Theology 101 No.18

The basics of the Gospel message teach us that Jesus died on the cross for the sins of the world. But that still leaves us with the question: How do we become Christians? Just as the source of our salvation comes from outside of us, so too the power that changes us from unbeliever to believer does not find its origin in man. In the Third Article of the Apostles’ Creed we learn that one “cannot by [their] own power or strength believe in Jesus Christ or come to Him.” The doctrine of Total Depravity prevents this (I Corinthians 2:14). The non-Christian is by their sinful nature an enemy of God and dead in his sins (Ephesians 2:1). If man is spiritually dead, how can he by his own power or reason create spiritual life within himself?

One of the many tasks of the Holy Spirit is to bring us to faith in Jesus Christ and impart to us the blessing of redemption from sin and death. No one can know the true Jesus except by the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 12:3). Faith is purely a gift from God and the Holy Spirit is the deliverer of that gift (I Corinthians 6:11). Only the Holy Spirit working through the “means of grace” (Word and sacrament) can generate faith in man.

The primary “means of grace” is the Gospel message as it is made known in the Bible. The written and spoken Word of God imparts His grace to us and makes the knowledge necessary for salvation known to us. God through the Word and the working of the Holy Spirit shows us our sin (Law – Romans 3:20) and our need for a Savior (Gospel – I Corinthians 4:15). This Word is all important as it is the only source of faith knowledge (Romans 10:17).

As the Holy Spirit works in a man it is necessary to point out that He works conversion but not by means of coercion. Conversion is not compulsion. Christ does not force Himself into a man’s heart. Christ moves a man by God’s Word to open his heart by having repentance and forgiveness proclaimed in His name. When a man “hears Christ’s voice” he is brought to faith by God. God does not force anyone to believe, but instead exerts His persuasive power through the Gospel.

It must also be added that “believing” in Jesus Christ is more than simply a possessing of core knowledge. “‘To believe in God’ means to know, and accept as true, what the Bible says of God and to trust in Him and to rely on Him with firm confidence” (Koehler, p. 94) [emphasis added]. It is necessary to learn and to know what it is we are to believe. Furthermore faith means trusting that the teaching pertaining to our salvation is of personal benefit to one’s self. Faith is a knowledge that has affected both the heart and the will (II Timothy 1:12). It is impossible to have true faith and not be changed in our attitude toward God and His Commandments (how we act in what we say and do).

The sinner’s return to God is called “conversion”. Luther once taught that conversion means, “To turn to the Lord . . . to believe in Christ as our Mediator, through whom we have eternal life.” As soon as a person believes in Jesus Christ (even though his faith is but a spark) his conversion has taken place. In other words, a man’s conversion is instantaneous. There is no middle ground between being converted and unconverted. The Holy Spirit’s time of preparation for a person’s conversion is not the same as conversion.

When one first comes to faith, there begins in him an immediate struggle. The Holy Spirit in him does battle with the sinful flesh that remains after conversion. This struggle with temptation and sin will continue for the rest of our earthly life. But the Holy Spirit (still working in us through the means of grace) continues to change us and helps us fight sin and temptation. As He works in us, our attitude toward God and His Law changes. As faith grows we become stronger and our understanding increases and we seek after the wisdom of God rather than the wisdom of the world. Our heart becomes more filled with love for God and our neighbor and we abound in good (God-pleasing) works (Ephesians 2:8-10).

A Christian is “a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come” (II Corinthians 5:17). As God calls us back to Himself through the Gospel He also calls us to a new way of life, a new way of acting (philosophy of life), and gives us a right principle for living on this earth until he calls us to our heavenly home. There is no greater moment for a person in their life than the moment of their conversion. For in their conversion to the one true faith, man has all the gifts and promises of Jesus Christ both now and for eternity.