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What a Wonderful Change: Christian Conversion by Timothy M. Green As the Sunday evening service ended, Sarah stood to give witness to God's transforming work. The sanctuary echoed with her conviction as she declared, "Indeed, the Lord has made a wonderful change in my life!" Her words reached across the centuries to join multitudes of voices that have testified to the transforming work of God. No matter the language, the confession remains constant: God's grace transforms the minds and lives of human beings. How are we to understand this transformation we affirm? CONVERSION AND THE SAVING ACTIVITY OF GOD God's transforming activity occurs within the larger context of salvation. The testimony of salvation affirms that God delivers human beings from the captivity of sin (Romans 6:15-23; 8:1-2) and transforms them into the very image of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18). God's saving work is the Creator's ongoing creative activity as He brings into existence "a new creation" (2 Corinthians 5:17). While salvation is ongoing (we have been, are being, and will be saved), the people of God testify to the initial transforming work of God. This initial turning, or change in direction, is often described as conversion. Conversion encompasses much more than a mere "turning" in the way we feel or behave. Conversion transforms our identity, literally changing who we are. The apostle Paul describes this "identity change" when he exclaims, "Everything old has passed away�everything has become new!" (2 Corinthians 5:17, NRSV). We who were formerly separated from God have been brought into right relationship with Him (Romans 3:21-26); we who were previously dead in trespasses and sins have now been made alive together with Christ (Ephesians 2:1-7); and we who were at one time far off and without God have now been brought near and made participants in the family of God (Ephesians 2:11-22). By the transforming power of God's grace, we are no longer who we were! We have been given a new identity in Christ. This identity transformation is the heart of conversion. Formerly alienated, we are reconciled; formerly dead, we are alive; formerly estranged, we are sons and daughters, brothers and sisters. FROM ALIENATED TO RECONCILED Having sinned against God, humanity falls short of the divine glory and stands guilty before God. As a result, we are alienated from Him. Through His life, death, and resurrection, however, Jesus Christ has provided us the way to be forgiven of our sins, absolved of our guilt, and reconciled to God (Romans 3:21-26). To describe this change from "guilty" to "not guilty," we use the language of the court: we are declared justified or made righteous by God. But God does not simply declare us "not guilty" while overlooking or hiding our sin (imputed righteousness). Rather, we are actually made "not guilty" (imparted righteousness). Our sin is truly pardoned, and we are released from its penalty. At its core, this identity transformation is a change in our relationship with a covenant God. Both Testaments view righteousness as right relatedness; therefore, to be justified or made righteous is to be made right in relationship with God. Trusting in God's free and gracious gift in Christ, we are made "right related" by faith alone. This faith expresses itself in love (Galatians 5:6), so that deeds of mercy and righteousness are the ethical embodiment of faith in Christ, not an attempt to earn life in Him. FROM DEAD TO ALIVE When our life in Jesus Christ begins, our identity comes from Him, the "second Adam" (Romans 5:12-21), and we become "a new creation" (2 Corinthians 5:17). By God's grace, we are radically reoriented in our whole being. We are born into a new humanity and given new life, and we can speak of being "born again" or "regenerated." The Spirit of God that hovered over the waters at creation and gave birth to the Early Church now gives the breath of new life to us. This creative activity of God subsequently continues to transform us into the very image of His Son, Jesus Christ, throughout our journey with Him. FROM SEPARATED TO ADOPTED Our transformed identity includes a restored relationship with God, and we are adopted into the family of God; God is indeed our Father and Christ, our Brother. We are no longer separated from God as prodigals but become sons and daughters at home in His presence. As , we receive the privilege of crying "Abba, Father" (Romans 8:15) and accept the responsibility of participating in Christ's ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-20). Furthermore, adoption into the family of God means we are incorporated into the Body of Christ that extends beyond time and space - His Church. We share in the fellowship of the saints, our brothers and sisters in Christ. CONVERSION: REFORM OR GRACE? Perhaps one of the greatest misconceptions of conversion is that transformation is a human attempt at reform. Conversion is not a self-help course in becoming new but rather is wrought by the gracious work of God in our lives. We cannot discover the saving activity of God on our own. Rather, the Spirit of God awakens us to the reality that we are dead in sin and alienated from God, and we acknowledge (confess) what God already knows about us. In response to God's grace, we "turn" or have a change in mind (repent) with respect to God, ourselves, and sin. Emptied of all we might bring to merit reconciliation, new life, and adoption, we come before the Lord and plead, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner" (Luke 18:13, NRSV). Our trust is placed in Christ, and Christ alone, for salvation! Founded on the authority of the Word of God and rooted in centuries of Christian tradition, the confession of God's converting power and transforming grace remains steadfast and sure. The people of God today join the multitude who proclaim, "What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought / Since Jesus came�"* Indeed, the Christian affirmation of God's transforming power testifies to the optimism of God's grace! *Rufus H. McDaniel, "Since Jesus Came into My Heart," Sing to the Lord, 420. -----Timothy M. Green is the dean of religion and philosophy and the university chaplain at Trevecca Nazarene University, Nashville, Tennessee. |
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