In the previous article, we established that not all conversions are genuine — not all that glitters is gold. In this second part, we will go on to see the permanent characteristics of genuine conversion as we can glean from Scriptures.

Counterfeit Conversions

In dealing with non-genuine conversions, one can distinguish between two kinds: temporal conversion, and counterfeit conversion. This distinction is necessary because we see from the biblical examples of temporary conversions that these largely occur following the presentation of the truth. For example, Simon the sorcerer did hear Philip’s preaching, and in Jesus’ parable, we are told that the seed which was sown is the Word of God. However, there are some “conversions” which have been known to take place as a result of agents other than the word of God or the presentation of the truth.

For example, a drug addict may, as result of psychological treatment experience a change of life from one of addiction, violence and other vices, to that of decency and responsibility, free from addiction. Similarly, a cult member may be required to give up certain vices and live a highly moral life, fast a number of times a week etc. Whilst both examples above involve a turning from one way of life to another (conversion), they are not produced by the truth, hence can be described as counterfeit conversions. Near-death experiences, experiencing “flashes of light”, sudden unexplained events, or even traumatic life experiences can lead to a form of conversion that may closely simulate Christian conversion; however the notable difference is that they were not produced by the truth of God’s word, but by something else – including even demonic agents.

These go to prove that not everyone who undergoes a change in their lives have experienced true Christian conversion. Not all that appears to be conversion is true conversion – as we have seen from Jesus’ own teachings and from that of the apostles.

Non-essential Aspects of Conversion

In our quest to distinguish between fake and genuine conversions, it is important to mention certain aspects of conversion which vary from person to person, and should therefore not be used as yardstick to measure the veracity of all Christian conversions. There are quite a few, but we’ll mention two which are common

Age At Conversion 

There are some who have postulated that if conversion does not happen at a particular age in life, then it is not genuine, or might never happen at all. Dr. Stephen Addai, former rector of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), speaking on the theme of moral integrity within the ranks of public officers, was heard on 12Oct2015 to have said, “Statistics show that 80 percent of all people who will go to heaven make their decision for Jesus Christ before the age of 18. The children should grow up knowing Jesus Christ and if we do so, we will not have judges who collect bribes to prevent justice.”¹

Training up children in the fear and knowledge of Christ is highly commendable, however, the good doctor’s remarks on conversion is utterly unscriptural. Sadly, Dr Addai is not the first person to make such bold assertions. Edwin Starbuck (1866-1947)², writing on religious conversions, similarly said most religious experiences occur between the ages of 15 and 24, as part of the normal process of finding our identities as adolescents. To Starbuck, since all conversions happen in this age bracket, it may be the case that conversion is nothing more than a normal teenage experience.
The good news is, age is completely irrelevant when it comes to conversion. As noted previously, conversion is the work of the Holy Spirit – and He’s not limited by age whatsoever.

Dramatic or Undramatic Nature of One’s Conversion

In a previous article, faith, emotions and the word of God, we addressed the error of basing one’s assurance of salvation on feelings, instead of on the objective truth of God’s word. The danger is that, when we appeal to our emotions instead of truth-based faith, we tend to dismiss any conversion that is undramatic as not genuine. Whilst the Bible records the Philipian jailer’s dramatic conversion experience (Acts 16:25-33), it also takes into account Lydia of Thyatira, whose heart the Lord opened whilst she sat quietly listening to Paul and others share the Gospel (Acts 16:14).

If we were to insist that undramatic experiences were not genuine, we would surely discount the experience of Lydia. But thank God, the Bible does not standardise these variable aspects of conversion. As surely as our faces differ, so do our conversion experiences differ; however they must all bear the same marks of genuineness, if they are to be counted as true Christian conversion. Whether accompanied by great tears or not, whether dramatic or quiet, all Christian conversions ultimately have two permanent marks of genuineness.

Marks of True Conversion

In Acts 20: 18-21, Paul sums up the permanent marks of any true Christian conversion:

And when they came to him, he said to them: “You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews; how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

The New Testament always places emphasis on these two — repenting towards God and placing one’s faith wholly and solely in the Lord Jesus Christ. Genuine repentance is not possible to the carnal man, except his heart is changed through the regeneration of the Holy Spirit. John Owen, in his work The Holy Spirit³ aptly captures this saying “Before the work of grace the heart is ‘stony.’ It can do no more than a stone can do to please God.”

