It is not theology that makes you a convert. I myself have borne disastrous fruit in the first few years that were not worthy of repentance, so I know what I am writing. But without digressing too much, let's define what conversion is:
Conversion is the process of making a conscious decision to break with sin and turn to God and trust in His love.
That's the definition I found on the internet in 1 minute and that's exactly how I understand it.
If one has not broken with sin, he is not converted.
Support in Scripture:
"(8) Remember this and cover yourselves with shame! Sinners, repent with your hearts!
(Isaiah 46:8″
Isaiah is exhorting sinners, someone who lives in sin.
(15) And I have sent to you continually all my servants, the prophets, with the command: Repent every one of your perverse conduct, correct your deeds, and do not follow other deities to serve them, and then you will be able to dwell in the land. Jeremiah 35:15
Jeremiah makes very clear what conversion is to look like. The sinner is to walk away from perverse conduct. Not to turn it over to God, but he is to do it himself. Someone will say this is the Old Testament, that now there is grace. Okay, let's go to the so-called New Testament:
2) Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near .
Matthew 3:2
(38) 'Repent,' Peter said to them, 'and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts. 2:38
(19) Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be taken away, Acts. 3:19,
Jesus' own words:
"(5) Remember from whence you came, and repent, and do the first deeds. If not, I will come to you and move your candlestick from its place if you do not repent. Revelation (Revelation) 2:5,"
Take the first ACTIONS and
-quit smoking
-drop the pot
-let go of the anger
-abandon vindictiveness
-Drop or severely limit alcohol
-throw slander, backbiting
-throw your pride
-fight bitterness
-drop masturbation
-drop your pride
-Drop the swearing
-abandon greed and mammon
etc
You can't serve two masters. You hate your neighbor and you love God...Absurd.
Many Catholics have been converted. Yes, they are living in idolatrous deception, but they don't know it, but you know you are living in sin. I am very sorry, but anyone who continues in sin is a hater.
One cannot be converted without being converted.
Unconverted goes to sin --------> SIN
A convert turned back from sin ----- <-- | SIN
So at what stage are people who see the otherness of the kingdom of heaven?
At the stage in John 3.3 They see the kingdom of heaven, but do not enter it. They are on their way to conversion, but they are not converted.
I would love to hear voices to the contrary, but this is unfortunately the painful truth. A person living in sin is not converted.
Repent therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be taken away, Acts. 3:19,
What is atonement?
sorrow for sins:
http://detektywprawdy.pl/2015/10/17/pokuta-miara-narodzenia-na-nowo/
conditions: repentance and remembrance.
Being born again results in repentance for past sins and moving on from them.
It is known that we may sin, but not live in sin.
Thank you
Mark 1:14-15
"And afterward, when John was imprisoned, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God And saying:
The time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God has come near, REMEMBER and believe the gospel"
Acts 3;19
"Therefore REMEMBER and repent, that your sins may be taken away."
Acts 26;20
"But I preached first to them that were in Damascus, then in Jerusalem, and throughout all the land of Judah, and to the Gentiles, that they should REMEMBER and be converted to God, and do works worthy of remembrance."
The full, Biblical definition of "repentance" refers to a change of mindset that manifests itself in a change of conduct.
Riddle.
Why were the disciples of John the Baptist in Ephesus baptized a second time by Paul?
Answer in Acts... ?
You mean the DS baptism?
No. Two baptisms in water. Acts ap. 19
John baptized him with repentance and remorse, while the apostles added the necessity of faith in Christ (as commanded by Jesus, anyway). This is why John the Baptist's disciples received a second baptism in water. These three conditions testify to the validity of the baptism. Then Paul put his hands on them and they received the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Opponents of baptism say that John's baptism has no value. Perhaps, but combined with faith in the Son of God, it can bring heaven down to earth ?
Without the help of the Holy Spirit, we are unable to be free from sins.
"(9) And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
(10) For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and he who knocks will be opened to him. (11) Where is there a father among you who, when his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks him for a fish, he will give him a serpent instead of a fish? (12) Or when he asks him for an egg, will he give him a scorpion? (13) If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father who is in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him." Luke 11.
