|
Conversion |
The sinful condition of men and the end
awaiting them
|
|
|
|
The Scripture says that all have
sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans |
|
The torments of hell (Hades) are
awaiting sinners immediately after death, in that God will cast them into
hell, as it is written: “The wicked
shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God” (Psalm 9:17),
which is an awful place of torment located in the heart of the earth, without
any order, a place of darkness where there is an unfanned fire, and where – as
Jesus said – there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. The story about the rich
man and Lazarus, told by Jesus Christ, teaches us clearly that sinners go
immediately to hell when they die and that in this place they are tormented
with fire. Here is this important story: “There was a certain rich man, which
was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And
there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of
sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's
table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that
the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich
man also died, and was buried; And in hell [Hades] he lift up his eyes, being
in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus
in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and
send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger
in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham
said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and
likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art
tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf
fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can
they pass to us, that would come from thence. Then
he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my
father's house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest
they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have
Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham:
but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto
him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded,
though one rose from the dead” (Luke |
|
Then
on that day they will rise again and stand before God to be judged according
to their works and condemned to an endless shame and torment into the lake
which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death (Gehenna).
This is what we read in the book of Revelation: “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose
face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for
them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books
were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the
dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books,
according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which
were in it; and death and hell [Hades] delivered up the dead which were in
them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and
hell [Hades] were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And
whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of
fire” (Revelation 20:11-15), “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the
abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters,
and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and
brimstone: which is the second death” (Revelation 21:8), “and shall be
tormented day and night for ever and ever” (Revelation 20:10). |
|
So,
in the light of the Holy Scriptures, Gehenna differs from Hades in that Hades
is a temporary place of torment, for souls only, while Gehenna is the eternal
place of torment where sinners will spend eternity after the soul has been reunited
with the body. |
|
|
|
|
Man can be forgiven and saved
|
|
|
|
God is ready to forgive the sinner
because He is full of compassion and merciful, slow to anger and plenteous in
mercy. Man therefore has the possibility to escape judgement and divine
condemnation. But in order to obtain the forgiveness of his sins, man must
repent and turn to God, as it is written: “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out”
(Acts 3:19 - NIV), and also: “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous
man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy
upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:7). |
|
To repent means to be sorry and
grieved for the evil one has done, and to turn to God means to forsake one’s
evil ways and start walking the holy and righteous way, that is to say, to
serve the true and living God bearing fruits worthy of repentance (works of
righteousness). When the Ninivites believed Jonah, who announced to them the
imminent judgement of God upon them because of their sins, they turned from
their evil ways and God, seeing this, “repented of the evil, that he had said
that he would do unto them; and he did it not” (Jonah 3:10). As we can see,
God had mercy on those souls because He saw that they repented and turned
from their sins. |
|
However it is important to make it
clear that conversion to God implies faith in Jesus Christ. What does that
mean? In other words, what does it mean to believe in Jesus Christ? It means that
when the sinner repents and makes the decision to turn to God, in order to
obtain the remission of his sins, must believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of
God, died on the cross and was raised again the third day. He must accept His
death and resurrection by faith, even though he was not an eyewitness of
those events in that they occurred many centuries ago. The Scripture speaks
about them, and it is worthy of all acceptance whatever it states because it
is given by inspiration of God, who cannot lie. So if a man believes in
Jesus, he will be forgiven, as it is written: “All the prophets testify about
him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through
his name" (Acts |
|
It
is only by faith in Jesus Christ that men can obtain remission of sins. Good
works cannot purify any man from sin. If good works could do that, Jesus
Christ would have died in vain. It is wonderful to experience the remission
of sins, it is a wonderful experience that all those who have turned to God had
in the very moment they repented and turned to God. It is an experience that
will remain in your mind for ever, and that you feel compelled to declare to
others in the hope that they also may receive remission of sins by the grace
of God. |
|
|
|
|
The death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ
|
|
|
|
I
have just mentioned the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. So let me
say something else about these two events for it is only by faith in them
that a man can be saved. |
|
In the fullness of the time Jesus
Christ (the Son of God, who was in the bosom of the Father before He came
into the world) died “for our offences, and was raised again for our
justification” (Romans |
|
As for His atoning sacrifice, it was
foretold centuries before by the prophet Isaiah in these terms: “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was
bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and
with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have
turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity
of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his
mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her
shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and
from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for
he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my
people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was
any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put
him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see
his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall
prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be
satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he
shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the
great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured
out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the
transgressors” (Isaiah 53:5-12). As you can see, according to the Scripture,
Jesus had to die that He might make atonement for our sins through the
offering of His body. Perhaps you are wondering why His sacrifice was
necessary for the atonement or remission of our sins. Well, the reason was
this. Divine justice - God’s holy law - requires death as the penalty for
sin. God chose to bind Himself by the principle of death for sin, thus
without the shedding of blood (the giving of an innocent victim) there could
be no release from this penalty and no restoration to fellowship with the
Holy God. That’s why according to the law sins were atoned by the blood of
animals, as it is written: “For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I
have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for
it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul” (Leviticus 17:11), and
those animals had to be perfect and pure in order to be accepted by God.