Genuine repentance towards God — with the evidence of a changed life from the inside out, and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, therefore, signify a genuine change of heart. These two are always essential. On this, Joseph Alleine[4] writes,
“More particularly, this change of conversion extends to the whole man. A carnal person may have some shreds of good morality—but he is never good throughout the whole cloth. Conversion is not a repairing of the old building; but it takes all down, and erects a new structure. It is not the sewing on a patch of holiness; but with the true convert, holiness is woven into all his powers, principles and practice. The sincere Christian is quite a new fabric, from the foundation to the top-stone. He is a new man, a new creature; all things are become new (2 Cor 5:17). Conversion is a deep work, a heart work. It makes a new man in a new world. It extends to the whole man, to the mind, to the members, to the motions of the whole life.”

To conclude, anyone who has truly been converted will never turn their back on the faith. There may be seasons of doubt or even a temporal backsliding from grace. However, a true believer will never fall from grace permanently, but will continue to abide in Christ, thereby proving himself or herself to be a true disciple. The case of the Gambian clergy who renounced the faith as addressed in the first part of this article will only, by the passing of time, reveal whether he was genuinely a Christian or a fake. A permanent turn to Islam will prove, as we have gleaned from the Scriptural teaching, that he wasn’t saved at all.

Notes:

1.http://www.ghnewsnow.com/2015/10/12/ghanas-politicians-are-glorified-thieves-mps-corrupt-prof-adei
2. Edwin Starbuck, in “Psychology of Religion”
3. John Owen, in “The Holy Spirit”
4. Joseph Alleine, in “Alarm to Unconverted Sinners”, on “The Nature of Conversion.

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In the recent past, in the Gambia, there was a big stir among many in Christian circles when a former clergy man announced his conversion to Islam on a national platform. This event doubtless re-ignited the age-old discussion, “does once saved mean forever saved?” – otherwise known in theology as the perseverance of the saints.

Before one can go on to address this question, however, I believe that it is important to settle the controversy of who a genuinely converted Christian is, and who is not? In this two-part article, we will attempt to show from biblical examples how one can tell the difference between the two. This is important because we see in the Scriptures that not all who are in the realm of the Church are genuinely regenerate.

What is Conversion?

Conversion can be defined as the first exercise of the new nature, in ceasing from old forms of life and starting a new one.¹ Notably in conversion, there is a turning from one thing (or one way of life) to another. Although in the Bible we see that the term is sometimes used for a backsliding believer’s return to the Lord (please see Luke 22:31-32), the term is generally confined to a sinner’s (initial) conversion to faith.

A classic text that teaches this doctrine is Matthew 18:3. There, our Lord says,

and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Conversion follows the effectual call of the Gospel. To put it another way, if the call of the Gospel is effectual in us, we will respond. What one does, in response to the effectual call of the Gospel is what we call conversion.

Temporary conversion

In John 6, after feeding the five thousand, myriads of “disciples” started following Jesus on account of the miracle they saw Him perform. In response, Jesus began to tell them how that as the bread of life which came down from heaven, they have to eat his flesh and drink his blood. Pretty hard teaching, isn’t it? “How can he possibly expect us to eat his flesh and drink his blood?” they grumbled. Why would Jesus seem to dissuade these people from following Him? I believe the answer is in what John tells us few chapters earlier:

Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man. (John 2:23-25).

Jesus knew those who truly believed in Him and those who were merely following Him because of the miracles. Throughout the epistle of John in particular, we see that there are “believers” who are not true believers at all. I call these, miracle believers. Although these followed Him alright, and had heard Him preach, they did not have genuine heart-faith in Him. These followers had what you might call, a temporary conversion.

In the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:1-9; 18-23), we see a perfect example of a temporary convert. Notice Jesus’ explanation of his parable of the seed which fell on stony ground. This kind of person, says Jesus, receives the word with joy, yet he has no root in himself. Such a seed immediately springs up as a result of lack of depth. This type of “believer” endures only for a little while; however, in the face of tribulation and persecution, he falls away. There was no root all the while (no true life) hence such a seedling could not bear fruit. Of the seeds mentioned in this parable, only the one which fell on the fertile soil represents true converts. Genuine converts last, and they prove that they have true life in Christ by bearing fruits, fruits which last. This is the lesson of the vine and branches.

