Based on 1 Thessalonians 1 (New King James Version)
“Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father, knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God. For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake. And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe. For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything. For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.”
What is a true conversion? A true conversion does not consist of religiousness or even of morality, but rather, it is about something unique when we talk about a true conversion to Christ. Many become confused and never come to experience something like that because, quite frankly, they allow for themselves to be overpowered by the sin that is within them. So then, a person does not come to convert as they need to not because it is God’s fault, nor the devil’s fault, not even because of the sin that lives within them, but rather, through their own power to reason, in not wanting to convert, because everything that we do consists on our own free will. That’s why there will be a judgment, because in the end, every human being will either be absolved through their conversion in Christ or eternally condemned because of their choice of not wanting to convert to Christ, as it is written: “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” John 3:36. This is the great debate that exists within certain parts of God’s people; the issue that involves predestination (that everything and everyone is predetermined to be something, and that it is out of our control) vs. free will, or having the ability to choose (or that the things of God and the universe are predetermined, but personal decision is what determines what will happen with a person, depending solely on their personal choice for the Lord). And well, it would be a very unfair judge who judges a person for the evil deeds they commit without having any control over themselves. But our God is not only Righteous, but also, He is very good and merciful. So, the question still stands: What is a true conversion?
The Lord Himself explained it this way when He told Nicodemus, as it is written in John’s gospel: “There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, ‘Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ Nicodemus said to Him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?’ Jesus answered, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’” John 3:1-7. So then, something very definitive in the most inner part of a human being needs to happen, an action that unites totally and completely all of the soul, the heart, the mind, and strength of a person. And this act consists of being born again of water and the Spirit, or in other words, a real, complete, 100% repentance and conversion from all of your sins (born of water), and being born of the Spirit, which is the next step within the same moment that is done, by acknowledging and accepting Jesus as the Lord of your life. And this acknowledging and accepting Jesus as the Lord also needs to be something real, complete, and 100% within you, effectively making Him the Master and Lord of your life, that you are not the one in charge any more, but rather, that the Lord is in charge, to Whom you submit to completely. To be able to belong to God, you need to truly give Him your life. It is so obvious that it even eludes the most expert of people in the Scriptures, not because it is difficult to understand, but because they allow for themselves to be governed by the sin that dwells within. This is what produces eternal life within a human being. This is what transforms even the most sinful people, like I used to be so many years ago, walking down a twisted path, directly going towards an infernal destination, to spend an eternity without this Marvelous and Good Lord that now governs my life. And what determined that great change in direction was that I precisely chose to repent and convert from all of my sins, and effectively make Jesus the Lord and God of my life. This same concept was explained to me, and I realized that I was empty, alone, lost, and without hope, and I chose to believe with all of my heart, without any reservations, despite the sin that was still within me that was trying not to let me believe. But finally, I was able to understand and was willing to listen to and obey the Holy Spirit that was speaking to me through this person that allowed for themselves to be used to communicate to me the most important message of my life. I was able to be born again in Christ, and my life change.
In summary, a true conversion produces a product, a change in life, an immovable faith, things that come from and through the Holy Spirit, as it is written: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23. That is why truly following Christ is much more than a religion. It goes way beyond morality, traditions, or even trying to be a good person. None of that saves you. The only thing that saves you is your decision for Christ, and remaining firm in that faith, and that is what produces a change in a human being, where the transforming power of God is revealed in the life of a person, something that everyone can see, if it truly happened. This conversion was visible in the life of the Apostles, and this was also what could be seen in these Thessalonians. Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy wrote precisely about the evidence of this conversion in this group of people, of the way they received the Truth of God, and how they turned from the idols to God, and how they served the True and Living God, with their eyes set on heaven, demonstrating with actions that they were focused on Jesus, in the resurrection of the dead, and that they would be delivered from the coming wrath, rather than on earthly and carnal things. A person’s faith can be seen in the way they live their life. And this is what inspired the laborers of Christ to carry on, and inspired others to believe in the Lord, and it even inspires us today as we read about them, and it will inspire everyone else that will come after us, and towards eternity. Everything that is done and lived for Christ remains in eternity. So then, have you been able to truly convert to the Lord? Lord bless! John