Conversion: Kind of Like Falling in Love
On Sunday, we looked at the biblical teaching on regeneration/conversion from John 3 and Ephesians 2. I summarized the Bible's teaching by stating that "conversion is not done by us; it is done to us."
I have received some e-mails this week from people wrestling with their own conversion, and many of them are asking the same thing: if conversion happens to us, and we can't make it happen, then what are we to do? In the words of one guy: I intellectually assent to the facts of the gospel and desire to be converted... but if we are unable to convert ourselves, how can I ever hope to become converted?
My answer to that guy might help some of the rest of you who are wondering about these things. I told him:
It is true that you cannot convert yourself. But it is not true that the alternative is to do nothing. What you CAN do is to plead with God to bring about the conversion of your soul. If Jesus was telling the truth when he said, “All that the Father gives me WILL come to me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out” (John 6:37), you can be certain that as you continue to “cry to Christ, just as you are; confess your sin, your impenitence, your unbelief, and cast yourself on His mercy; ask Him to give you a new heart, working in you true repentance and firm faith” (using Packer’s words), God will certainly do that.
It is God’s desire to convert sinners (Ezekiel 18:31). Assuming that it is your desire to be converted, I am confident based on the promises of Scripture that your conversion will happen. But it will not happen by you “doing” something; it will happen by God doing something IN you as you wait on him. I think this is what Packer means when he writes, “give yourself up to Christ... And wait on Him till His light rises in your soul, as Scripture promises that it shall do.” Scripture promises that His light WILL rise in your soul; but that will happen by God’s grace and mercy and not by your effort.
When it comes down to it, conversion is a lot like falling in love. You can’t make yourself fall in love... You start pursuing someone who interests you, and falling in love happens. In the same way, you can’t make yourself fall in love with Jesus... But you can start pursuing him, and conversion will happen.
I have received some e-mails this week from people wrestling with their own conversion, and many of them are asking the same thing: if conversion happens to us, and we can't make it happen, then what are we to do? In the words of one guy: I intellectually assent to the facts of the gospel and desire to be converted... but if we are unable to convert ourselves, how can I ever hope to become converted?
My answer to that guy might help some of the rest of you who are wondering about these things. I told him:
It is true that you cannot convert yourself. But it is not true that the alternative is to do nothing. What you CAN do is to plead with God to bring about the conversion of your soul. If Jesus was telling the truth when he said, “All that the Father gives me WILL come to me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out” (John 6:37), you can be certain that as you continue to “cry to Christ, just as you are; confess your sin, your impenitence, your unbelief, and cast yourself on His mercy; ask Him to give you a new heart, working in you true repentance and firm faith” (using Packer’s words), God will certainly do that.
It is God’s desire to convert sinners (Ezekiel 18:31). Assuming that it is your desire to be converted, I am confident based on the promises of Scripture that your conversion will happen. But it will not happen by you “doing” something; it will happen by God doing something IN you as you wait on him. I think this is what Packer means when he writes, “give yourself up to Christ... And wait on Him till His light rises in your soul, as Scripture promises that it shall do.” Scripture promises that His light WILL rise in your soul; but that will happen by God’s grace and mercy and not by your effort.
When it comes down to it, conversion is a lot like falling in love. You can’t make yourself fall in love... You start pursuing someone who interests you, and falling in love happens. In the same way, you can’t make yourself fall in love with Jesus... But you can start pursuing him, and conversion will happen.
posted by Bob | 3:49 PM
7 Comments:
I think the analogy of conversion being like falling in love is a good one. Donald Miller repeatedly uses this same analogy in talking about Christian Spirituality. He says that in order for the Gospel to take root in our lives it must be both true and meaningful. Meaning that we can't just believe in these ideas intellectually, we have to jump into them. I suspect that it is often in this gap where counterfeit conversion takes hold.
The following quote by John Bunyan is one of my favorites on the topic of conversion. It highlight's the process of conversion. Conversion is like birth, and we all know labor ain't easy.
Come, come, conversion to God is not so easy and so smooth a thing as some would have men believe it is. Why is the conversion of the soul compared to the grafting of a tree, if that be done without cutting? …the scion, must be let in by a wound; for to stick on the outside, or to be tied on with a string, will do no good here. Heart must be set to heart, and back to back, or your pretended ingrafting will come to nothing…or the sap will not be conveyed from the root to the branch; and I say, this must be done by a wound. …
Alas! men are too lofty, too proud, too wild, too devilishly resolved in the ways of their own destruction; in their occasions, they are like the wild asses upon the wild mountains; nothing can break them of their purposes, or hinder them from ruining of their own precious and immortal souls, but the breaking of their hearts.
John Bunyan, Excellency of a Broken Heart
In the words of one guy: I intellectually assent to the facts of the gospel and desire to be converted... but if we are unable to convert ourselves, how can I ever hope to become converted?
Shouldn't the answer to this be...believe in faith that conversion has happened and simply rejoice in the fact that God saved you because of Christ despite yourself!
Jeff: what if conversion has not happened?
Bob,
I did not hear the sermon on Sunday but after reading through the posts, I am left with a perplexing question: What is my testimony? Why do we make people write out their testimonies before joining the "Core"? Isn't everyone's testimony the same. The root of my question is, how can we describe our journey to relationship with Christ, without mentioning some of our own decision. I am slowly starting to understand how little I have to do with my own salvation, but I continue to struggle with defining my role both in conversion and thereafter. If I am accountable for my decisions in this life, yet the most important decision I can make (giving my life to Christ) is not my own decision, I am left with a deep feeling of uncertainty.
Bob,
I know syntax is tough and there's a ton of nuance here. But if there is a true "desire to be converted" then God has perhaps birthed that desire and is drawing that person to himself.
I listened to the sermon and
agreed wholeheartedly theologically. I'm just always really concerned about how we present the "are you really saved" message to folks so that we don't "destroy the faith" of another.
Revelation 3:20; Isaiah 40; John 3:16: Romans 10:13. . .all these point to a God who will not reject those whom he has drawn to himself. I don't know if perhaps speaking more calvinistically about this might help.
I really appreciate your candor and courage in the sermon, Bob. And I agree on all points. I think I just want to help folks know that God is desiring them to come to repentance.
And, there is a fine line between "an emotional experience" and "changed desires"(admittedly, one speaks to the long haul. . .but desires can come and go as well). It seems to me that both of those things can be an evidence of true repentance and faith. . . .but also could not be.
Not trying to be a contrarian. . I appreciate you guys and all that was said on Sunday.
Aaron
Josh, as I said on Sunday, there are two senses to the word "conversion." Your "testimony" is the story of all the factors and events God used to awaken you to your need for Christ and bring you to saving faith. In the broader sense, we could use the word "conversion" to speak of this entire process.
In a more restricted sense, I am using the term "conversion" to speak of that decisive moment when you are CONVERTED - when the Spirit of God causes you to be "born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1 Peter 1:3).
In the NARROW sense, then, everyone's testimony is the same - "I once was blind but now I see." In the BROADER sense, everyone's testimony is different, as God works out the process in our particular situation (see Bunyan quote above).
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