However, those atoning sacrifices (or sin offerings) were only a shadow of
the perfect atoning sacrifice of the Messiah – that’s why the blood of those
animal sacrifices could not take away sins –, who was the Innocent Victim,
that God foreordained before the foundation of the world. So Jesus of
Nazareth, being the promised Messiah, had to shed His own blood for the
atonement or remission of our sins. The death of animals was not sufficient
to remit our sins, because we are much greater than they in that we were
created in the image of God; neither could an ordinary person suffer the
penalty in our place, for each one deserves eternal death for his own sins.
Only a sinless person could atone for our sins, but there was none. So God
sent His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, who existed with Him in
heaven from eternity and who was pure and innocent, in order to provide a
suitable substitute. Jesus Christ was without sin for He was born without sin
and lived a sinless life, and thus He could be a perfect substitute. Thus God
provided a substitutionary sacrifice for our sins through the death of the
sinless man Jesus Christ, as John wrote: “He loved us and sent his Son as an
atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John |
|
As for the
resurrection of Jesus Christ, it also was foretold by God centuries before it
occurred, for David said concerning the Christ: “I have set the LORD always
before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my
heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. For
thou wilt not leave my soul in hell [Hebrew: Sheol; Greek: Hades];
neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt shew me
the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there
are pleasures for evermore” (Psalm 16:8-11). It is evident that David did not
speak of himself but of the Christ, for the patriarch David died and was
buried and saw corruption; but Jesus Christ, whom God raised from the dead,
did not see corruption. David, being a prophet, and knowing that God had
sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his body, according to the
flesh, he would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne; He foreseeing this,
spoke concerning the resurrection of Christ, that His soul was not left in
Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. But why was the resurrection of
Jesus Christ necessary to our salvation? To answer to this question I need to
speak about certain things the High Priest had to do on the day of atonement
with the blood of the sacrifices he offered for his own sins and for the sins
of the people of |
|
Therefore Jesus Christ bore all our sins in His own body, and through
His death we have been reconciled to God. The Just suffered for the unjust
“that he might bring us to God” (1 Peter |
|
|
|
|
Salvation is by grace and not by works
|
|
|
|
I
have just said that a man is forgiven or justified by faith in Jesus Christ
apart from the good works of the law. So salvation is obtained only by the
grace of God without any cooperation from man, without any human merit. That
is a very important Biblical topic, I would say fundamental. There are many
verses of the Scriptures which confirm it, I will mention just some of them:
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is
the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9);
“For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving
divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating
one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward
man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according
to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the
Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the
hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:3-7); “But now the righteousness of God
without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of [in] Jesus Christ unto all
and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have
sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his
grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth
to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness
for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To
declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and
the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is
excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law
of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the
deeds of the law. Is he the God of the Jews only? is
he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also: Seeing it is one God,
which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through
faith. Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid [Certainly
not]: yea, we establish the law. What shall we say then that Abraham our
father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified
by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture?
Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to
him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him
that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as
David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth
righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are
forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord
will not impute sin” (Romans 3:21-31; 4:1-8); “Knowing that a man is not
justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of [in] Jesus Christ,
even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the
faith of [in] Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of
the law shall no flesh be justified” (Galatians 2:16). |
|
So,
as we have seen, according to the Holy Scriptures, good works cannot justify
a man, only faith in Jesus can justify him. You may ask: ‘Why?’ Because the
law was not given in order to justify men but to let them know sin and to
make sin abound. So God, in the fullness of the time, sent His Beloved Son,
Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for our sins, so that we might be
reconciled to God through the sacrifice of His Son. For we could be forgiven
and reconciled to God only through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. In the law
of Moses (which was given many centuries before the coming of Jesus Christ)
we have various shadows of His sacrifice. For instance the numerous sacrifices
that had to be offered by the priests for their own sins and the sins of the
people of Israel were a shadow (or a symbol) of the sacrifice of Christ, for
through those sacrifices, offered year by year, the priests as well as the
people were not purified from their sins for “in those sacrifices there is a
remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the
blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins” (Hebrews 10:3-4). This is
the reason why Jesus had to come into the world and offer Himself on the
cross for us, that through His precious blood our sins might be taken away.
As the writer to the Hebrews says correctly: “And every priest standeth daily
ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take
away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for
ever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his
enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever
them that are sanctified” (Hebrews |
|
Therefore,
it is evident that since the sacrifice of Jesus Christ is perfect in that His
blood takes away sins from the conscience of man, a man cannot obtain
remission of sins or justification by his own merits or his own sacrifices
and penances. Only the blood of Jesus Christ can take away sins from the
conscience of a man. His sacrifice is sufficient for our salvation. So if a
man believes on Him, he will be forgiven and reconciled to God. The just will
live by his faith (and not by his works): that is the good news of the Grace
of God. |
|
|
|
|
The new birth
|
|
|
|
Saying that a person has repented and
believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, is the same as saying that he is born
again because the new birth Jesus spoke about is experienced by a man when he
repents and believes in Jesus Christ. But let us talk a bit more about the
new birth. One night, Jesus said to Nicodemus: “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot
see the kingdom of God…..Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be
born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the
Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again”
(John 3:3,5-7). Therefore, the new birth is
necessary in order to enter the |
|
And he has also
eternal life, for Jesus said: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that
believeth on me hath everlasting life” (John |
|
The new birth takes place by the power of the Word of God (in the
words of Jesus to Nicodemus the Word is symbolized by the water) and of the
Holy Spirit. A man is born again of the will of God, for it is written: “Of
his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of
firstfruits of his creatures” (James |
|
|
|
|
How people get converted
|
|
|
|
According to what the Scripture teaches,
it is God who gives repentance to sinners, as it is written: “When they heard these things, they held their peace,
and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted
repentance unto life” (Acts 11:18) and also: “And the servant of the Lord
must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In
meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will
give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth” (2 Timothy 2:24-25),
and again: “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by
hanging on a tree. Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and
Savior, to give repentance to |
|
Men walk in darkness
without knowing where they are going, they are under condemnation because they
are guilty, they do not deserve to receive anything from God, but God decreed
to save some of them by giving them repentance, by turning their hearts and
by giving them faith in order to forgive and justify them. Of course, since
God works all things after the counsel of His own will, not all believers are
converted by Him at the same age and in the same way, therefore times, ways,
and circumstances differ in the conversion of every believer. |
|
Therefore each one of
the elect has his own story. As for times, some of them turned to God when
they were children, some when they were teen-agers, some in their middle-age,
and some others in their old age. |
|
As for ways and
circumstances, some turned to God after they had a dream or a vision; some
others after they eyewitnessed a healing or a resurrection of a dead person
or they heard someone speaking in tongues (that is, speaking in their own
language without understanding what he was saying). Some other people turned
to God through the death of one of their relatives or friends, or in the
midst of a great trouble, or just after they saw the change worked by God in
the life of someone, therefore without seeing a dream, or a vision, or a
healing, or a miracle or a sign. Then there are those who turned to God after
reading a particular passage in the Bible, or after someone announced to them
the Gospel, so even in these cases without seeing healings, miracles, signs
and wonders. Others have turned to God through other ways and circumstances. |
|
This shows that God
works in man according to the counsel of His will. There is nothing new under
the sun, because we can see this by reading the various conversions recorded
in the Bible. Not all the believers in the days of the apostles had turned to
God after eyewitnessing the resurrection of a dead person or a healing, or a
sign, and not all of them had turned to God through a vision of Jesus Christ
as Saul of Tarsus. |
|
Nevertheless, the most
important thing is not how God leads a person to conversion, which is anyway
important because even this is a work of God, but conversion itself.
