2 Cor.5:17. “What this means is that those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the
same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun!” [NLT]
How does someone move from being away from God and into a place of knowing Him personally? First let’s look at
ways you can’t get through this door: natural birth (some think that if you were born in a certain country then
you are a ‘Christian’), family background (some think that being born into a certain family makes you a
‘Christian’), doing certain religious things (some think that if you go to church, read a Bible or pray, then
you are a “Christian’) or being a good person (some think that if you try to be a good person and don’t hurt
anyone then you are a ‘Christian’). The truth is that none of these things are what makes a person a
‘Christian’. You can have or do these things and not be a ‘Christian’. The Pharisee, Nicodemus, is a good
example of this (see John 3). Jesus Christ is the ‘door’. He is the connection point through which we come to
God and into life in God’s kingdom as a ‘Christian’. Without him or outside of him, there can be no
salvation (see Jn.10:7-10; 14:6).
Becoming a Christian involves three stages:
1. Calling - God takes the initiative. We cannot save or change ourselves. The work is God’s. In love, God
calls out to every person to turn to him. This is not just for a few. God calls out to every person because he
loves them and they matter to him. (see Jn.1:12; 3:16-17. 1 Tim.2:3-4. 2 Pet.3:9. 1 Jn.2:2).
2. Conviction - Conviction is a state of feeling convicted of guilt, of inadequacy, and of need. A person
becomes aware that something is wrong and that nothing or no one is able to help. The conscience is stirred
with a deep dissatisfaction about oneself and with life. It is the condition of the son who, having decided to
go for the ‘good life’, left his father’s home and, having done it all, found himself in a situation of ‘need’
(Lk.15:14). He became aware that something was wrong with his life.
3. Conversion - Without conviction there can be no conversion but not all conviction leads to conversion.
Having come under conviction, the prodigal son became convinced that he should do something about his
condition. ‘He got up and went to his father’ (Lk.15:20). The decision to take action moved him from
conviction to conversion. For conversion to take place, two ingredients are required: repentance and faith
(see Mk.1:15. Acts 16:30-31). Repentance is the rejection and turning away from our old life. It is the
prodigal son decided to go back to the father and cry out, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against
you!” (Lk.15:18). Repentance includes a complete change of attitude towards ourselves that makes us
willing to see ourselves as we really are in the sight of God (see 2 Cor.7:10). Faith is believing that God will
accept us (Heb.11:6). It is the prodigal son getting up and actually going back to his father, knowing that he
will be accepted (Lk.15:20). By faith we obtain peace with God and gain access to his forgiving grace.
Genuine repentance and faith result in conversion. Like the father rushing to the repentant son to embrace
him and to bring him home, conversion is God forgiving us, embracing us and making us his children
(Lk.15:20-24). It allows him to get a hold of us and infuse us with new life. Conversion is often referred to as
the ‘new birth’ or ‘regeneration’. In a moment, everything becomes ‘new’ (2 Cor.5:17. Tit.3:3-8. 1 Pet.1:3,
23)! The new birth is difficult to analyse and even more difficult to describe. It is easier to experience than to
explain.
God deals with us as individuals and we’re all different. Some people experience conversion over a long
period process of opening up to God and to his truth while others experience a dramatic conversion that turns
their lives around in an instant (e.g. Paul on the Road to Damascus). Whatever the process, the basic
components are the same: calling, conviction and conversion.
