Teachers: students may accept a common impression. The impression: all conversions are produced by a single motivation. The objective of this lesson: build the biblical understanding that motivations for conversion differed from the beginning of Christianity. In any age, a person converted to Jesus Christ must confront his or her own conversion issues. The issue/concern separating a person from Jesus must be resolved. Faith in Jesus depends on the person resolving the issue/concern that opposes faith in Jesus.
Whether a person examines the first century or today, people with differing backgrounds and problems must resolve different issues to be converted to Jesus. Accepting Jesus as the forgiving Savior who destroys "my" sins involves different concerns for different people. That was reality when Christianity began. It always has been reality. It always will be reality.
The challenge issued by Jesus during his earthly ministry and after his resurrection continues. "Grow in your understanding in order to resolve the issue/concern that separates you from God." Jesus makes it possible for any person to be in relationship with God. Relationship with God is possible if the person trusts Jesus. Trusting Jesus involves confronting the questions and concerns that separates him or her from God. In different people from different backgrounds with different problems, those questions and concerns will be different.
All the conversions in Acts were first generation conversions. Paul's letters to congregations were written to first generation congregations. Paul's letters to individuals were written to first generation Christian individuals. These first generation Christians had neither family background nor family history in Christian relationships, Christians ethics, Christian morality, Christian behavior, or Christian worship. There was no background or history in Christian/Christian relationships, Christian/Christian responsibilities, Christian/nonchristian interaction, or levels of Christian leadership. No one had Christian influences from their past.
It is helpful if today's Christians realize most of the New Testament's information about conversion deals with the concerns and issues of first generation Christians.
Two thousand years later we confront concerns first generation Christians did not have. For example, if a child is reared in a godly environment by Christian parents, when is the child truly ready to be baptized? When he or she is six to eight years old, loves God in a God-loving environment, and wants to please God? When he or she is nine to eleven years old, understands facts, and bases conduct on facts, and makes factual decisions? When he or she is a teen who now thinks conceptually and bases actions on understanding oversimplified concepts? When he or she is a young adult, has experienced war with major temptations, has lost battles to evil, and needs forgiveness?
The baptism example is only one example of a conversion issue confronted by today's church that was not confronted by adult first generation Christians. Discussions of conversion issues not addressed by scripture often occur among us. What is acceptable faith? When does it occur? What is acceptable repentance? When does it occur? Can the divorced and remarried make a proper conversion response? What is it? Anytime Christians discuss who can or cannot be Christians, they discuss conversion responses. Individual Christians tend to be comfortable with conversion responses similar to their own, but uncomfortable with dissimilar conversion responses.
The New Testament wrote about first generation adult conversions of men and women with no Christian background. These adults came from inadequate religious perspectives or from ungodly lifestyles. What happened when these first Christian homes produced a second generation of believers who wanted to belong to God? The parents first heard and believed as adults. The second generation was born into a believing environment. In that environment, they always believed on some level. The conversion "awakening" of first generation parents and of second generation children were distinctly different experiences.
Many wish the New Testament provided case histories or specific insights into the conversion of individuals who grew up in Christian homes while worshipping in stable congregations as children.
Every missionary experiences this difference in conversion issues. The first people who learned about Christ resolved a specific set of questions and concerns before baptism into Christ. Until those questions and concerns were resolved, faith did not fully exist. Faith could not lead them to conversion if those questions and concerns were not addressed. However, the issues and concerns of the descendants of the first converts are different.
The work of the first missionaries presenting the gospel to a region and the work of later missionaries nurturing established congregations in the same region are different. Even the first missionaries' teaching emphasis differs from later missionaries who nurture established congregations. Why? The spiritual awarenesses addressed are different. The spiritual awareness of a person who never heard the gospel and the spiritual awareness of an unconverted person who grew up among Christians are not the same.
Even the initial questions and concerns differed from region to region. The questions and concerns of people who are religious [though not Christian] differ significantly from the questions and concerns of people who are not religious.
Consider some conversion issues in the spiritually segmented community of first century Israel.
The righteous: these people knew God was working through Jesus to keep His promise to Israel. They did not grasp specifically what God was doing, but they knew God was at work. Remember people in Israel such as Zacharias and Elizabeth (Luke 1), Simeon (Luke 2:25-35), and Anna (Luke 2:36-38). The righteous existed in first century Israel. Their conversion issue was joyful acceptance.
If the need exists, review last quarter's lesson concerning the righteous. Understand two truths: (1) the righteous existed and (2) they were openly responsive to God.
The sinners: these people knew they were in basic violation of God's law and will. Was God compassionate and merciful? Could Jesus' blood destroy their wickedness? Could God through forgiveness accept them? Their conversion issue was forgiveness.