Furthermore, we must say that in the eyes of God a conversion occurred
through a heavenly vision is not more important than a conversion occurred
simply by reading a Bible verse on a mountain or in a cave or while in
prison; not at all, every conversion is precious in the sight of God, for
conversion is in every case worked by the Spirit of God who, after convicting
him of sin, draws him to Christ the Saviour, who forgives him of all his sins
and delivers him from this wicked world. |
|
|
|
|
The purpose of God according
to election
|
|
|
|
Salvation does not
depend on man’s desire or effort but on God’s mercy, so when a person comes to
Jesus and is saved, that happens by the will of God and not by the will of
man, for one day Jesus said to the Jews: “No man can come to me, except the
Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day”
(John 6:44) and also: “No man can come unto me, except it were given unto him
of my Father” (John 6:65). This is confirmed by what Luke says in the Acts of
the apostles about those Gentiles in Antioch of Pisidia who believed in the
Lord, for he says: “As many as were ordained to eternal life believed” (Acts
13:48); as well as by these words of Paul to the saints of Colosse: “Giving
thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance
of the saints in the light” (Colossians 1:12 - NKJV), and also by these words
to the Philippians: “For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not
only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake” (Philippians 1:29).
So if a sinner believes in the Lord Jesus Christ it is because God, who works
all things after the counsel of His own will, decreed before the foundation
of the world to have mercy on him and at His appointed time He gave him
repentance and faith in order to fulfil His purpose. Therefore God not only
knew that person one day would believe but also worked that he might believe.
Of course, the sinner doesn’t know anything about the purpose of God for him,
but God with His power and wisdom draws him to Christ. (The sinner will learn
about God’s purpose according to election after his conversion by reading the
Scriptures or by hearing his pastor teaching on this important truth
concerning salvation). That’s why Paul says to the Romans: “So then it is not
of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy”
(Romans |
|
That salvation depends
on God’s decree and not on man’s will or man’s desire is clearly confirmed by
the Scripture through the example of Esau and Jacob, for it is written: “When
Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; (For the
children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the
purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him
that calleth;) It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. As it
is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated” (Romans |
|
|
|
|
Some conversions recorded in
the Bible
|
|
|
|
Let us consider now
some of the conversion stories recorded in the Bible. |
|
On the day of
Pentecost, after the Holy Spirit was poured upon the disciples, Peter
preached to the Jews who had gathered together and about three thousand of
them turned to the Lord. Here is the sermon of Peter and the story of their
conversion: “Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man
approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by
him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him, being delivered by
the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by
wicked hands have crucified and slain: Whom God hath raised up, having loosed
the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.
For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face,
for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: Therefore did my
heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in
hope: Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell [Hades], neither wilt thou
suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou hast made known to me the ways
of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance. Men and
brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David,
that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto
this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an
oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would
raise up Christ to sit on his throne; He seeing this before spake of the
resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell [Hades], neither
his flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised
up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God
exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he
hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. For David is not ascended
into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou
on my right hand, Until I make thy foes thy footstool. Therefore let all the
house of |
|
An Ethiopian eunuch,
an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians,
turned to God after he heard the Gospel from the evangelist Philip: “And the
[an] angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the
south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.
And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great
authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all
her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, Was returning, and
sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet. Then the Spirit said unto
Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.
