False Conversions

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False Conversions? April, 2004

By Mae Shurow

1. I have a heart for seeing people grow in the Lord. I have experienced much disappointment and discouragement when so many seem to end up not following the Lord…We think better discipleship is the answer, but the Lord has been showing me that one—and maybe THE—core problem, is false conversions. A new creature should obviously be NEW!

2. I have been quite disturbed by, and have been seeking the Lord about, the baptism of persons who have not TRULY understood the gospel. The ramifications of such baptism can be far-reaching and extremely harmful (as well as bring shame to the name of the Lord).

3. I do not come to these conclusions lightly. When I started teaching new believers, I very quickly became aware that something was dreadfully wrong…many of them had no desire for the things of the Lord! I said nothing for a long time because I thought “Who am I to say anything? The pastor knows better than I and he has assured these people of their salvation…”

4. To make a long story short, over time, the Lord gave me opportunity to talk with a number of people who had “made a profession,” from the very young on up in age. Most had no knowledge at all of Who God was. Some could say the right words, but still gave no evidence whatsoever that they truly understood their sinful condition before Almighty God. He also brought me in contact with people who would claim they “asked Jesus into their heart” at a young age; still they would admit without shame: “…but I never lived it…”

5. I have come to believe that many times we mistake conviction for conversion. [In the very young child, I believe we mistake the beginning of the formation of the conscience as knowledge of sin and consequently conversion.] Romans 10:10 says, “…and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” The word confession is 3670, and means “to agree to the terms of peace, to assent, to promise or to covenant.” Covenant is 1285, and means “to make a solemn agreement involving reciprocal benefits and responsibilities. It is a constitution between God and man; a covenant accompanied by signs [baptism], sacrifices [our old selves!], and a solemn oath that sealed the relationship with promises of blessing for keeping the covenant and curses for breaking it” (TWOT).

We have taken way too lightly our “confession of faith.” It is our agreement to God’s terms. It is a swearing of allegiance and loyal love, a solemn oath before the living God. It must not be entered into lightly, but with full knowledge and understanding of Who God is and what His promises and requirements are!

6. What I see is that there are large numbers of people who are confused about their salvation. They think they are “okay” but they have more desire for the world than the things of God. Children regularly fall away upon reaching their teenage years, which really leads to confusion! Our present methods are not working. Although we do need better discipleship, discipleship itself is not the root of the problem. The need is for genuine conversions if the Lord is be glorified in His Body.

“What IS faith?”

1. What I am seeing is that loyalty—a steadfast love—is inherent in faith. Faith actually means “allegiance to duty or a person; loyalty.” Confession of faith is a pledge of loyalty or swearing of allegiance (a solemn oath before the living God!). To be faithful implies “unswerving adherence to a person or thing or to an oath or promise” (Merriam-Webster). "To believe in Christ is to acknowledge Him as God, this includes trust, hope, and obedience....The believer turns away from himself and confesses Jesus Christ as his Lord, which also means confession that everything he is and has is through what God has done in Christ...It is apparent that acknowledgment of Jesus as Lord is intrinsic to Christian faith along with acknowledgment of the miracle of His resurrection... Faithfulness, stedfastness in faith, must be displayed in all temptations and persecutions... The fact that to believe is to obey is particularly emphasized in Hebrews 11, and Paul in particular emphasizes the element of obedience in faith. In Romans 10:9, it is apparent that acknowledgment of Jesus as Lord is intrinsic to Christian faith…”(Theological Dictionary NT).

2. If we are justified by faith, then we are counted righteous by our promise, covenant, agreement, pledge, of a loyal covenant love for God which can only spring from a knowledge of Who He is, and an understanding of what He did. (This is when we “give our heart to Jesus”).

3. Therefore, to enter into relationship with God and be born again, we must:
      1)    Know Who He is (it is impossible to have faith in and
                loyalty to someone you know nothing about!) New birth
             and the entering of the Spirit is instantaneous, but the
             drawing of the Father is a process. I think if a person has
             been raised in a Christian home and taught about God,
             the process of coming to a knowledge of Who He is
             begins sooner in life. It is no small thing to know Who He
             is. I think that's one reason we have the Old
            Testament—to teach us Who God is.

        2) Understand what He did (this includes understanding that
             we have sinned against this Holy God, that we deserve to
             die, and that He died in our place),

        3) Commit: confess or agree to His terms for peace (Includes
             repentance—being willing to turn from our sins), and
             pledge our allegiance and loyalty to God.

4. I think where we are missing it in our preaching is that we do not proclaim Who He is. The people are destroyed for lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6). This verse is most definitely referring to “knowledge of God” (Hosea 4:1). Isaiah 43:10 says, "Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he..." When people come to a knowledge of Who He really is and a true understanding of what He did, then they WILL commit. (They will want to fall on their faces before a holy and merciful God!) They will agree to His terms, have that loyal love for Him, because they will comprehend that He alone is worthy. If the people knew Who He really was, they would love Him. And the wholehearted obedience that He requires in our covenant relationship can only come out of a heart full of love.

5. How I pray that I, and all God’s people, will proclaim with word and deed Who He is, and what He has done. So that He will be glorified, His truth will be proclaimed, and His will will be done. Give us boldness, Lord, to proclaim the GOSPEL: Who You are and what You have done!

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Theological dictionary of the New Testament. 1964-c1976. Vols. 5-9 edited by Gerhard Friedrich.
Vol. 10 compiled by Ronald Pitkin. (G. Kittel, G. W. Bromiley & G. Friedrich, Ed.) Grand
Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.