Sinners faced a specific conversion issue in first century Israel's society. Their condemnation and rejection were so definite that they believed they were beyond hope. A specific reason for Jesus and the Pharisees clashing concerned Jesus' interaction with sinners. Jesus associated with them, taught them, and gave them hope. The Pharisees condemned them, rejected them, and tried to isolate them. The conversion issue confronting sinners: will God forgive me?
The Pharisees: these people accepted Scripture and God's law as God's living word which revealed His purposes. For them, conversion issues took many forms. What was the Messiah's mission and purpose? How did his mission and purpose relate to their understanding of Scripture? How did that mission and purpose relate to their application of the law? Conversion issues focused on their interpretations and applications of God's word and law.
The Pharisees believed (1) God's word was alive, and (2) the law completely revealed God's will. They and Jesus were in agreement about basic forms of evil. However, they disagreed with Jesus about God's attitude toward evil. They and Jesus agreed about who was a sinner. However, they disagreed with Jesus about God's concern for sinners. They and Jesus agreed that God would send the Messiah. However, they disagreed with Jesus about the Messiah's work and purpose. The foundation of the Pharisees' conversion issues was their view of the law and its role in God's purposes.
The Sadduccees: these people did not believe life after death existed. They also rejected the existence of angels and resurrection. (See Acts 23:8.) Conversion issues addressed questions and concerns about resurrection and life after death. Such issues would include the spiritual nature of the person, the existence of the soul, and God's means for rewarding the godly. They could not respond to a resurrected Savior unless they resolved those issues.
They believed God physically blessed the faithful. God's rewards came in life on earth. Physical life was the only life. Of necessity, their conversion issues dealt with the resurrection and life after death.
The proselytes: these people were not Jews by birth. In their past, they converted to Judaism. Their issues would arise from their understandings in Judaism. The men paid a great price for conversion to Judaism--circumcision. Among the issues would be these: can other men who are not Jews become God's children without the pain of circumcision? Can they become God's children without enduring contemptuous attitudes from people who were not Jews?
The conversion issues confronting these converts to Judaism would include (1) basic convictions established by Judaism and (2) the personal prices they paid to become God's children through Judaism.
Certainly, everyone's conversion was based on faith in Jesus Christ. However, placing faith in Jesus Christ did not involve the same issues or concerns for everyone. The end result was faith in the one Savior. The avenues leading to that faith were different journeys for different people.
The end result of conversion to Jesus Christ was the same. Anyone's conversion to Jesus makes Jesus the person's Lord. The route leading to conversion to Jesus Christ could be quite different.
This only considers the variety of issues that existed among some of the Jews. First century Jews were a minority population in their world. The issues confronting those who honored the gods by worshipping idols involved different sets of complex issues.
If we examined only conversion issues among first century Jews, the conversion issues of the Zealots and the Essenes differed from those of the Pharisees and the Sadduccees. Please realize that there were more conversion issues among people who were not Jews than among the Jews. For example, conversion issues were created by various gods, the temples, the idols, fate, magic, etc. These were not conversion issues among devout Jews.
"Now" conversion issues: what are some of the primary conversion issues of these people?
In addressing the following situations, the teacher is urged to solicit information from the class instead of providing information to the class. The objective is to make students think and to expand their understanding.
His or her conversion issues likely focus on acceptance, appropriate time of acceptance, and the appropriate direction of life.
His or her conversion issues likely focus on personal concepts of hypocrisy and insincere commitment. A teen growing up in this environment likely possesses a heightened sensitivity toward Christians who fake sincerity and hide problems or weakness.
His or her conversion issues likely focus on the "strangeness" of Christianity. The values, the standards, the commitments, and the forms are "strange" to a teen with no religious background. Christian attitudes, values, and practices will not automatically be desirable or "make sense" to teens with no exposure to Christian thinking and values.
His or her conversion issues likely focus on personal concepts of good and evil. He or she likely sees some expressions of evil as good and desirable, and some expressions of godliness as evil.
His or her conversion issues likely are specific to the views, convictions, and outlooks of that religion. In some matters, Christianity seemingly holds similar views. In other matters, Christian views are strikingly different.
Conversion issues depend on the person's view of his or her criminal activities. The person who sees these activities as morally undesirable, and the person who sees these activities as morally acceptable have distinctly different conversion issues.
His or her conversion issues likely center in God's existence and nature. His or her conversion issues commonly challenge Christian assumptions.
His or her conversion issues likely are influenced by memories and experiences. In these circumstances, it is not unusual for conversion issues to focus on guilt and shame.
Note: the person's awareness of or acknowledgment of conversion issues does not assure conversion. Conversion depends on using Jesus to resolve those issues.
Link to Student Guide
Quarter 2, Lesson 4