And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and
said, Understandest thou what thou readest? And he said,
How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he
would come up and sit with him. The place of the scripture which he read was
this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his
shearer, so opened he not his mouth: In his humiliation his judgment was taken
away: and who shall declare his generation? for his
life is taken from the earth. And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I
pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man? Then Philip opened his
mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. And as
they went on their way, they came unto a certain
water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be
baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou
mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that
Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still:
and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he
baptized him. And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the
Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his
way rejoicing” (Acts |
|
Saul of Tarsus, a
Pharisee who was extremely zealous for the traditions of his fathers, turned
to God as he was going to |
|
Cornelius, a Roman
centurion, was God-fearing and was saved as the apostle Peter was preaching
the Gospel to him and all his family. Here is the story of his conversion
told by Luke: “There was a certain man in |
|
All those who lived in
Lydda and Sharon turned to the Lord after they saw a healing worked by Peter
in the name of Jesus Christ: “And it came to pass, as Peter passed throughout
all quarters, he came down also to the saints which dwelt at Lydda. And there
he found a certain man named Aeneas, which had kept his bed eight years, and
was sick of the palsy. And Peter said unto him, Aeneas, Jesus Christ maketh
thee whole: arise, and make thy bed. And he arose immediately. And all that
dwelt at Lydda and Saron saw him, and turned to the Lord” (Acts |
|
Many people who lived
in Joppa turned to the Lord after they heard that God had raised Tabitha to
life, as it is written: “Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha,
which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works
and almsdeeds which she did. And it came to pass in those days, that she was
sick, and died: whom when they had washed, they laid her in an upper chamber.
And forasmuch as Lydda was nigh to Joppa, and the disciples had heard that
Peter was there, they sent unto him two men, desiring him that he would not
delay to come to them. Then Peter arose and went with them. When he was come,
they brought him into the upper chamber: and all the widows stood by him weeping, and shewing the coats and garments which Dorcas
made, while she was with them. But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled
down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she
opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up. And he gave her his
hand, and lifted her up, and when he had called the saints and widows,
presented her alive. And it was known throughout all Joppa; and many believed
in the Lord” (Acts |
|
Sergius Paulus was a
Roman proconsul who turned to Christ after he heard the Gospel and saw with
his own eyes a terrible judgement of God upon a false prophet. Here is the
biblical account of his conversion: “And when they had gone through the isle
unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose
name was Bar-jesus: Which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus,
a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word
of God. But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation)
withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith. Then Saul,
(who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him,
And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil,
thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right
ways of the Lord? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and
thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there
fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about
seeking some to lead him by the hand. Then the deputy, when he saw what was
done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord” (Acts 13:6-12). |
|
Lydia was a seller of purple from the
city of Thyatira, and she turned to God in the city of Philippi through the
preaching of Paul, as it is written: “Therefore loosing from Troas, we came with a straight course to
Samothracia, and the next day to Neapolis; And from thence to Philippi, which
is the chief city of that part of Macedonia, and a colony: and we were in
that city abiding certain days. And on the sabbath we went out of the city by
a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake
unto the women which resorted thither. And a certain woman named |
|
The
jailer in Philippi (together with his family) turned to God after a terrible
earthquake sent by God, as it is written: “And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed
with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by
soothsaying: The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are
the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.
And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved,
turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to
come out of her. And he came out the same hour. And when her masters saw that
the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them
into the marketplace unto the rulers, And brought them to the magistrates,
saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city, And teach
customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being
Romans. And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates
rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them. And when they had laid
many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to
keep them safely: Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the
inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. And at |
|
|
|
|
Water baptism
|
|
|
|
As we have seen, in some of the
above mentioned conversion stories recorded in the book of the Acts of the
apostles it is written that believers were baptized in water (I want to make it
clear that the fact that in some of those stories water baptism is not
mentioned, does not mean that those particular believers were not baptized in
water, but it simply means that God did not inspire Luke to write that they
were baptized but actually they were baptized as all the others). Why were
they baptized? Because Jesus Christ, before He was received up into heaven,
gave this commandment to His apostles: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe
all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always,
even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:19-20). Jesus said to His
disciples these words also: “Go ye into all the
world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is
baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark |
|
Now, it is evident
that since water baptism follows faith, and the remission of sins is obtained
by faith in Jesus, water baptism does not forgive sins. I express this
concept with these other words: it was not by water baptism that we were
saved, because when we were baptized we were already saved, it was not by
water baptism that we were forgiven because when we were baptized we were
already forgiven; it was not by water baptism that we were born again, because
when we were baptized we were already born again. |
|
Then, what is the meaning of water baptism? What is water baptism? We
find the answer to these questions in the Bible. |
|
Peter says that baptism is not the putting away of the filth of the
flesh, but “an appeal to God for a good conscience” (1 Peter |
|
Paul says to the Romans: “Know ye not, that so
many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ
was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also
should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:3-4). Therefore, according to these
words, water baptism represents our death with Christ and our resurrection
with Him, which took place before baptism, precisely on the very moment we
believed in the name of the Son of God. Through water baptism we openly
testified to the world and to Satan that we have died to sin, we have died to
this world, but also that we have been raised spiritually in order to live
for Jesus Christ. |
|
|
|
|
The fellowship with other believers
|
|
|
|
|
|
On
the day of Pentecost, after the about three thousand souls believed and were
baptized by the apostles, they were added to the early disciples, “and they continued stedfastly in the apostles'
doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear
came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.
