|
Conversion
By John Gill; A Baptist
theologian known for his commentary on the entire Bible
Conversion, though it may seem, in some respects, to fall in with regeneration
and the effectual calling, yet may be distinguished from them both. Regeneration
is the sole act of God; conversion consists both of God's act upon men, in
turning them, and of acts done by men under the influence of converting grace;
they turn, being turned.
Regeneration is the motion of God towards and upon the heart of a sinner;
conversion is the motion of a sinner towards God, as Charnock expresses it. In
regeneration men are wholly passive, as they also are in the first moment of
conversion; but by it become active: it is therefore sometimes expressed
passively; "ye are returned", or converted, 1Peter 2:25 and sometimes actively;
"a great number believed and turned to the Lord", Acts 11:21 and "when it", the
body of the people of the Jews, "shall turn to the Lord", which has respect to
their conversion in the latter day, 2Co 3:16.
The effectual calling is the call of men out of darkness to light; and
conversion answers to that call, and is the actual "turning" of men from the one
to the other; so that, with propriety, conversion may be considered as distinct
from regeneration and the effectual calling. Concerning which may be observed,
1. First, what conversion is, and wherein it lies. The conversion to be treated
of is not,
1a. An external one, or what lies only in an outward reformation of life and
manners, such as that of the Ninevites; for this may be where internal
conversion is not, as in the Scribes and Pharisees; and is what persons may
depart from, and return to their former course of life again; and where it is
right and genuine, it is the fruit and effect of true conversion, but not that
itself.
1b. Nor is it a mere doctrinal one, or a conversion from false notions before
imbibed to a set of doctrines and truths which are according to the Scriptures;
so men of old were converted from Judaism and heathenism to Christianity: but
not all that were so converted in a doctrinal sense were true and real converts;
some had the form of godliness without the power of it, had a name to live, and
be called Christians, but were dead, and so not converted; thus the recovery of
professors of religion from errors fallen into, to the acknowledgement of the
truth, is called a conversion of them, Jas 5:19, 20.
1c. Nor the restoration of the people of God from backslidings to which they are
subject, when they are in a very affecting and importunate manner called upon to
return to the Lord, Jer 3:12,14,22 Ho 14:1-4 so Peter, when he fell through
temptation, and denied his Lord, and was recovered from it by a look from
Christ, it is called his conversion, Lu 22:32.
1d. The conversion under consideration is a true, real, internal work of God
upon the souls of men; there is a counterfeit of it, or there is that in some
men who are not really converted, which is somewhat similar to that which is
always found in those that are truly converted; as, a sense of sin, and an
acknowledgment of it; an apprehension of the divine displeasure at it; great
distress about it, a sorrow for it, humiliation on account of it, and an
abstinence from it.
And something that bears a resemblance to each of these may be found in
unconverted persons; though their concern about sin is chiefly for the evil that
comes by it, or like to come by it, and not for the evil that is in it; so in
converted persons there is sooner or later light into the gospel and the
doctrines of it: particularly the doctrine of salvation by Christ, which yield
relief and comfort to them under a sense of sin, and encourage faith and hope in
God; and there is something like this to be observed in some who are not truly
converted, who are said to be enlightened", that is, in a notional and doctrinal
way; and to "taste" the good word of God, though it is only in a superficial
manner; and to "receive it with joy", with a flash of natural affection, which
lasts for a while; and to believe it with a temporary faith, historically, and
become subject to the ordinances; but yet in all this there is no heart work,
whereas true genuine conversion lies,
1d1. In the turn of the heart to God, of the thoughts of the heart; which are
only evil, and that continually, and about evil things, not about God, and the
things of God; "God is not in all their thoughts", nor in any of the thoughts of
wicked men; but when converted, their thoughts are about their state and
condition by nature, about their souls, and the eternal welfare of them; and
about God, and the methods of his grace in the salvation of men: it is a turn of
the "desires" of the heart, which before were after vain, carnal, worldly,
sinful lusts and pleasures; but now after God and communion with him, after
Christ and salvation by him, after the Spirit and the things of the Spirit.
It is a turn of the "affections" of the heart, which before were "inordinate",
and ran in a wrong channel; before they were fleshly, after the things of the
world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life: but
now they are checked, and turned towards God, their hearts being circumcised to
love him; and whom they love with their whole hearts and souls, because he first
loved them; though before their carnal minds were enmity to him; and towards
Christ, whom they now love affectionately, fervently, superlatively, and
sincerely; and towards the saints, who are now the excellent in the earth, in
whose conversation is all their delight, though before hateful to them; and
towards the word, worship, and ordinances of God, which they take pleasure in
attending on, though before a weariness to them.
