The Doctrine Of Conversion

You need God to save you. The only thing that you have to do is to recognize the position that you are in and to cry out to God, to confess Him as Lord and Savior, to believe in your heart that He died on the cross and rose again for your sin, for your sin's punishment, to repent of your sin, to turn to God and be saved, like Isaiah 45 says, to turn and be saved. Isaiah 45:22 says, "Turn to Me and be saved." How do you do that? Romans 10:9 makes it clear and says, "If you confess and from the abundance of your heart, if you confess that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that Christ raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."

And so this brings an opportunity here to share with you the Doctrine of Conversion. The Doctrine of Conversion is a wonderful doctrine. If I could take just a moment to share with you that the Doctrine of Conversion states this. It's a voluntary change of mind from sin to God. One turn, two emphases, from sin to God. The Doctrine of Conversion helps you to realize that your part is to turn to God. Initially, this is for salvation. Continually, this is for sanctification. Your personal responsibility is to convert, to turn to God. Now, don't worry about regeneration. That's God's part. Your part is to convert, to convert to Christ. Isaiah 45:22, "Turn to Me and be saved." Isaiah 55:6, "Seek the Lord while He may be found. Call upon Him while He is near." Call upon Christ. "Seek the Lord." You know that repenting is happening while one is truly converting.

Jesus said in Luke 13:3, "That unless you repent, you will likewise perish." And so repenting is part of converting. It's a simultaneous thing that's happening. God is regenerating. You're converting. You're repenting. And you're turning to Christ. And this is something that is happening on the inside of you. That is coming out of you as an expression, a humble expression. And so converting is then also exercising, or you could say confessing your faith, the faith that God has given you to believe that Jesus is the only way, the truth, and the life, and only by His substitutionary death on the cross in your place can you be saved. Ephesians 2:8 says this, "For by grace you have been saved through faith." And so that is the pathway to salvation, is through faith. So to exercise, to confess your faith in Christ is the pathway to salvation. John 12:36 says this, "While you have the light, believe in the light."

And then you are, according to the Hebrew author, the preacher here who was preaching to a mixed crowd, a church, a congregation, filled with believers and non-believers who have family who are saved and not saved. He says in Hebrews 6:18, "I'm going to turn there and see it with me. Take hold of the hope." Hebrews 6:18 helps us to see that part, our part, is to take hold. Hebrews 6:18 is so encouraging to be able to see this promise that you are to take hold of this hope. And who else is the hope except for Jesus Christ and Him alone? And so He is the anchor of our soul. This hope we have is an anchor, Hebrews 6:19 says. So Hebrews 6:18–19 help you to see to turn to the hope, the only one who is able to anchor you in stormy times. Second Thessalonians 2:2 says, "To be not quickly shaken from your composure and be disturbed." If your anchor is Christ and you are anchored in the true gospel, then you are anchored in something that is unshakable, unshakable. In fact, in Hebrews 12:28, it says, "Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude by which we have made an offer to God." So this unshakable kingdom will reside in you, that is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Your part is to turn to Christ and take hold of Him and repent of your sin, convert. This is absolutely amazing. When you recognize your part and God's part, you just simply focus on what you are to do. Convert and be saved. Convert and be saved.