And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold
their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had
need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking
bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of
heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord
added to the church daily such as should be saved [those who were being
saved]” (Acts |
|
From
these words (as well as from many other words written in the New Testament)
we learn that a man after his conversion must attend a |
|
So
the new born baby (he is called in this way by the Scripture) is called to
attend the Church’s meetings, during which he will learn more things
concerning the |
|
Furthermore,
the new converted person must pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace,
with other believers (with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart).
In other words he must live a holy life to the glory of God. |
|
|
|
|
The pursuit of holiness
|
|
|
|
Inasmuch
as a believer is a person who repented and turned to the Lord from his evil
ways, and believed in the Gospel, he must bear fruits worthy of repentance.
That means that he must live a holy, godly and right life, that is to say, He
must stop serving iniquity and serve righteousness, for the apostle Paul says
to Titus: “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all
men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live
soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that
blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour
Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all
iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works”
(Titus 2:11-14), and to the Romans: “Being then made free from sin, ye became
the servants of righteousness. I speak after the manner of men because of the
infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to
uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members
servants to righteousness unto holiness. For when ye were the servants of
sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things
whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those
things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to
God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the
wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus
Christ our Lord” (Romans |
|
So
every born again person must understand that we are not free to do whatever
we want. We were set free to serve righteousness and holiness. Every believer
must flee the works of the flesh, which are these: adultery, fornication,
uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance,
emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders,
drunkenness, revellings, and such like. He must no longer love and practice
falsehood. Dance, movies, television, pornography and many other things
belonging to this evil world must be avoided in order to please God. Women
must not wear mini-skirts, trousers, and other clothes which are indecent. I
could go on, but I stop here. Read my treatise on sanctification. |
|
The
pursuit of holiness is so important that the Scripture states that without
holiness no man shall see God (Hebrews |
|
|
|
|
The possibility
of falling away
|
|
|
|
The
Holy Scripture clearly teaches that if a believer denies His Lord and Saviour
(that is, if he commits the sin unto death), he will lose his salvation and
go to perdition. Several passages of the Scripture support this important
teaching. |
|
In the epistle to the Hebrews it
is written: “If we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of
the truth [that is, if we commit the sin unto death which is a sin of which
it is impossible to repent], there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But
a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall
devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under
two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be
thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted
the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and
hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? For we know him that hath said,
Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again,
The Lord shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands
of the living God” (Hebrews 10:26-31), and also: “For it is impossible for
those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and
were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God,
and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them
again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God
afresh, and put him to an open shame. For the earth which drinketh in the
rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom
it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: But that which beareth thorns and
briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned”
(Hebrews 6:4-8), and again: “You need to persevere so that when you have done
the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a very
little while, "He who is coming will come and will not delay. But my
righteous one will live by faith. And
if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.” (Hebrews 10:36-38 -
NIV). The apostle Paul says to Timothy: “If we deny him, he also will deny
us” (2 Timothy 2:12), and to the saints of Rome, who were Gentiles by birth:
“Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell,
severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness:
otherwise thou also shalt be cut off” (Romans 11:22), and also: “Therefore,
brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if
ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do
mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live” (Romans |
|
The Holy Scripture not only states
that believers can fall away, but also that there are some who fall away.
