good.  If I didn't do this wrong and the consequences didn't come my way, then I would have had this really good thing going for me and I'm sorry that I missed out on that good thing, or that good way of life for myself and my family.  So they are sorry for missing out, but that's not being sorry for our sins in the way that God wants us to be sorry for our sins.  We should be sorry for our sins because we have PROVOKED GOD.  Not sorry because of the mess, not sorry because we have missed out on something, but sorry because we have hurt God.  We should regret in our hearts that we have provoked God to anger and that we have rebelled against God and hurt Him as our Heavenly Father.  That's the sorrow for sin that God expects in repentance.  That's the sorrow for sin that must be there in true repentance, the sorrow of provoking God, of hurting God, with our sins.

(b) Action Fleeing Sin.  But then there's the other aspect of repentance.  It is not just feeling sorry, but there must be also the action of being sorry.  We know very well that in our society, one can say "I'm sorry" so very quickly, and one can say, "I'm sorry" to God too, one can even feel it and mean it.  But if we don't put that into practice, that sorrow into practice, then what we say is rather meaningless.  To be really sorry for our sins, to really feel it, we have to have the attitude of sorrow, an attitude of hating the sin which caused us to provoke God.

By our natures we love sin, we want to sin.  It gives us so much satisfaction so quickly.  But, if we are really sorry for our sins, then we should hate sin.  We will do the opposite of what our nature wants us to do.  If we hate sin, we will put into action our attitudes and our feelings by fleeing from sin.  We will flee from temptation, more and more each day.  It is not just feeling sorry, not even just being sorry but actually moving away from sin.  That's true repentance.

So, in repentance, there are two essential parts.  Being sorry, that we have provoked God, and then also the action of fleeing from sin.  Those two parts must be there in true repentance.

(c) Example Hosea.  If we turn to Hosea chapter 6 we see a clear example of false repentance.  A repentance that the people had and that God rejected because it wasn't real.  Hosea 6 – reading the first four verses and then Hosea 7 – reading verse 14.  In the first four verses of Hosea 6 the people are talking.  "Come, let us return to the Lord; for he has torn, that he may heal us; he has stricken, and he will bind us up.  After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him.  Let us know, let us press on to know the Lord; his going forth is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth".  Then God speaks: "What shall I do with you, O Ephraim?  What shall I do with you, O Judah?  Your love is like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes early away." Then 7 verse 14: "They do not cry to me FROM THE HEART, but they wail upon their beds; for grain and wine they gash themselves, they rebel against me.

These people were sorry for their sins, such a sorrow that they actually gashed themselves, such bitter sorrow that they involved themselves.  But God rejected their sorrow.  Why?

Because they put on this sorry.  They put on this demonstration of sorrow just to be able to get the blessing from God again; just so they would get what they could from God.  It wasn't just sorrow at provoking God or hurting God.  No, they weren't sorry for that, they were sorry so that they could get from God their blessings again.  And God calls this false repentance.  These people weren't really changing; these people weren't really fleeing from their sins, because they weren't really sorry for them.  So God rejects their prayers, and rejects their repentance because it's false.

Real repentance is sorrow for provoking and hurting God, and then putting that into action to change our sinfulness.  That's one side of conversion, turning away from sin being sorry for our sins, fighting against sin.

But then there's the other side of conversion, and that's turning to God.  The side that's called "faith".  Also in this part of conversion there are feelings involved.

II.  FAITH = QUICKENING OF NEW MAN

(a) Heartfelt Joy.  Now we have joy in our hearts, the joy that changes our sorrow.  A positive joy that every Christian should have.  Not just a joy that we say we have in our hearts but a burning joy that burns us up with happiness.  Why?  Why should Christians have joy in their hearts?  Because they have peace with God.  No longer are they fighting against God; no longer are they children estranged from their Father.  No, they are back with God again, as Father and child reconciled.  And so this should bring out peace in their hearts, and peace in their minds.  It should bring out joy, not just a turned-on superficial smile but real joy in their hearts.  They are one with God and God is one with them.  That's the feeling of faith.  Joy of being one with the Heavenly Father.

(b) Action-Loving God's Will.  But there's more to it than just feelings.  There are also actions.  Not just feelings but actual actions.  And if the person has joy in his heart because he is one with the Heavenly Father, then he puts into action what he has in his heart, by obeying the commandments.  Obedience is an important part of faith.  If we don't obey God and if we don't follow his commandments, well, that shows we don't have faith.  People can know everything in the Bible, they can know everything in the Catechism, they can know everything from the Confessions, but if they don't obey God or try to, and work at obeying God, then they don't have faith.  Because obedience is a very important part of faith, and God wants us to obey Him, not grudgingly, because we have to, but because we WANT to obey Him.  It is when we delight in His law, that we will want to do His will because we know that His will is best for us.

And then, in a life like this, there will be plenty of good works.  Good works that please God, good works that build up the Christian, good works that are a good witness to everybody else.  Joy, in the heart, that's the feeling, and obedience, that's the action, doing God's will and doing good works.

(c) Conclusion - Us?  Is that a picture of our faith?  Is that a picture of us today?  Do we have this joy in our heart, this peace with God?  Do we delight to do God's law, and really want to do it, although at times we might find it hard?

Young people, when your friends invite you out to different types of entertainment, to that dance that's not so good or the film that's not too hot, or when they want to involve you in dirty jokes and filth - what do you do?  Do you really delight to say "no", do you really delight to do God's will, do you really want to do it from your heart?

