CONVERSION (Titus 2:11-15)

"For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, 12 training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly..." (Titus 2:11-12)

John MacArthur says:

“conversion…means to turn back. And it's used in the new testament of…a sinner who turns back to God. Now let me give you a definition of repentance and in relation to conversion. Repentance is—let's put conversion as a total circle and split the circle in half. Half of it is repentance and half of it is faith, the whole circle is conversion. Repentance is the negative, turning toward God. Faith is receiving Christ. That makes conversion.” (http://www.gty.org/Resources/Sermons/1712)

Conversion, in the basic sense, means turning around in light of some knowledge that you didn’t have before, and going another way. Conversion, in the theological sense, means, as Paul writes in Titus, chapter two, to “renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly” (Titus 2:12)…to turn from our sinful ways, and live godly lives…to turn around and go God’s way instead of our own.

There are two parts to conversion. There is turning around, and there is going God’s way. In theological language the two parts of conversion are called repentance and faith. Jesus said, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news” (Mark 1:15). Be converted. Repent and believe.

Repentance is the first part of conversion. Faith is the second part, and by faith I don’t just mean an intellectual assent. I don’t mean just saying on Sunday morning, “I believe in God the Father almighty,” after the offering. I mean living according to the values and mores of the Kingdom of God Sunday morning, Monday morning, Tuesday morning, Wednesday evening, Thursday afternoon, and Friday and Saturday night, too. Faith is more than acknowledging that something is true, it is conforming my life in accordance with what I know to be true.

If repentance is renouncing impiety and the ways of the world, faith is living a self-controlled, upright, and godly life.

If repentance is saying, “I’m sorry,” faith is not doing it again.

If repentance is turning your back on the things that led you in the wrong direction, faith is walking away.

When we are converted to Christ, we begin a life of Christian discipline…of repentance and belief. To be converted means to be changed, brothers and sisters, to go a different way than the world around us…to trust in God’s Word, God’s will, and God’s way, and follow Jesus. We must be doers of the Word, and not hearers only. We must turn around and start walking. We must repent and believe. This is conversion.