Here are some passages of the Scripture which show this. |
|
When Jesus explained what the seed
which fell on rock is, He said these words: “They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word
with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of
temptation fall away” (Luke 8:13). As you can see, they once believed in
Jesus Christ, thus they were saved in that salvation is obtained by faith as
it is written: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved”
(Acts 16:31) and also: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not
of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should
boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9), but afterward, when persecution and tribulation
came because of the Word, they fell away. They believed only for a time, not
until the end. |
|
The writer to the Hebrews,
just after saying that the just will live by faith and if he draws back God
will not be pleased with him, says: “But we are not of them who draw back
unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul” (Hebrews |
|
The apostle Peter in his second epistle speaks about the false
teachers who are in the midst of the Church and says about them: “But there
were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false
teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even
denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom
the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they
with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time
lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. For if God spared not the
angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell [tartarus], and delivered them
into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; And spared not the old
world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness,
bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; And turning the cities
of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making
them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; And delivered
just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (For that
righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous
soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;): The Lord knoweth how to
deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day
of judgment to be punished: But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the
lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they,
selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities. Whereas angels,
which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against
them before the Lord. But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken
and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall
utterly perish in their own corruption; And shall receive the reward of
unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time.
Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings
while they feast with you; Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease
from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with
covetous practices; cursed children: Which have forsaken the right way, and
are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the
wages of unrighteousness; But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass
speaking with man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet. These are wells
without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom
the mist of darkness is reserved for ever. For when they speak great swelling
words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much
wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. While
they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption:
for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. For if
after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of
the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and
overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had
been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after
they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned
to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the
mire” (2 Peter 2:1-22). Please note carefully these expressions: “even
denying the Lord that bought them”, “cursed children: Which have forsaken the
right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor,
who loved the wages of unrighteousness”, “For if after they have escaped the
pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is
worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to
have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn
from the holy commandment delivered unto them”. For all these words clearly
affirm somehow that these false teachers once were saved, and thus they were
children of God. They had been bought by the Lord, thus they were His own
property; they once chose the right way, but afterward they went astray
following the way of Balaam; they had escaped the pollutions of the world
through the knowledge of Jesus but afterward they were again entangled in
them and overcome; they had known the way of righteousness, that is, the way
of salvation, but afterward they turned from the holy commandment (“And this is
his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ,
and love one another, as he gave us commandment” (1 John 3:23). After death
these false teachers will go to Hades, and in the day of judgement they will
rise again to be judged, condemned, and cast into the lake of fire. |
|
Therefore,
stand fast in the faith, live a holy and godly life, do good to everybody
especially to those of the household of faith, be patient and sober, pray
without ceasing and read always the Holy Scripture and meditate upon it;
fight the good fight of faith, resisting the devil, unto the end, “for if ye
do these things, ye shall never fall: for so an entrance shall be ministered
unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:11). |
|
|
|
|
Some words of exhortation
|
|
|
|
Brother
in the Lord, I exhort you to rejoice in the Lord and to praise the Lord for
the conversion you have experienced by the grace of God. Proclaim it to everybody, make it known to others, because God does not
want you to keep silent. Tell people how God had mercy on you. But I exhort
you also to stand fast in the faith unto the end, so that you may receive the
crown of life which God has promised to those who love Him. |
|
“Cast
not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward”
(Hebrews |
|
|
|
|
A warning
|
|
|
|
The
Scripture tells us that in the days of the apostles there were false
brethren, for the apostle Paul said that he had been “in perils among false
brethren” (2 Corinthians 11:26) and that in Jerusalem “neither Titus, who was
with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised: And that because of
false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our
liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:
To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of
the gospel might continue with you” (Galatians 2:3-5). As you can see, the
false brethren tried by their craftiness to bring Paul
under the power of the law, from which Christ has redeemed us. The
same thing happens today through false brethren who infiltrate the Churches,
for they try to lay upon the saints some precepts of the law of Moses in
order to bring them into the bondage of the law. |
|
Paul
confirmed the existence of false brethren also when he spoke about the false
apostles who were among the Church in |
|
Therefore,
brethren, take heed to yourselves, and beware of
false brethren. Do not yield subjection to them, nor be deceived by their
flattering speeches, oppose them to their face, and refute their false
doctrines publicly and privately and censure their deceitful conduct
vigorously. |
|
|
|
Giacinto Butindaro |