Healthy Church, part 5 - Conversion

The next few “marks of a healthy congregation” from Dever’s book that we will summarize flow out of the first three---expositional preaching, biblical theology, and a biblical understanding of the gospel.

Having a biblical understanding of the gospel, Dever writes that the next mark of a healthy congregation is a “biblical understanding of conversion”.

Conversion can be defined as the result of regeneration in a person that bears the fruit of repentance from sin and faith toward Jesus. The root of conversion is God’s act of regeneration.

Regeneration: “The concept is of God renovating the heart, the core of a person’s being, by implanting a new principle of desire, purpose, and action, a dispositional dynamic that finds expression is a positive response to the gospel and its Christ” (can’t remember where I got the quote). Synonyms for this are being born again, born from above, granted spiritual life, the act of spiritual life being imparted. It is absolutely necessary for faith to be exercised; otherwise, no one would ever be saved. Repentance: “The change is radical, both inwardly and outwardly; mind & judgment, will & affections, behavior & life-style, motives & purposes, are all involved. Repenting means starting to live a new life” (can’t remember where I got the quote).

John MacArthur says, “True salvation is not mere profession or ritual act. It is the divine transformation of the soul from love of self to love of God, from love of sin to love of holiness.”

Conversion, therefore, does not only point back to a one-time experience, but conversion begins a revolutionized life toward a continual lifestyle of repentance and faith pursuing Jesus as the master and lover of one’s soul.

Dever quotes the New Hampshire Confession of Faith: “We believe that Repentance and Faith are sacred duties, and also inseparable graces, wrought in our souls by the regenerating Spirit of God; whereby being deeply convinced of our guilt, danger, and helplessness, and of the way of salvation by Christ, we turn to God with unfeigned contrition, confession, and supplication for mercy; at the same time heartily receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as our Prophet, Priest, and King, and relying on him alone as the only and all-sufficient Saviour.”