8/3/2019 What is the difference between Repentance, Conversion
and Renewing the Mind?
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rd repentance in a lot of different ways, but I have heard only
a few modern preachers using it as it really means in the
Bible.
Thus much of our evangelical language is really bad ancient
cultural Hebrew or Greek, and creates much confusion. The statement
Repent and be saved was to strongand committed cultural Jews, and
not to Gentiles. So it applies more to a revival/re-awakening than
to initial decisions. It meant to renew your love for God by
driving the implications of Jesus as Lord and Christ into every
part of your life with you now a king and priest for Jesus so you
to did miracles like Jesus did (among many other things).
Even the term conversion is not technically correct as I see it
used to define adecision or confession to follow Jesus. The term
conversion as a word is more complete and powerful than making a
decision and starting on a new journey that results in a changed
way of life. Rather it is the completion of the journey. Itis far
more than regualr church attendance, tithing, doing good deeds and
prayer, although they are part of it.
For example the term conversion in engineering is used for
taking oil from an oi
l well and converting it into things like car bumpers. Or taking
rocks with ironore and converting them into bars of steel used in
making buildings. So in Biblical context, where we actually see
little of Gentiles being born again, but wesee Jews making a
decision that Jesus is the Messiah where you made a decision and
then converted your mind in the repentance process to get back into
right thinking and right doing. This was the continual cry of the
Old Testament prophets.So mind renewing and repentance and
conversion are basically the same, and there is little fit with
modern evangelical language.
Thus going forward to get saved or make a decision could never
be called conversion. For measurement of eveangelical success we
use the terms, decisons for Christ,or conversions. I think the term
decisions is more appropriate. In the time of Jesus, conversion to
Judiasm was measured in years, not minutes.
Of course if your definition of religion is to now attend a
prayer meeting oncein a while and regular church attendance with
tithing, then whatever term you use is fine since no one in the OT
or NT would ever consider occasional prayer meetings and once a
week attendance a religion of any kind. An observant Jew prayed7 or
8 times every day and only 3 of them were in the synagogue.
Perhaps a better example would be to say that when an army
defeated another andmade them vassals, the defeated knew that they
would have to serve the god of the winner, get rid do their old
god, pay high taxes to near starvation, be in thewinners army as
the guys out in front to die first, and your wives and
daughterswould be taken as slaves for the army. Coming to grips
with all of that to become a loyal subject of the winner would fit
closer into the term conversion or repentance as found in the
ancient Hebrew or Greek cultures.
Since this conversion process was liable to be very messy, often
they just killed all the men of the losers and went from there.
Thus the winning soldiers wouldacquire multiple slave/wives and
kill or sell those who did not convert to theirnew life.
From where I sit, the above ways I have described the terms
repentance, conversion and mind renewing have little to nothing to
do with what I hear from any flavor of modern evangelicals. The
only one I know that is close to the biblical standards is David
Hogan.
I see great confusion over two different things.
1. Those who have never ever had the Gospel preached to them
8/3/2019 What is the difference between Repentance, Conversion
and Renewing the Mind?
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2. Born-again as a child Christians who have been living a life
away from God
Most of the language I hear in America is aimed at category 1,
yet most of the ne
wly saved 30 years ago were category 2. Today in America it is
very possible forcategory 1 newly saved to be the children of
category 2 people.
To me, if you have ever believed God raised Jesus from the dead,
you are born-again. This is true even if you did it as a child. For
years most of the people I led to the Lord over the years were of
this kind. They were away-from-God-2nd generation Christians who
the devil had successfully gotten offended per Matt 13, Mark4 and
Luke 8 in the parable of the Sower and the Seed.
After these 2nd generation Christians got saved then they
started on an apparent conversion process in frequent church
attendance and Bible study.
Most of them then fell away in a year or so. Thus the 90% got
offended again and did something different.
What has been your experience?
Now I am commanded to know Jesus and any other human by the
spirit and not the flesh. 2 Cor 5:16 Wherefore henceforth know we
no man after the flesh: yea, thoughwe have known Christ after the
flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.
So all the other distinctions make no difference to me, you are
either a new creation or not. If you are a born again Christian and
not walking just like Jesusin the power of God and not just the
wisdom of men, then you are offended in some way. And usually you
are also ignorant of the ways of God in Jesus, the trueGospel of
Jesus Christ.
Do you read this verse another way?
God Bless You and Yours to be more Noble in Jesus (Acts
17:11-12).
Don
CPM: www.CovenantPeaceMinistries.com