The Vine and the Branches

In John 15, Jesus uses a metaphor to describe the relationship true believers have with Him as their vital source of life. He says,

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

Many people have stumbled at the fact that there are branches in the vine that the husbandman (the Father) cuts off and throws away (verse 2), eventually burning such with fire (verse 6). However, the key to understanding what Jesus says here lies in verse 8: By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

It is our abiding, and bearing fruit that proves we are true branches in the first place. There are some temporary converts who seem to be branches in the vine, but are in reality not, and the evidence is in that they don’t bear fruit. They are like the seed that fell on rocky ground, which fails to bear fruit because they have no root in themselves. Once these hear a searching sermon, or face the slightest tribulations on account of the gospel, they fall back.

Simon the Sorcerer (Acts 8)

Simon the sorcerer presents another classic case of temporary conversion (Acts 8:9-13). Following the preaching of Philip, Luke records that Simon believed and even offered himself for baptism. But had he really? Peter’s words few verses later proved what he had experienced was not genuine, for his heart was not perfect before God. Peter rightly discerned that Simon was “in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity” – in other words, all his show of conversion was fake. His offering himself for baptism, and attending church with the other converts was all not genuine. He needed to ask God to have mercy on him –for he was not yet saved.

The example of Simon weakens the argument of those who hold that baptism in and of itself has power to save. This is not biblically true, for if it did, then Simon’s heart would have been regenerated as a result of his baptism. But as it were, he was still in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity even after baptism. Obviously, when Peter laid hands for the new converts to receive the Holy Spirit, Simon did not – because he was not a true believer — hence he offered money to Peter to be given the gift of the Holy Spirit. Alas, the gift of God cannot be purchased with money, and God only grants the Spirit to those who obey Him (Acts 5:32). Simon was not one of those, hence, “he had neither part nor lot in this matter, for his heart was not right before God.”

The Lord Knows Them That Are His

In 1Tim 1:19-20, Paul admonishes Timothy, with regards to “holding faith and a good conscience.” The contrast to this was the example of Hymenaeus and Alexander who had shipwrecked their faith. “By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme“. In his second epistle to Timothy, chapter 2, Paul will again pick up this theme. This time, alluding to how those who have shipwrecked their faith have caused an upset in the Church – and some people are feeling as if all is lost. However, Paul says, the falling away of these false prophets did not take God unawares – He knew them that were His!

Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some. But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”

The Lord knows them that are His – in other words, Hymanaeus and Philetus were none of His. Some may fall away, but the true people of God – whom He knows, can never be lost. As John says in agreement, “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.” (1John 2:9). This should be a great comfort to us, and also an admonition to carefully examine ourselves to be sure we are really in the faith. We may be able to fool everybody else, but the Lord knows them that are His. You’re either His, or you’re not. There is no middle ground.

To be continued…

1. Dr Martyn Lloyd-John, on Conversion, www.mljtrust.org

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Last week, in response to our online article “Is Jesus The Only Way?” a reader, a Muslim, remonstrated with us with regards to the person and work of our Lord Jesus. According to him, Jesus was not God; but only a prophet of God.

What interested me most in that conversation was his denial of the crucifixion  and resurrection of Christ. This is because, if you take away the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, the whole foundation of Christianity comes crumbling down. Obviously if Christ didn’t die by crucifixion, then he didn’t rise. And if he didn’t rise, then there will be no resurrection. And if there is no resurrection; there is no hope for the Christian (1Corinthians 15:12-18). Ultimately, if Christ was not crucified, then the Apostles and Jesus himself were all liars; and the Bible a fraud.The death and resurrection of Christ is the hope upon which the foundation of Christianity stands. And Islam calls that into question. “The bible says Jesus was not sacrificed for the sins of mankind”, this reader asserted. When asked what his authority was, he quoted Psalm 91. The Qur’anic narrative on the crucifixion confirms Jesus was not crucified, he claimed. In this article, I will provide a response to his assertions and claims, with particular respect to the Psalm he referred to.

Psalm 91:10-15 reads:

no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot. “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him because he knows my name. When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him (Ps. 91:10-15).

Here is The Qur’anic narrative also

They [The Jews] declared, ‘We have put to death the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, the Messenger of God.’ They did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, but it only seemed to them [as if it had been so]. And those who differ in this matter are in doubt concerning it. They have no definite knowledge about it, but only follow mere conjecture. But they certainly did not kill him. God raised him towards Himself. God is almighty and wise (Qur’an 4:157-158).