I searched, and the Lord God led me along paths of truth to a place where I no longer had any doubt that He existed. However, I believe this was a testimony more on an intellectual level. Then God the Father still put the "dot over the i". It was just for me. A miracle no less than the hand writing a message on the wall of the palace for King Balthazar.
Then came the conversion. But the changes in my life didn't come easily or immediately. At least not all of them.
I found the analysis of the "Our Father" prayer very helpful. I recommend it to everyone. I realized that in order to consciously turn to God the Father with words of this prayer a lot has to change in my life.
Remember, dear ones, that if you have failed the test you cannot have communion with the Lord Jesus. If our Lord directs any of you to a particular church, you will not be able to partake of the Lord's Supper without giving up sin.
The Israelites' wandering in the desert was the time they needed to enter Canaan. It was a time of sanctification. It was also a shadow of what is to come in the future for everyone whom God will call. It is written: "(44) No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up on the last day." John 6.
Without sanctification no one will see the Lord, for it is written:
"(14) Strive for peace with all and for sanctification, without which no one will see the Lord, (15) Taking care that no one is left out of the grace of God, lest some bitter root growing upward cause harm and that many be defiled by it,(16) That no one be debauched or reckless like Esau, who sold his firstborn for one dish.(17) And ye know that afterward, when he desired a blessing, he was rejected, for he obtained no change of his position, though he sought it with tears." Heb 12.
Jesus was aware that it depends on the fulfillment of the Father's will that people powerless against sin receive help in the person of the Holy Spirit. He is given to us so that we may use His help abundantly and not be naked before the Lord on that day.
"(12) Therefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but even more now in my absence: work out your salvation with fear and trembling. (13) For God is pleased to work in you both to will and to do. (14) Do all things without murmuring or doubting, (15) That ye may be blameless and sincere children of God without blemish in the midst of an evil and perverse race, wherein ye shine as lights in the world, (16) Keeping the words of life to my praise in the day of Christ." Phil. 2.
Glory be to God the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.
Come, Lord Jesus. Amen.
I failed the test ;(
and that's what it's all about for you to realize, Wojtek, if you've been converted.
I will be praying for you.
You might want to reactivate the forum for everyone, because you're probably not alone in this...
Thank you for your prayers
if I remember then I will pray constantly, but you must hate it.
And so am I. ... I'm looking for God... I'm like a stray sheep... I need support. I'm so ashamed. I'm so sorry. ..
Me too.
Me too :/
Me too, unfortunately, and I wish I hadn't flunked it....
Great, informative article. This is exactly how I understand conversion.
A few days ago I came across this blog. I am a Catholic who has long seen the hypocrisy and inconsistency of the Catholic Church, and I also see that something very disturbing is happening in the world. However, what depressed me the most was the lack of knowledge of the Bible. I am like almost one hundred percent of Catholics, I don't know the Scriptures at all! After years of attending mass, all I know is what the priest serves up. You may find it funny, but I am devastated that for years I have been praying not as I should and not where I should. I have been in shock since Thursday so forgive me. Godspeed
Praise God in Jesus' name for opening your eyes.
It is Mexican with translations. Many may bother you with them, but the Warsaw Bible, the Danzig Bible or the Catholic Poznan Bible are enough.
I use but for research purposes many translations. The main thing is that you start reading. There are even NT Gedeonites distributed free of charge.
Good luck Pati.
I also have the Poznań translation, which, although it is a Catholic translation, is reliable and understandable for modern generations. I remember that I found several passages where the Warsaw translation had problems with conveying the correct message and the Poznań one did very well.
In my opinion, apart from calling God in the ST Yahweh, this translation is one of the best on the market.
I believe, Pati, that it will be ok! For those who are established in the Lord, as well as those who sincerely want to be like God. The most important thing is that the Lord knows hearts 🙂 .
Hi Pati, glad you are with us 🙂 Praise God for showing you this. May He bless you and keep you, and grant you His Holy Spirit to guide you in the knowledge of His Word 🙂 If you already have a New Testament that's great, start reading the one you have 🙂 On the other hand, if you are considering buying the whole Bible I recommend the translations suggested by Admin and Cupak 🙂
Thank God Almighty for another uprooted person from the krk!