Conversion is a turn of the "mind" from carnal things to spiritual ones, and
from earthly things to heavenly ones; yea it is a turn of the "will", which
before conversion is in a very bad state, is stubborn and inflexible, biassed to
and bent upon that which is evil, and averse to all that is good; but in
conversion God "works in" men "both to will and to do of his good pleasure"; he
gives them another will, or however a turn to their will, so that of an
unwilling people, they are made a willing people in the day of his power on
them; whereas they were unwilling to come to Christ for salvation, and take him
alone to be their Saviour; "ye will not come unto me that ye might have life",
says Christ, Joh 5:40 that is, ye have no will to come to me at all for life and
salvation.
They chose rather to go anywhere than to him for it; but now they are willing to
be saved by him, and resolve to have no other Saviour but him; yea though he
slay them they will trust in him, and say he shall be our salvation; and though
before they went about to establish their own righteousness, and did not and
would not submit to the righteousness of Christ; now their stout hearts, which
were far from righteousness, are brought down, and they become willing to be
found in Christ, and in his righteousness only; and inasmuch as before they
would not have Christ to reign over them, and chose not to be subject to his
laws and ordinances, now they are ready to acknowledge him as their king and
governor, and turn their feet to his testimonies, and esteem his precepts
concerning all things to be right.
1d2. Conversion lies in a man's being turned from darkness to light; the apostle
says, he was sent by Christ to the Gentiles, as a minister of the gospel, "to
turn them from darkness to light", Ac 26:18 that is, to be the instrument or
means of their conversion, by preaching the gospel to them.
In this conversion may seem to coincide with the effectual calling; but it may
be observed, that the effectual calling is a call to, but conversion is a
turning of, men from darkness to light; God not only calls unto light, but turns
them to light in every sense; to God who is light itself, and in whom is no
darkness at all; to Christ, who is the light of the world; to the gospel, which
is the great light that shines on men who sit in darkness; and to the light of
grace, which is a shining light, that shines more and more unto the perfect day.
1d3. Conversion lies in the turning of men "from the power of Satan unto God",
as in the above place, Ac 26:18. Satan has great power over men in an
unconverted state, his seat is in their hearts, which are the palace in which he
rules; he works effectually with great power and energy in the children of
disobedience, by stirring up their lusts and corruptions, suggesting evil things
to their minds, and tempting them to them; he does all he can to keep them in
their native blindness and ignorance, and to increase it, and to prevent them
from hearing the gospel, and from its being beneficial to them, lest the light
of it should shine into their minds.
He captivates them, and leads them captive at his will; and they are willingly
led by him, the lusts of their father they will do; but now in conversion they
are turned from his power; he is dispossessed of them, and his armour taken from
him in which he trusted; the prey is taken out of the hands of the mighty, and
the lawful captive is delivered; men are translated from the power of darkness
into the kingdom of God's dear Son; and though they are not freed from his
temptations, yet they have grace sufficient given them to bear up under them
till it is the pleasure of God to save them from them, who will shortly bruise
him under them; and as they are in conversion turned from him, they are turned
to God; who before were without him, and alienated from the life of him, and
strangers to him; but now they are turned to the knowledge of him, to love to
him, to faith in him, and to
communion with him.
1d4. Conversion lies in turning men from idols to serve the living God; not
merely from idols of silver and gold, of wood and stone, as formerly, but from
the idols of a man's own heart, his lusts and corruptions; with respect to which
the language of a converted sinner is, "What have I to do any more with idols?"
this is a blessing bestowed in conversion, "Unto you first, God having raised up
his son Jesus, sent him to bless you", in "turning away everyone of you from his
iniquities". In redemption Christ turns away iniquities from his people by
bearing them and making satisfaction for them; and in conversion, he by his
Spirit and grace turns them from their iniquities.
He turns them from the love of them to an hatred of them, even of vain thoughts,
as well as of sinful actions; from the service and drudgery of them to the
service of righteousness; from the power and dominion of them and subjection to
them, and from a course of living in them to a life of holiness; and from the
paths of sin to the paths of truth and uprightness.
