THE MEANS OF CONVERSION

By Gary Ray Branscome

The gospel is the means by which God brings us to faith, and the means by which He keeps us in faith. The words, “The kingdom of God is at hand: repent, and believe the gospel,” point to the fact that we enter God’s kingdom through believing the gospel (Mark 1:15). The words, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God,” tell us that God brings us to faith through His Word (Romans 10:17). And, the words, “Kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation,” tell us that God keeps us in faith “through faith,” and thus through the gospel which produces that faith (1Peter 1:5).

Those who deny that the Gospel is the means by which God brings us to faith often point to Adam, Noah and Abraham. However, the words, “Scripture, having foreseen that God would justify the heathen through faith, proclaimed the gospel to Abraham in advance,” tell us that Abraham was saved through believing the gospel (Galatians 3:8). The words, “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac… Believing that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead,” tell us that Abraham believed that his “seed” would die as a sacrifice for sin and rise again (Hebrews 11:17-19). The words, “I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; it will bruise your head, and you will bruise His heel,” tell us God gave His promise of a Savior to Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:15). The words, “That the blood of all the prophets, that was shed from the foundation of the world… From the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah,” tell us that Abel was a prophet, and, therefore, one who understood the way of salvation (Luke 11:50-51). For, “All the prophets testify of Him, [Christ] that through his name whoever believes in Him will receive forgiveness of sins” (Acts 10:43). And, the words, “Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD,” tell us that Noah was saved through faith in Christ, for “there is no other name under heaven given among men, by which we must be saved” (Genesis 6:8, Acts 4:12).

However, the words, “You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people valued by God; that you should show forth the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light,” tell us that those who are lost are in darkness (1Peter 2:9). The words, “Being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart,” tell us that those who are lost are alienated from God and spiritually blind (Ephesians 4:18). The words, “They are all estranged from me through their idols,” tell us that those who worship idols are cut off from God. (Ezekiel 14:5). That means that even if they earnestly prayed to their idol for salvation they would never receive it, because an idol can never answer their prayer. And, the words, “Of His own will He gave us life through the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first-fruits of His creation,” tell us that God brings us to faith [i.e. gives us life] through “the word of truth” (James 1:18). All this points to the fact that the gospel is the means which God uses to convert the lost, and bring them to salvation. As it is written, “The gospel of Christ… is the power of God to salvation to every one who believes” (Romans 1:16). “For the preaching of the cross is foolishness to those who perish; but it is the power of God to us who are saved… For since… the world through its wisdom did not know God, it pleased God to save those who believe through the foolishness of preaching” (1Corinthians 1:18-21).

The words, “repent, and believe the gospel,” reveal that conversion requires both repentance and faith (Mark 1:15). The words, “God will not despise a heart that is humbled and sorry for sin,” describe repentance as being humbled and sorry for sin (Psalm 51:17). The words, “No flesh will ever be declared righteous in God’s sight by the deeds of the law: because the knowledge of sin comes by the law,” tell us that the law is the means God uses to make us aware of our sin, and bring us to the point where we are “humbled and sorry for sin” (Romans 3:20). And, the words “Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel,” compared with the words, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God,” tell us that hearing the gospel is the means that God uses to bring us to faith (1Corinthians 1:17, Romans 10:17).

The words, “Whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God,” tell us that God’s law is designed to convict every last person on earth (Romans 3:19). Therefore, if they are not “humbled and sorry for sin,” it is only because they have hardened their heart (Psalm 51:17). And, the words, “That repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations,” tell us that the purpose of preaching is to call all nations to repentance and faith in Christ (Luke 24:47).

The words, “How many of my father’s hired servants have food enough to spare, and I am dying with hunger! I will get up and return to my father, and will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before you,” and “It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn your statutes,” tell us that God sometimes uses affliction, together with His law, to bring us to repentance (Luke 15:17-18, Psalm 119:71). While the words, “When you received the word of God that you heard from us, you did not receive it as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectively works in you that believe,” tell us that the word works in us to produce faith (1Thessalonians 2:13).

Rightly understood, baptism works together with preaching the Word, not as a work, but as a ceremonial proclamation of the gospel. To “Repent, and be baptized… in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins,” is to repent and be baptized believing that there is forgiveness in Christ (Acts 2:38). And, baptism is God’s way of telling every convert who comes to baptism believing that there is forgiveness in Christ, that their sin has been washed away – not by the water, but by the blood of Jesus Christ and faith in that blood. As it is written, “Scripture has concluded all under sin, that the promise might be given to those who believe, through faith in Jesus Christ,” (Galatians 3:22). God designed that ceremony to give His promise of forgiveness in Christ to every convert, because preachers often fail to.

Likewise, rightly understood, the Lord’s Supper works together with preaching as a ceremonial proclamation of the gospel. Christ’s words, “Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you,” are saying “My body was broken [sacrificed] for you on the cross (1Corinthians 11:24). And, His words, “This is my blood… which is shed for many for the forgiveness of sins,” are saying “My blood was shed for you on the cross so that you can have forgiveness (Matthew 26;28). And, everyone who believes those words, everyone who believes that Christ’s body was “given” for them (on the cross), and that His blood was “shed” for them (on the cross) so that they could have forgiveness, truly receives Christ’s body and blood, not as something physical but as the atonement for their sin.

God designed that ceremony to give every believer who is, “humbled and sorry for sin,” His promise of forgiveness in Christ because churches often fail to.