The argument being made was, Psalm 91, as a Messianic Psalm rules out any possibility of a crucified Messiah. “No harm will overtake you“, he emphasised. He continued that as Psalm 91 foretold, the angels would “lift him (Jesus) up” and furthermore, the Qur’an states that “God raised him up”; what the Qur’an reports about Jesus being in fact the fulfilment of Psalm 91:11-12 he affirmed. “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands…”

“They certainly did not kill him. God raised him up to Himself”, was the final plea.

So here we stand, with the Qur’an apparently correcting the Bible. The only problem is that, this is simply a misinterpretation.

I will now address three points in defending the crucifixion of Christ.

The Bible Doesn’t Contradict Itself

Firstly, we should bear in mind that Psalm 91 doesn’t obliterate all the other Scriptures in the Bible pointing to a suffering Messiah. One of the first principles of hermenuetics—the science of interpreting Scripture–is the analogy of faith. R.C. Sproul in his book Knowing Scripture states that,

The analogy of faith is the rule that Scripture is to interpret Scripture: Sacra Scriptura sui interpres (Sacred Scripture is its own interpreter). This means, quite simply, that no part of Scripture can be interpreted in such a way as to render it in conflict with what is clearly taught elsewhere in Scripture.¹

Simply, God’s word–the Bible– doesn’t contradict itself. The crucifixion was God’s plan as much as his promise of protection was. When God promises to protect us; it doesn’t mean the absence of trials, temptations, or even death.

Jesus won’t bypass the road to Calvary. God’s steadfast love doesn’t mean the absence of pain, not for Jesus and not for us. God showed him salvation (Psalm 91:16), but remember the empty tomb came after a blood-soaked cross.²

While protection of the Messiah was spoken of in Psalm 91, we must also note that, a suffering Messiah was also prophesied in Isaiah 53. It is only proper that when interpreting the Bible, we look at it as a whole. Also, if we read the Bible, we will indeed see the Messiah was protected and angels did bear him up. Examine Christ’s encounter with Satan in the wilderness (Matt. 4:1-11). After the whole episode, we are told “angels came and were ministering to him [Jesus].”

The Crucifixion Was God Ordained

Secondly, Christ’s death was God’s ordained plan. In Acts 2:22-23, we are told that Jesus was killed “according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God”. So, anyone who calls the death of Christ to question is calling God’s plan to question. Christ didn’t die a reckless death where God was unable to protect him.

In fact, God offered Christ up for the sins of the world. He was put up as a propitiation for the sins of the world (Matt. 1:21, Jn 3:16, Rom. 3:25, 1 Jn 2:2; 4:10). A striking observation one may make reading through the gospel of John is the many assassination attempts, so to speak, on Jesus’ life. But none succeeded because his “time was not yet come” (Jn. 7:6; 10:39). Jesus only died at the time appointed by God through crucifixion.

A Moral Dilemma

Who is Jesus? A liar or a messenger of God (borrowing the Islamic description of Christ). Now Jesus on numerous occassions spoke about his death. If he didn’t die on the cross; then we are faced with a moral dilemma: was Jesus a liar or a messenger of God?

Considering the person of Jesus, his moral virtues and the perfect life he lived; if his words about his death, are not true, then we will have to reconsider how we view him. Either he is a liar or he is who he claims to be—the Son of God.

In fact, Islam does acknowledge a Jesus who is a “Messiah, and a messenger of God” in the very place they question his crucifixion. The question we have to ask of Islam is that, can a Messiah and Messenger of God lie? Was Jesus a liar to have spoken about his death, if it was never to be?

Consider these words spoken by Jesus:

For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth (Matt. 12:40).

From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised (Matt. 16:21).

So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
But he was speaking about the temple of his body. When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. (Jn. 2:18-19; 21-22).

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep (Jn. 10:11).

Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial (Jn. 12:7).

Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour (Jn. 12:27).

These are some few words spoken by Jesus himself. If he didn’t die by crucifixion, then he lied when he spoke these word. Is the person of Jesus as recorded in Scripture consistent with a liar? No. Lying is sin and the Bible tells us Jesus was without sin (Heb.4:15). By the Biblical narrative, there is no reason to doubt the Crucifixion of Jesus. Indeed, if Christ was not crucified; as Paul said, we will be of all people the most miserable.

Notes:

1. R.C. Sproul, Knowing Scripture , Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2009, Kindle Edition

2. Online article, Why you don’t have to fear terror by Jonathan Parnell, http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/why-you-dont-have-to-fear-terror

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