1d5. Conversion lies in turning men from their own righteousness to the
righteousness of Christ; not from doing works of righteousness, for such
converted persons are most fit for, and most capable of, and are under the
greatest obligations to perform; but from depending upon them for justification
before God and acceptance with him; in order to which they must be convinced by
the Spirit of God of the insufficiency of their own righteousness to justify
them, being imperfect; and of the necessity, perfection, and fullness of
Christ's righteousness, which being turned unto, they receive, embrace, lay hold
on, and plead as their justifying righteousness before God; and this requires
more than human teachings: for though ministers are said to "turn many to
righteousness", that is, to the righteousness of Christ, yet only
instrumentally, and as the means of it, through preaching the gospel, in which
there is a revelation of it; for God is the efficient cause of the turn of them
to it; for though the gospel is the ministration of it, yet it is the Lord that
must bring it near to stouthearted ones far from righteousness, and make them
willing to submit unto it, and to be desirous of being found in it.
For men naturally do not care to part with their own righteousness; it is their
own, and what they have been a long time and with great labour rearing up, and
to have it demolished, they cannot bear it; they would fain hold it fast, and
lean upon it, though it shall not stand; it is their idol, in which they place
their trust and confidence, and to take this away from them is to take away
their god; as Micah said, when his idol was stolen from him, "Ye have taken away
my gods, and what have I more?" Wherefore the conversion of a self-righteous
person is more rare and difficult than the conversion of a profligate sinner;
hence our Lord says to the Scribes and Pharisees, that "the publicans and
harlots go into the kingdom of God before them"; and that he himself "came not
to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance", Mt
21:31 9:13.
1d6. Conversion lies in a man's turning to the Lord actively, under the
influence of divine grace; and by this phrase it is often expressed in
scripture, as in Isa 10:21 Ac 11:21 2Co 3:16 men being thoroughly convinced that
there is salvation in no other but in Christ, that it is in vain to expect it
elsewhere; after they have made many inquiries and searches to no purpose, turn
to the Lord Jesus Christ, and look to him alone for salvation; being apprized of
their danger, they turn as they are directed, encouraged and enabled to Christ
the stronghold, where they are safe from all danger, and from every enemy.
Being made sensible of the insufficiency of their own righteousness and of the
suitableness of the righteousness of Christ for them, they turn to him as the
Lord their righteousness, in whom all the seed of Israel are justified and shall
glory; and being fully satisfied with the equity of the laws, rules, and
ordinances of Christ, they turn to him as their Lord and Lawgiver, and submit to
his commands, renouncing all other lords and their dominion over them; and
though in their natural state they are like sheep going astray, in conversion
they are returned to Christ, as the great Shepherd and bishop of souls: the
parable of seeking and finding, and bringing home the lost sheep, is a fit
representation of the conversion of a sinner.
Christ's people are his sheep before conversion, but they are lost sheep,
straying in the wilderness; and as sheep never return to the fold, shepherd and
pasture of themselves, unless looked up and
are returned; so neither do they, till they are sought for and found, and
brought home by Christ, the proprietor of them, with joy; and the parables
following represent the same thing; as that of the lost piece of silver, for
finding which the woman lights a candle and sweeps the house, and searches every
corner till she finds it, which gives her joy; this sets forth the high esteem
and value the elect are in with Christ, comparable to silver, yea to line gold
and precious stones; and the passiveness of men in first conversion, who no more
contribute to it than the piece of silver to its being found; and the means and
methods made use of in conversion, the light of the gospel ministry, and the
stir and bustle on that occasion: so the parable of the prodigal son, and his
return to his father, is expressive of the same.
His manner of living before his return is a lively picture of the state of
unconverted men, living in their lusts, and pursuing the desires of the flesh
and of the mind; in his return there are all the symptoms of a true and real
conversion; as a sense of his starving, famishing, and perishing state by
nature; his coming to his right mind, his sense of sin, confession of it, and
repentance for it; his faith and hope of meeting with a favourable reception by
his father, which encouraged him to return, and which he met with; see Isa 55:7.
2. Secondly, The causes of conversion, efficient, moving, and instrumental.
2a. First, The efficient cause, which is not man but God.
2a1. Not man, it is neither by the power nor will of man.
2a1a. Not by the power of man; what is said of the conversion or turning of the
Jews from their captivity, is true of the conversion of a sinner, that it is
"not by might nor by power", that is not of man, "but by my Spirit, as saith the
Lord of hosts", Zec 4:6.
