This series is important to the salvation seeker for it provides God’s “fine print” which at times presents the necessary context or perhaps a more exact meaning relative to a particular statement or word. With that in mind, let us delve into the subject of CONVERSION which is what the true saint has embraced rather than SALVATION/REBIRTH which, as the Scriptures prove, will not be awarded until the return of Jesus Christ to earth. In this life the saint has the HOPE of salvation. Read Born Again. Key word–Born. As is always the case with God’s promises, the word IF is THE DECIDING FACTOR. That important Word is always related to obedience to His Law/commandments/words/truths as they relate to the love one has for God and Christ. The love factor determines one’s attitude toward Them, which determines the outcome of the IF decision. For example, Jesus said: “If you love Me, obey the commandments.” It could not be more clear.

A number of Scriptural passages refer to conversion. Perhaps the most potent is Psalm 19:7 which directly connects God’s Law to the conversion of sinners: “… the LAW of the Lord is good, for it CONVERTS the soul, “IF the sinner obeys it. Also see Ps. 51:13. Another powerful statement on the subject is James 1:19 where we are told that one who has erred from the Truth MUST be converted and remain so until the return of the Lord. Believing God’s Word is not enough to qualify for salvation. This verse refers to one who has known the Truth (God’s Word–Jn. 17:17) but has strayed from it, not having been converted. One who has been truly converted can also backslide and lose everything he has gained. The parable of the prodigal son proves this. The son voluntarily left the father’s house where he wanted for nothing and had a good inheritance awaiting him. Over time the father could searched for him, could have found him and have rescued him out of the poverty and degradation in which he was living. He did not. Had the son not returned to his father on his own, he would have lived alone and in poverty until his death. He would have lost all he had left behind. But because he returned on his own, the father welcomed him back with open arms (Lk. 15:11-32).

Luke 22:32 is a shock for some people. Bear in mind that Christ’s apostles had spent 3 1/2 years preaching the Gospel, healing the sick, casting out demons, raising the dead, etc. One would assume that they were as close to God as one can be. However, Jesus reveals the status of the disciples when He says to the Apostle Peter: “… AFTER YOU HAVE BECOME CONVERTED, HELP YOUR BRETHREN” (IN THEIR CONVERSION PROCESS). They were not as yet even converted and would not be so until after Christ’s death, even they had been with Him, heard Him, ministered with Him, etc. for all that time.

Another equally powerful statement from the Lord is found in Matthew 12:46-50 where He is saying to His apostles: “Greater love has no man than He lay down His life for His friends. You (apostles) are My friend, IF (AND ONLY IF) YOU DO WHATSOEVER I COMMAND YOU.” Not even those hand-picked, Gospel-preaching, miracle-working apostles were guaranteed eternal life. They, like anyone else, had to obey the Law by which God governs those who truly love Him and His Son. In John 14:15 and 23 Jesus echoes this Truth by saying to His disciples: “If you love Me, obey My commandments (vs 15) … (and) My Words (vs 23). His Words and His commandments are one and the same. And an even deeper statement is found in John 15:10 where He (Jesus–who “loves everyone”) is saying to His disciples, “IF you keep (obey) My commandments you will REMAIN in My love, just as I keep My Father’s commands and (thereby) REMAIN in His love.” Let that statement sink in. Does it not say in Romans 8:35 and 39 that NOTHING CAN SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF GOD? It is true that “noting outside of us” can separate us from God’s love. But we can. Isaiah 59:2 tells us that OUR SINS SEPARATE US FROM OUR GOD. Recall that Jesus Christ Himself said that sin would separate Him from the love of God (Jn. 15:10). This tells us that true conversion is absolutely necessary for attaining eternal life, but it does not guarantee eternal life. Read Matthew 10:22.

As we will see, TRUE CONVERSON involves a total, complete and permanent TRANSFORMATION of both mind and body, over which man always has the final say. We are free moral agents, as were the apostles and AS WAS JESUS OF NAZARETH WHO WAS CAPABLE OF SINNING. He chose not to, and so must we if we are to live with Him for eternity (Rev. 3:21). Do not be deceived by well-meaning men who know only what they have been taught by others, who knew only what they had been taught, …. There is no place for sin in the heart or soul (Heb.–nephesh–body) of the truly converted/transformed saint.

Satan, along with those who serve him, hate the words written above. The most negative things ever said about my message involve those Scripture-based words. However, that just proves that I am right, for Jesus said that the world would hate those who speak His Truth, just as the world hated Him for speaking His Father’s Truth. In Luke 10:16 Jesus said that to reject any of Their Words was to prove that the sinner despises both Jesus and His Father. In Deuteronomy 5:6-9 the Lord declared that those who reject His Law HATE Him. Read Psalm 5:5 for a real shocker.

As stated earlier, to “CONVERT” a thing means to “TRANSFORM” it. Modern children play with incredible toys called “transformers” which, by manipulating certain parts, causes the toy to become a totally different entity, so much so that, if one did not know its original shape, one would not know it is the same toy. In the spiritual sense, “transformation” in the Greek language is “transformoo” which means a total re-do so that nothing of the “old man” is evidenced in the “new man” (Rom. 6:6; 2 Cor. 5:17; Col. 3:9). The old man is thrown away and the new man is a totally new creation which God fills with His Holy Spirit.

Note my continued use of the word “true” relative to conversion. In the modern, end-time Laodicean Church in whom Satan walks, “conversion” (Gr. epistrepho–to turn around), is mistakenly identified as salvation. Biblically, to “convert” involves a complete reversal of every aspect of one’s life–what one thinks, speaks and does–one’s “walk.” Normally, what we think is what we say and do which reflect our thoughts. Everything begins in the mind. Therefore, the mind is the first thing that must be converted/ transformed in order for the convert’s words and acts to fall in line with the Lord’s requirements for salvation which are summed up in First John 2:6: “If we claim to belong to Jesus we must walk as He walked” while on earth. Jesus had no advantage over His fellow man either anciently nor today. As did He; so must we if we are to sit with Him on His throne in paradise (Rev. 3:21). L.J.