The Bulletin
of the
Church of Christ at
New Georgia
Tim Johnson, editor
January 28, 2007
In
This Issue:
Hindrances
to Conversion
by
Steve Klein
Justification
by Faith
by
Jeff May
Hindrances to Conversion
In order to be saved, a person must be changed. Conversion is a process of spiritual and moral change. In Acts 3:19, the apostle Peter challenged his Jewish audience to "Repent" and "be converted." Peter proclaimed that the purpose of this conversion was that "times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord." Surely, everyone wants to experience the times of refreshing that accompany salvation. So, what keeps so many from being converted?
In the game of basketball, there is a reward of points for putting a round ball through a hoop. Every basketball player wants to experience that reward, yet it is not uncommon for a player to play an entire game without doing so. Why? Because there are hindrances! Players are hindered from putting the ball through the hoop by that fact that the basket is 10 feet off the ground. They are hindered by the opposing team. And, in a sense, they are even hindered by the rules of the game which prohibit them from doing a number of things that would make it easier to make a basket.
People need to be converted. They may even want to be converted. But there are many hindrances. Some folks are. . .
1. Hindered by the religion of their ancestors. Most people practice the religion handed down to them by their parents. They've accepted it as truth and they are comfortable with it. If I were to ask you, "Why do so many children in India become and remain Hindus?" you'd quickly respond, "Because that's the religion of their parents." Exactly. To be converted, you must be willing to give up the vain religion "received by tradition from your fathers" (1 Peter 1:18)
2. Hindered by prejudice. In Acts 7:54-58, the evangelist Stephen encountered people who would not be converted because they were "stiff necked." If the neck is stiff the head won't turn to examine anything else. Many are never willing to examine the truth that could lead to their conversion; they've made up their minds already based on rumors, what others have said, or their own feelings. They are stiff necked!
3. Hindered by worldly pleasure. Many resist conversion because it involves moral change - they are "lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God" (2 Timothy 3:4). Simply put, many are hindered from changing by their love for things like drinking, cursing, lust and sexual immorality.
4. Hindered by Misguided, Misinformed or Deceptive religious leaders. Jesus warned us to "beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves" (Matthew 7:15). Like the Pharisees of old, many religious leaders today pass on to others the things that hindered them from being truly converted. Jesus said of the Pharisees, "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in" (Matthew 23:13).
5. Hindered by a Desire for Popularity. Even those who see and know the truth may be unwilling to confess it and change because "they love the glory that is of men more than the glory that is of God" (John 12:43). In many towns throughout the Southeastern United States, the majority of citizens are members of one or two well known denominations. These denominations are popular and accepted by the people in the town. Most school children go to these churches, as do most merchants, doctors, and city officials. To convert from one of these man-made denominations, and become merely a Christian who serves the Lord in His church, is to miss out on this connection with the religious culture of the community. I wonder how many people have failed to be converted because it just wasn't what most people did in their little town.
There are many things to hinder conversion. We all have friends and neighbors who need to be converted. If we can understand what is hindering them, we might be able to help them understand it as well. The obstacle that is recognized is much easier to overcome than the obstacle we don't see.
--Steve Klein
The Bible teaches we are justified by faith. It has always been this way. Even in the Old Testament, it was taught, "The just shall live by faith", (Rom. 1:17; Hab. 2:4).
The word "faith" carries with it the idea of faithfulness. It is a picture of a man whose entire life is characterized by faithfulness toward God. Faithfulness will always do what is asked of it. Sometimes it demands nothing except trust. At other times, it de-mands obedience. Abraham's faith justified him in both instances. God promised him he would have more descendants than the stars of the sky. In that instance, faith de-manded nothing more than Abraham's trust. Later Abraham was told to offer Isaac as a sacrifice unto God. Now, faith required obedience. Abraham's faith worked. He obeyed. On both occasions, Abraham was justified by His faith.
This helps to understand the faith that saves you and me. It is the same kind of faith Abraham had (Rom. 4:12). God has promised you and me, dear Christian, that Je-sus' death makes possible the remission of our sins. What does this promise require of me? It requires no action on my part; just simple trust. He further tells us that to be saved we must "repent and be baptized for the remission of our sins" (Acts 2:38). What does this require of me? Trust alone will not do now. I must obey in faith and then trust Him to do what He has promised. God then asks us to continue to live in faithfulness to Him (Rev 2:10). Will we sometimes fail? Yes, in weakness we sometimes do. What will faith do in those moments? It will fall upon God. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us" (1 Jn. 1:9). It is this man, the faithful and trying man that God saves. He is not a perfect man but he is a faithful man. He knows too well his imperfections and His need for God.
In contrast to this man is the man who strives to be saved on the basis of his works. Somehow he has convinced himself of a list of things he can do to earn salva-tion. I've always thought that would have to be a short list!! He will think of a short list of things he has done that will surely save him. He doesn't lean on the sacrifice of Jesus but rather on his own works. This man is shallow in his thinking. Surely he ought to be able to see before God's entire and perfect law that he has sinned and is in tremen-dous need of God. The only thing law can really do for him is to reveal his sin and need for God's grace (Rom. 3:20). This should point him toward the cross of Christ.
Many people read the Bible's emphasis on not being saved by works and conclude that there are no works for us to do in pleasing God. They miss the point. The cross motivates us to obedience and good works for it gives us somewhere to go when we fail. If it were not for the cross, I would not even try to obey. Why should I? Without the cross, just one sin dooms me. But the cross allows me to pick myself up, be forgiven, and get on with the business of being faithful to God. It is "faith working through love" (Gal. 5:6). When the faithful ser-vant has striven to do all God has com-manded him, he still humbles himself before His master saying he has only done what was his duty to do (Lk.17:10).
May God help us to be faithful to Him in all things, not trusting in our works but in Him. This is the lifestyle of the justified man.
-- Jeff May