Men are dead in a moral sense while unconverted, they are dead in trespasses and
sins, which are the cause of their death; and their very living in them is no
other than a moral death; nor can they quicken themselves, and unless they are
quickened they cannot be converted; and being in a moral sense dead they are "strengthless";
they are not only "weak through the flesh", the corruption of nature, but they
are "without strength"; without any strength at all to perform that which is
good, and much less a work of so great importance as their own conversion; they
have not the command of themselves, nor any power over their hearts, the
thoughts, desires, and affections of them; they cannot check them and control
them at pleasure.
They cannot think anything as of themselves, much less think a good thought;
they cannot turn the streams of their desires and affections to proper objects;
they cannot move their minds, nor bend their wills, even to that which is to
their own advantage. Conversion is such an alteration in a man as is not in his
power to effect: it is like that of an Ethiopian changing his skin, and a
leopard his spots; such things are never heard of, as a blackamoor becoming
white, and a leopard becoming clear of his spots; and as unlikely is it that a
man should convert himself, Jer 13:23 a tree must first be made good, so as to
bring forth good fruit; "Make the tree good", says our Lord; but the tree cannot
make itself good; another hand must be employed about it, to engraft it,
cultivate and improve it.
A thornbush cannot turn itself into a vine tree, and so bring forth grapes; nor
a thistle into a fig tree, to bring forth figs; but as soon may these things be
done as a man to convert himself and bring forth the good fruits of
righteousness, Mt 12:33 7:16-18. Conversion is the motion of the soul towards
God; but as this cannot be in a dead man, and unless he is quickened, so not
unless he is drawn by efficacious grace; wherefore God, in conversion, draws men
with lovingkindness to himself; and, with the cords of love, to his Son; for "no
man", says Christ, "can come unto me, except the Father, which hath sent me,
draw him", Joh 6:44 and even converted persons themselves are so sensible of
this, that they pray, as the church did, "Draw me, we will run after thee", Song
1:4 the thing speaks for itself, and shows that it cannot be done by the power
of man; for it is no other than a "creation", which requires creation power to
effect it, which a creature has not; for if the restoration, or conversion, of a
backslidden saint is a creation, and requires the power of the Creator to do it;
of which David, when backslidden, was sensible, and therefore prayed, "Create in
me a clean heart, O God!" then much more is the first conversion of a sinner,
and requires like power; it is a resurrection from the dead, and is not to be
effected but by the exceeding greatness of God's power, even such as was put
forth in raising Christ from the dead, Eph 1:19.
2a1b. Nor is conversion owing to the will of men; the will of man, before
conversion, is in a bad state, it chooses its own ways, and delights in its
abominations; it is in high pursuit after the desires of the flesh and of the
mind; it is resolved to go after its lovers, its lusts, which feed its appetite,
and furnish with things agreeable to the carnal mind; the will is become a slave
to carnal lusts and pleasures; though the natural liberty of the will is not
lost by sin, it can freely will natural things, as to eat or drink, sit, or
stand, or walk, at pleasure; yet its moral liberty is lost, it is shackled with
the fetters of sinful lusts, by which it is overcome and brought into bondage;
and notwithstanding its boasted liberty, it is an home born slave.
And therefore Luther rightly called it "servum arbitrium": man has no will to
that which is good till God works it in him, and of unwilling makes him willing
in the day of his power: he has no will to come to
Christ, to be saved by him; nor to submit to his righteousness; nor to be
subject to his laws and ordinances, until such a will is worked in him by
efficacious grace.
Conversion is denied to be of the will of men; as the whole of salvation is "not
of him that willeth"; so this part of it in particular, regeneration, with which conversion, in the first moment of it, agrees; "is not of the will of the flesh,
nor of the will of man, but of God", Ro 9:16 Joh 1:13.
But it may be said, if conversion is not in the power and will of men, to what
purpose are such exhortations as these; "Repent, and turn yourselves from all
your transgressions; turn yourselves, and live ye?" and again, "Repent ye
therefore, and be converted?" Eze 18:30,32 Ac 3:19 to which it may be replied,
That these passages have no respect to spiritual and internal conversion, but to
an external reformation of life and manners. In the first instance the Jews were
then in a state of captivity, which was a kind of death, as sometimes sore
afflictions are said to be, 2Co 1:10 and into which they were brought through
their sins: now the Lord declares, that he took no pleasure in this their
uncomfortable state and condition; it was more desirable to him, and therefore
he exhorts them to it, to reform from their evil practices; then they would be
returned from their captivity, and live comfortably in their own land, as they
had formerly done.
