The objective of this lesson: to increase insight into the process of conversion.
At the core of conversion [speaking in regard to religious concepts] is a change. You have redirected life and self. Before conversion you were not what you became after conversion. After conversion you are defined by a set of values that you did not acknowledge prior to conversion. After conversion you, by desire and commitment, deliberately became someone you were not prior to conversion.
Stress that the core concept of religious conversion is personal change in mind and behavior.
Let's begin by realizing that what we in the churches of Christ commonly think of as conversion is not the same experience for everyone. It never has been. As an illustration, consider conversion for a devout Jew [Luke 1:5, 6; 2:25; 2:36-38] and the conversion of an idolatrous gentile [Acts 17:22-32] in the time frame of the first century. Did the devout Jew know the living God? Yes! Were his or her moral values consistent with the values/concepts of God? Yes! Were they accustomed to surrendering to the will of God? Yes! Did they acknowledge God to be Creator? Yes! Did the idolatrous gentile know the living God? No! In fact, he or she had to change his or her concept of deity in order to respond to the living God. Did idolatrous gentiles respect the values of the living God in their daily behavior? No! In fact, conversion often involved [for idolatrous gentiles] a redefinition of right and wrong. Was the idolatrous gentile accustomed to surrendering to the values of the living God? No! Often the values of the idolatrous gentile were based on self-indulgence. Did idolatrous gentiles acknowledge the living God as Creator? No!
Discuss these things: (1) There were righteous Jews before Jesus. (2) There were gentiles who were disillusioned with idolatry. (3) The conversion understandings of a devout Jew and of a gentile were basically different. The devout Jew increased his or her understandings of the purposes and will of God. The idol worshipping gentile changed his concepts of the nature of God.
The conversion experience for the devout Jew who always honored the living God as Creator and for the idolatrous gentile who lived in ignorance of the living God as Creator were different. The first involved an increased understanding of God's will and purposes. The second involved understanding Who God was and what His nature was.
Note there is a significant difference prior to conversion in the person who knows the living Creator God exists and in the person who has basic concepts of deity that are wrong concepts about God.
That is a radical [but true] illustration of what should be fairly obvious to everyone. Realize the situation became more complex. Just as among those professing to be Christians today, among first century Jews were those devoted to the Law (Acts 21:20, 21); converted Pharisees (Acts 15:5); and those publicly recognized as sinners [many of whom made no pretense of following Jewish traditions or the teachings of the Law] (Matthew 9:10-13). The gentiles also included proselytes to Judaism (Acts 2:10); God fearers [gentiles who believed in the living God but who had not submitted to the requirements of proselytism] (Acts 10:1, 2; 13:16); and those who at times visited the Jewish synagogue (Acts 13:44-49). Even in the first century, the understandings that led people to conversion to Jesus Christ were not the same awarenesses for all who came to Christ.
Note, just as today, conversion was a complex situation for a Jewish person or for a gentile person. Not all Jews were alike in their understandings, and not all gentiles were alike in their understandings.
Obviously, today, the understandings that lead a prostitute or a drug dealer to conversion to Jesus Christ and the understandings that lead a child in a Christian environment with devout Christian parents to conversion to Jesus Christ are not identical understandings. Therein lies our major spiritual challenge in God's family today. What is said to a 6 year old child in a Christian family who wants to be baptized and what is said to a 17 year old person steeped in an evil environment and evil behavioral practices cannot be the same thing.
The message of the gospel must be made relevant to the need and situation of the person considering conversion. The core message of the gospel [good news] does not change, but the spiritual needs and situation of the person are addressed with the hope of the gospel.
In Ephesians Paul addressed gentiles who left idolatry to be Christians (Ephesians 2:1-3; 4:17-20). Please understand that conversion to Christ did not and does not result in an immediate, involuntary, automatic change. One does not suddenly know and understand things he or she never knew before. There must be a transitional period involving teaching and understanding. A new moral code for governing behavior must be developed and implemented. [In a true sense, this is a lifelong experience.] It is most unfair for third generation Christians to expect converts from a godless environment to know and understand what the third generation Christians know and understand simply because faith in Jesus Christ resulted in repentance of known sins and baptism.
It must be understood by today's Christians that conversion does not result in an immediate, involuntary, automatic change. The converted person cannot know what he or she has not been taught. It is not spiritually just to expect a newly converted person who had a non-religious background to be 'just like us' because he or she was believing, penitent, and baptized. The objective of conversion to Christ must go far beyond convincing a person to be baptized into Christ.
The mere fact that Paul would mention lying, anger, stealing, ungodly language intended to show disrespect for others, and resisting God's influence in their lives was a definite indication that these problems continued among them after conversion. [Note the way verse 28 is worded--Paul addressed an existing problem among those Christians.]
Paul did not write words just to be writing. He addressed real needs and struggles. To transition from one lifestyle to a completely different lifestyle is difficult regardless of your faith!
There was a former lifestyle typified by the expression 'the old self'. There was a new lifestyle typified by the expression 'the new self'. The transition between the selves is characterized by a 'renewing of your mind'. That statement reminds us of Paul's statements in Romans 1:28; 12:2; and Colossians 3:2; Jesus' statement in Matthew 16:23; and Peter's statement in 2 Peter 3:1. There is a 'function of the mind' component to converting to and following Jesus Christ just as there is an 'obedient surrender to God' component of converting to and following Jesus Christ. Conversion involves both the mind and behavior of the person.
Conversion involves the thought process as well as the behavior [act] process. Conversion is not merely a matter of 'doing the right things in the right way.' The understanding of the converted person is as critical as the acts of the person.
Their 'old self' was controlled [corrupted] by the selfish focus of the 'lusts of deceit'. The 'new self' was in the process of recovery Paul called being created in God's likeness by a dedication to God's concept of right doing in which they set themselves apart from ungodly influences for God's truth.
The motivations of the unconverted person and the converted person are quite different!
Conversion with its dedication to the 'new self' begins a journey back to the person God intended us to be in His first creation. That journey will be completed when we live in God's presence after our resurrection.
Christians definitely need to understand that conversion begins a confident journey [the confidence is in what God did in Jesus'' cross and resurrection] rather than viewing it as a 'one time accomplishment' that is preserved by a thoughtless existence.
For Thought and Discussion
At the core of conversion is a change.
We need to realize it is not the same experience for everyone.
The radical, but true, illustration contrasted the conversion of a righteous Jew and the conversion of an idol worshipping gentile.
He or she had an increased understanding of God's will and purpose.
He or she had a new understanding of Who God was and what His nature was.
The personal understandings in the two situations will be quite different.
He addressed gentile Christians who converted from idol worship to Christian existence.
Conversion does not result in an immediate, involuntary, automatic change.
A renewing of the mind marked the transition.
The 'old self' was controlled by the lusts of deceit which commonly appealed to a person's selfish nature. The journey the 'new self' takes is back to the nature God intended us to have when He first created humanity and will end in God's presence at our resurrection.
Link to Student Guide
Lesson 5