True Conversion Explained

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The power that comes with God’s Spirit helps a person grow and overcome. Literally, this power is Christ living His life in the Christian. Without His help, the new convert gets nowhere—fast! When Christ said, “bring forth much fruit” (John 15:5), He followed it with “For without Me you can do nothing.” Human power—human energy—only helps a person overcome in physical areas. Spiritual problems cannot be conquered through physical, mental, or emotional effort.

Remember that Christ is the Vine and we are the branches. The branches must be connected to the Vine, and this happens through God’s Spirit working in a mind.

When speaking of this, Christ said, “Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spoke He of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him shall receive …)” (John 7:38-39). As it performs good works, God’s Spirit flows “out of” the Christian. Therefore, it must be replenished, or it will be depleted and disappear completely. This is why Christ said, “If you … know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?” (Luke 11:13). God’s people regularly ask, in prayer, for more of the Holy Spirit.

Paul wrote, “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13), and “my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of HIS might” (Eph. 6:10). Christ also said, “With God all things are possible” (Matt. 19:26). Even Jesus acknowledged that, while in the flesh, He “could of [His] own self do nothing” (John 5:30). With God’s Spirit actively working and growing in you, this can be true of you!

But truly deep conversion does not occur overnight. Paul wrote to the Corinthians that they were “babes [babies] in Christ” (1 Cor. 3:1). He described how they required “milk,” instead of “meat,” for food. The brand new Christian is much like an infant. By analogy, he first learns to roll over, then crawl, before walking (and even then, at first, in an unsteady, toddling fashion). Only later does he finally learn to run (spiritually).

Paul understood this. He compared conversion to running a race (1 Cor. 9:24). Of course, though not right away, the runner must eventually develop speed, because Paul says, “Run, that you may obtain [win].”

Such is the Christian way of life. Slow, steady growth, through daily practice, produces progress in the life of the person who is copying Christ. The new Christian sincerely strives, from the heart, to be different—to turn around and go the other way—the WAY OF GOD—for the rest of his life!

Not the Easy Way

But is the Christian’s path easy? Is becoming Christ-like in character the proverbial “cakewalk”? Definitely not!

Let’s return to the Sermon on the Mount for Christ’s own answer. He said, “Enter you in at the strait [difficult] gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction, and many there be which go in there at: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads to life, and few there be that find it” (Matt. 7:13-14). It has always been only the very few who are willing to pay the price to live this difficult way of life.

Remember, Christians “run.” Running takes effort—it is HARD WORK! Runners grow fatigued after expending a lot of energy. Watch people in a long-distance race as they near the finish line. They are tired, worn out—beat! Running is never easy. And sometimes, like a cross-country or marathon participant, the runner has to go up and down hills, over broken ground.

Paul himself said, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14). Just before this, he said that he had learned to “forget those things which are behind” and to “reach forth” to the great goal that was ahead of him (Phil. 3:13). If a runner has pressed himself throughout a long race, he is totally spent at the end. Yet, if he gives up, he has no chance of winning, and all of his practice and effort in preparation for victory is wasted! So, no matter how tired the runner becomes, he remembers, “with God all things are possible.”

Paul also spoke of Christianity as “wrestling” (Eph. 6:12). Anyone who has wrestled knows it is very strenuous—sometimes to the point of nausea and vomiting. He also compared it to fighting. Notice 1 Timothy 6:12: “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life.” Also, 2 Corinthians 10:4 states, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal [physical], but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds [Greek: castles].”

Nothing about war is pleasant or easy. It is dangerous and usually results in many casualties—some wounded, others killed. This is why Paul cautions Christians to “war a GOOD warfare” (1 Tim. 1:18). Christ is called the “CAPTAIN of our salvation” in Hebrews 2:10. The inexperienced or untrained soldier can easily become a casualty of war if he does not submit to authority and follow his captain’s orders!

Resisting Three Enemies

Christians are at war on three different fronts. They must be vigilant—not neglecting potential danger from any of THREE enemies who regularly confront them. It takes humility for a Christian to acknowledge, to himself and to God, that any one of these adversaries is capable of overwhelming him.

Let’s take a brief look at them.

Ephesians 6:1-24 goes on to describe six pieces of armour that Christians use in spiritual warfare. Carefully read Eph 6:12-17. They contain a strong warning not to forget that we are wrestling against “wicked spirits in high places.”

First, the devil and his fallen angels want to defeat and destroy every son of God in-the-making. If you are begotten of God, you are a son of God, carrying enormous potential for rulership. The devil hates the prospect that you can receive what he has never been offered—membership in God’s Family. He lies in wait, like a “lion seeking whom he may devour” (1 Pet. 5:8). But he cannot defeat the “vigilant” and those who “resist” him (1 Pet. 5:9)! A Christian must continually beware of and resist Satan’s attitudes creeping into his mind.

Second, 1 John 5:19 states, “the whole world lies in wickedness.” That is a very strong indictment of mankind. Yet there it is in your Bible! The Christian must also resist the pull of this world, with all its glitter, excitement, attractiveness, and temptations. We have seen that this is not the true God’s world. This world’s god has fashioned it as he wants it. The true God is not the author of the confusion, ignorance, and misery that permeate all of the many cultures and societies of Satan’s world.

There are many temptations, enticements, traps, and pitfalls into which the servant of God can easily fall if he is not close to God and living by every word of the Bible (Matt. 4:4; Luke 4:4). Paul instructed the Ephesian elders that God’s “Word … is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance [salvation—eternal life]” (Acts 20:32). Study it daily!

Third, studying God’s Word will help you overcome the pulls of your flesh. After Paul said, “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace,” he added, “they that are in the flesh cannot please God” (Rom. 8:6, 8). A Christian is still made of flesh, but is no longer “in the flesh,” because he has God’s Spirit leading him.

Left unchecked, human nature consists of vanity, jealousy, lust, greed, envy, resentment, hatred, anger, pride, rebellion, foolishness, stubbornness, deceit, and hostility toward God. The one who is walking God’s path is striving to curb and withhold himself wherever God’s Word instructs. And he strives to exercise himself in all matters where God instructs. When God gives instruction to do something, he strives to do it! When God gives instruction not to do something, he strives not to do it!

While learning to always follow this pattern takes a lifetime, building God’s character is the purpose for which every human being was born. His job is to “put on” the character of God and Christ, and to “put off” the fleshly pulls of human nature (Col. 3:8-13). Though this is not easy, the reward is great.

Only through regular prayer, Bible study, meditation, and even occasional fasting (going without food and water for a period of time), will the child of God be able to overcome the three foes that lie in wait for him every day of his life! Therefore, begin right away to get into the habit of regular prayer, Bible study, meditation, and fasting. These four tools of Christian growth will work closely with the fifth tool to come later—exercising God’s Spirit that will be in you.

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