But what has this to do with
the spiritual and internal conversion of a sinner unto God? with respect to the
latter case, the Jews were threatened with the destruction of their city and
nation, for their rejection of Jesus the Messiah, and other sins they were
guilty of; and now the apostle advises those to whom he directs his discourse,
to relinquish their wrong notions of Christ, and repent of their ill usage of
him and his followers, and of their other sins, in an external way, that so they
might escape the calamities coming upon their nation and people. But supposing
these, and such like exhortations, respected internal conversion of the heart to
God; such exhortations may be only designed to show men the necessity of such
conversion in order to salvation; as our Lord said, "Except ye be converted, ye
shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven"; and when men are convinced of this,
they will soon be sensible of their impotence to convert themselves, and will
pray, as Ephraim did "Turn thou me, and I shall be turned", immediately and
effectually; for,
2a2. God only is the author and efficient cause of conversion. He that made
man's heart, and formed the spirit of man within him, he only can turn their
hearts, and frame and mould their spirits, as he pleases; the heart of a king,
and so of every other man, is in the hand of the Lord, and he can turn them as
the rivers of water are turned; he, and he only, can give a check unto, and turn
the thoughts, desires, and affections of the heart into another channel, and the
mind and will to other objects; he can remove the stubbornness of the will, and
bend it at his pleasure, and make it pliable and conformable to his own will.
He can take away the hardness of the heart, though it is like an adamant stone,
he can make it soft, and susceptible of the best impressions; he can break the
rocky heart in pieces; yea, take away the stony heart, and give an heart of
flesh; as he can take what he pleases out of it, so he can put into it what he
will, as he does in conversion, his laws, the fear of him, and his Spirit; he
can and does draw them, by the powerful influence of his grace upon them, to
himself and to his Son; and this he does without forcing their wills; he sweetly
allures, by his grace, to come to Christ and his ordinances; he powerfully
persuades Japheth to dwell in the tents of Shem; he makes his people willing, in
the day of his power, to do what they had before no will nor inclination to; and
yet they act most freely; the manslayer did not more willingly flee to a city of
refuge, to shelter him from the avenger of blood, than a sinner, sensible of his
danger, flees to Christ for refuge, and lays hold on the hope set before him.
The power of divine grace, put forth in conversion, is irresistible; that is, so
irresistible, as that a stop cannot be put to the work, and that become of no
effect, through opposition made unto it from within and from without. Conversion
is according to the will of God, his will of purpose, which can never be
frustrated; "Who hath resisted his will?" his counsel shall stand, and he will
do all his pleasure; it is wrought by his almighty power; the work of faith,
which is a principal part of the work of conversion, is begun, carried on, and
performed with power; nor can a sinner any more resist, so as to make of none
effect, the power of God in conversion, than Lazarus could resist the power of
Christ in calling him out of his grave.
If it was in the power of the
will of men to hinder the work of conversion, so as that it should not take
place, when it is the design of God it should; then God might be disappointed of
his end, which must not be said; for there is no counsel nor might against him;
whatever devices may be in a man's heart, the counsels of God can never be
disappointed; when God has purposed to convert a sinner, who can disannul it?
and when his mighty hand of grace is stretched out, to put that purpose into
execution, who can turn it back?
When he works in any way, and
so in this, there is none can let. Besides, if conversion was to stand or fall
according to the will of men; or if that had the turning point in man's
conversion, it would rather he ascribed to the will of men than to the will of
God; and it would not be true what is said, "It is not of him that willeth":
yea, as the will of men then would have the greatest stroke in conversion, in
answer to that question, "Who maketh thee to differ from another?" it might be
said, as it has been said by a proud and haughty free willer Grevinchovius, I
have made myself to differ.
To all this may be objected the words of Christ; "How often would I have
gathered thy children together, and ye would not!" Mt 23:37 but it should be
observed, that this gathering is not to be understood of conversion; but of
attendance on the ministry of the word under John the Baptist, Christ himself,
and his apostles; to which Christ had affectionately and importunately exhorted
them; which, had it been regarded, would have preserved them from the vengeance
coming upon Jerusalem: and it should also be observed, that they are not the
same persons whom Christ would have gathered, and those of whom he says, "and ye
would not"; by whom are meant, the rulers and governors of the people, who would
not allow them to attend the gospel ministry, but threatened them with putting
them out of the synagogue if they did; see Mt 23:13.