And parents.  When the Bible says, put God first, seek first His kingdom, in your entertainment, in your possessions, in your Christian giving, in your time for God's kingdom, putting God first, do you really delight to do it?  Or do you do it grudgingly?  There is only one way faith can grow.  There is only one way we can grow strong as Christian people and that is by wanting to do God's will, loving to do God's will, growing in faith, and doing good works.

III.  DOING GOOD WORKS

(a) Definition Good Works.  A very important question comes up now which is often asked at Catechism classes and bible studies: What are good works?  What are these good works that if we have a relationship with God and have faith and have turned away from sin, we should be producing?  To answer that question, there are certain characteristics that good works must have.

FIRST of all, good works that we do need to be ACCORDING TO GOD'S LAW.  That's a basic criterion for judging if a work is good or not.  Is it according to God's law?  If it's not according to God's law, it's no good.  If it is according to God's law, then it is good.  And how do we know if it is according to God's law?  Through a systematic study of our Bible, through which God reveals His will to us.  Is it according to Scripture, God's revealed will?  If it is, then it is a good work.

SECONDLY, a good work has to glorify God.  Not glorify the person doing it, or glorify the church to whom the person belongs.  No, it has to glorify God, and God alone.  Then some people say, well, I know people who don't belong to a church, who don't believe in God, and they do good works.  Really, what they are doing is quite good.  What about some ladies who go out on Meals-on-Wheels and they bring meals to people who cannot cook for them- selves?  We have one lady in the car who is a Christian, we have another lady in the car who is not a Christian.  They are both doing exactly the same work.  Yet, there is one good work of the Christian and the other is not a good work.  How can you judge that?  How can you tell the difference?  Or is there no difference?  Well, there is a big difference.

(b) Differentiation Human.  If we judge by human standards, then both those ladies are doing good.  But the human standard of good is not the same as God's standard of good.  There is quite a big difference.  The thing is if anybody does anything that seems to be good, but they are not in a relationship with God, then all that they do is spoiled by that broken relationship.  We could compare this to a father and his son.  A son rebels against his father and then goes and does something good for the father and he does other good things too but as long as that relationship between the father and the son is broken, he can't do anything good to please the father.  That relationship, first of all, has to be restored.  And no matter how hard people try to do good things, they can't unless they have a relationship with God first.  And the only way we can have a relationship with God is through Jesus Christ.

The Bible says in Hebrews that it is impossible to please God without faith in God.  We must believe that God is there, we must obey Him, we must trust Him, we must have our sins taken away to be able to please God.

And so the Christian who does Meals-on-Wheels work does good in the sight of God because that Christian has a relationship with God through Christ.  But the unbeliever, well, her work is no good before God because she doesn't have that relationship with God, her life is rebellion against God.  Because she doesn't have that relationship, her work that seems good to us is ruined by that rebellion, spoiled by that broken relationship.  And so good works come out of faith, come out of that relationship that we have with God.

(c) Example-Faith and Works

If we turn to James chapter 1 we see a clear illustration of what James calls true religion.  James 1 verse 26, 27: "If anyone thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this man's religion is vain" (that means empty).  "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world."   James means, you may know everything, but unless you put your religion into practice, into your daily life, then it's empty, it's vain, it's useless.

What is true religion?  True religion is to visit widows, orphans and to keep unstained from the world.  True faith is action as well, action and belief.  And then the good works come out of that true faith.  Without that true faith, without that relationship with God, we cannot produce good works.  We need faith, we need God to produce the good works.

So what are good works?  They are done according to God's law, they are done to the glory of God and are done in our relationship with God.  Those three things are needed for good works.

CONCLUSION

Well, I can hear some people say, "Well, I've tried.  I've tried to turn away from sin, - repent.  I've tried to turn to God in faith, so I fight and I try and I fail – every time I fail, I'm making no progress, I've seen no growth in my Christian life, none whatsoever, I'm not improving.  I'm just staying where I am, maybe even going downhill a little."

Well, there could be two reasons for this.  FIRST of all, you might not be a Christian.  Let's face it.  We might know about Christ but not really know Christ.  Oh, we may know our Bible, we may know what the Church teaches, what the Church practises, but we don't really know Christ PERSONALLY.  And let us stress this for the young people too.  For young people follow the pattern of the home, but it is not good enough just to follow a pattern.  It's important for them, too, to know Christ personally, to be able to talk to Him like a friend, talk to Him as their Saviour and Lord.  For if we don't know Christ personally, there is no way in the world that we can turn away from sin and turn to God in true conversion.  We need to know Christ personally.

But there could be a second reason why you're not succeeding in turning away from sin or turning to God.  That could be that you're not really committed.  There are many Christians who go along with the crowd but are not really personally committed to Christ.  Jesus says "All, or nothing".  He wants us completely or He doesn't want us at all.  TOTAL COMMITTMENT.  When we give our lives completely over to Jesus and we follow His teachings completely, then we will see growth in our faith, then we will see good works being produced in our life.

Turn away from sin and then turn to God and that turning is true conversion, if you know Christ as Saviour and Lord.

Have you turned away from sin?  Turned to do the will of God?  Are you growing as a Christian?  Well, the basic question is: Do you know Christ personally?  As Saviour and Lord?

Amen.