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 Coming
to a right relationship with God involves change, and genuine
change is brought about by persuasion. Only persuaded people
turn from serving sin to become servants of righteousness; only
the persuaded have the kind of courage necessary to acknowledge
and renounce past wrongs. None but the persuaded give themselves
to the Lord. But if conversion is essentially a matter of
persuasion, how is it to be accomplished? How does God persuade
men to change?
Contrary
to popular opinion, the persuasion that brings men to Christ
comes from being informed. "Everyone that hath heard
from the Father, and hath learned, cometh unto me” says Jesus
(Jn. 6:45). This principle is made apparent in every case of
conversion recorded in the NT. What was done was always in
response to what was heard and learned. Look at
the Pentecostians. They were pricked in their heart by what they
heard (Acts 2:37) and were baptized in consequence of having “received
his word” (v. 41). So with Cornelius who was to be persuaded
by certain words he would hear from Peter (Acts 11:14). The
jailor learned what he must do to be saved by being taught the
word of the Lord by Paul and Silas (Acts 16), not by a direct
intervention of the Holy Spirit. The faith that led these early
converts to obedience had come through hearing the word of God
from men who were being divinely directed into all truth (Rom.
10: l7; Jn. 16: 13). The conclusion is inescapable! These
converts did something; what they did was right and it
was the result of their being persuaded by gospel truth and it alone!
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Hence,
it is imperative that the gospel of Christ be recognized as God’s
exclusive persuading power for changing sinful men. Not
miracles, not “experiences”, but the gospel! It took a
miracle to bring Philip to the eunuch, but it took the gospel to
bring the eunuch to Christ (Acts 8:26-39), which included
baptism. Likewise, miraculous visions prefaced the meeting of
Peter and Cornelius, but once together, Peter instructed in the
way of salvation (Acts 10:33; 11:14) —which included the
command to be baptized (Acts 10: 48). Saul had the amazing
experience of seeing Christ on the Damascus road, yet even this
was not a “saving experience” for he was told to enter the
city where he would learn what he must do (Acts 9:6). There, God
sends Ananias who tells Saul to “arise and be baptized, and
wash away thy sins, calling on his name” (Acts 22:16). No NT
convert ever considered his “experience” as evidence of
being saved. Like the Romans, they were made free from sin after
being persuaded by and becoming obedient to that “form of
teaching” that had been delivered unto them (Rom. 6:17, 18).
Truly
transformed lives are the inevitable result of sincere hearts
being united with gospel truth. The Thessalonians "turned
unto God from idols” because they received the gospel as being
the word of God (1 Thes. 1:9; 2:13). Feelings, experiences or
circumstances may turn people to religion, but only the gospel
can turn men to Christ. Armed with only that gospel and a
consecrated heart, Paul said, “we persuade men” (2 Cor.
5:11). We can too. Dan S. Shipley
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