2b. Secondly, The moving, or impulsive cause of conversion, is the love, grace,
mercy, favour, and goodwill of God; the same as are the moving cause of
regeneration and effectual calling, and not the merits of men; for what is there
in men before conversion to move God to take such a step in their favour? see
1Co 6:9-11 Eph 2:2-4.
2c. Thirdly, The instrumental cause, or means of conversion, is usually the
ministry of the word; sometimes, indeed, it is wrought without the word, by some
remarkable awakening providence or another, and sometimes by reading the
scriptures; but, for the most part, it is through the preaching of the word;
hence ministers are said to "turn many to righteousness"; and the apostle Paul
says, he was sent by Christ into the Gentile world, to "turn men from darkness
to light, and from the power of Satan to God".
And this is done both by the preaching of the law and of the gospel; "the law of
the Lord is perfect, converting the soul", Ps 19:7 though perhaps not the law,
strictly taken, but the whole doctrine of the word is there meant; however, the
preaching of the law is made use of by the Spirit of God to convince of sin; for
"by the law is the knowledge of sin"; and by means of it, when it enters into
the heart and conscience, under his influence, sin is made to appear exceeding
sinful, and the soul is filled with great distress on account of it; for the
"law worketh wrath"; though some take this to be rather preparatory to
conversion than conversion itself, which may be better ascribed to the gospel.
And, indeed, the receiving of the Spirit, and his graces, and particularly
faith, are attributed to the preaching of the gospel, and not to the law, as the
means thereof; "Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law?" that is, by
preaching the doctrine of obedience to it; "or by the hearing of faith?" that
is, by the doctrine of the gospel, preaching faith in Christ; which is therefore
called "the word of faith", and by which it comes; for "faith comes by hearing,
and hearing by the word of God", Ga 3:2 Ro 10:8,17.
But then the preaching of the word of the gospel is not sufficient of itself to
produce the work of conversion in the heart; men may hear it, and not be
converted by it; nor receive any benefit, profit, and advantage through it; if
it comes in word only, and not with the demonstration of the Spirit, and of
power; and when it is accompanied with the power of God; or is made the power of
God unto salvation, even then it is only an instrument, and not an efficient;
for "who is Paul, or who is Apollos, but ministers, or instruments, by whom ye
believed?" 1Co 3:5.
3. Thirdly, The subjects of conversion; these are not all men, for all, in fact,
are not converted; nor does it appear to be the design and purpose of God to
convert all men; nor does he give sufficient grace to all men to convert
themselves if they will; for he does not so much as give to all men the means of
grace, the outward ministry of the word: this was not vouchsafed to the Gentiles
for hundreds of years before the coming of Christ; and since, millions have
never been favoured with it; nor are multitudes at this day; and those who have
the scripture to read, to many it is a sealed book, and to all, unless opened by
the Spirit of God; and to whom the gospel is preached, it is hid, unless it is
given them to know the mysteries of the kingdom, which is not the case of all;
the persons converted are the "elect" of God, both among Jews and Gentiles.
In the first ages of the gospel, many among the Gentiles were converted, and
churches formed of them; and ever since there have been conversions among them,
and even to this day, and in the latter day an abundance of them will be
converted; and when the fulness of the Gentiles is brought in, then the Jews, of
whom only now and then one are converted, they will be all as a nation born
again, converted and saved. They are "redeemed" ones who are converted.
And the reason why they are converted is, because they are redeemed; "I will
hiss for them", by the ministry of the word, and "gather them", which is another
phrase for conversion, "because I have redeemed them", Zec 10:8 they whom God
converts are the same persons for whom he has provided forgiveness of sins in
the covenant of his grace, and an eternal inheritance in his divine purpose; for
the apostle says, he was sent by Christ "to turn men unto God, that they may
receive the forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified
by faith in Christ", Acts 26:18. In a word, they are described as "sinners";
"Sinners shall be converted unto thee", Ps 51:13 sinners by nature and by
practice, and some of them the worst and chief of sinners; and therefore the
wonderful grace of God is the more displayed in their conversion, 1Co 6:11 1Ti
1:3,14,15.
Taken from A Body of Doctrinal Divinity, Book VI, Chapter XIII
|