Hello Pati?
You can download a bible app to your phone,great stuff.
I did after the new birth and fed on the Word nonstop.
When you can't read, you can turn on your listening and soak up the love and goodness of our God.
Start reading from the beginning, from the book of Genesis.
Take care and may our Wonderful Father send the Holy Spirit to you to fill you with His love, wisdom and goodness.
And write to us, and someone will always be happy to help you.
Welcome to the family,glory to you Lord Jesus,we ask for more.The angels rejoice Pati,for you are returning to the Father.❤
I failed the test ?. How do you place a man who sees his sins and repents. He confesses these sins to God and persistently fights to eliminate them, not to commit them. He changes his life, departs from the rhythm of the world, i.e. does not live from one party to another, does not drink, avoids everything that has the appearance of evil. I am the kind of person who turns his world on the way it should be - God's world. It is getting better and I can see the effects. I know for whose sake it is happening and I am grateful for it. But... Exactly. Who is this person? A born-again Christian?
Seeing sins and repenting is the first step to repentance. It is impossible to repent if we see evil as good.
"20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who turn darkness into light and light into darkness, who turn bitterness into sweetness," Isaiah 5
You know, if sometimes you lie, sometimes you are unkind, sometimes you show anger, that is not the sin of conversion, that is the occasional sin. The sin that excludes repentance is the sin of bondage.
Referring to the admin graphic of conversion as a path : you convert and go to the first one. When you go back to the starting point, you necessarily have to go through the places where you were (sins). This doesn't mean that you have to stay in those places (keep committing them), although sometimes it can happen (you can't get rid of them all at once), especially because Satan will deceive you all the more when he sees that you are returning and that you are already tired. God will give you the strength to go on and eventually you will get where you want to go and you will see the gate that you missed unwittingly in the pursuit of the crowd. And behind that gate you will see a place more beautiful than any you have seen so far. And then you will get living water to drink and rest truly.
"Referring to the admin graphic of conversion as a path : you convert and go to the first. When you go back some way to the starting point you necessarily have to go through the places you have been (sins)."
No, Luke, that's not what I meant.
Let's say, someone goes to buy pot and turns around. There's nothing on the way. No half-measures.
The Lord Jesus said to the prostitute, "gox and sin no more."
He did not say: "go ahead and stumble, someday you will succeed". There is to be a total break with sin. I don't want to get into the methods of the breakup, but Jesus' disposition is black and white: gox and don't sin AGAIN.
In Matthew 24 there is a warning for all of us:
"But if any evil servant shall say to himself in thought, My lord delayeth his coming - (49) and shall begin to beat his companions, and shall eat, and get drunk with drunkards - (50) the lord of such a servant shall come on a day when he does not expect him, and at an hour which he does not know. (51) And he shall remove him. And he shall share the fate of the hypocrites. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. "
This can be paraphrased:
shall drink, smoke pot, watch porono ( authorize with others), slander, avenge, etc., then the master of such a servant shall come on a day he does not expect him, and at an hour he does not know. (51) And he shall remove him. And he shall share the fate of the hypocrites. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
By the way, I wanted to point out an important aspect of Matthew 24. Well, the environment is very important. If someone goes around doing bad things, smoking, drinking, cursing to other people of the world, then he confirms their sin and makes them worse, because he does not show the light that he does not have. If we call ourselves a priestly family, I don't think anyone can imagine that the priests could get high, smoke cigarettes, drink vodka, etc.
We need to know and be aware of where our feet are leading us and what kind of witness we are giving there. Do we evangelize, not with our intellect but with our person, or does the world "evangelize" us.
I rather meant:
. You are not aware of all sins at once, sometimes you have to see them again ( in a different light or just in the light) to see the evil in them- this I understand by going through these places again
I'm not talking about continuing to sin, but about what I wrote next, which is the temptation to sin. Satan, after all, will not forgive.
. My message was to show that, for example, when you quit smoking, all of a sudden everyone around you is giving you lots of cigarettes and smoking. It is up to you whether you "stop" at this "place" or, with God's help, go on leaving this stop behind.
In this journey of conversion you have to be consistent and keep pushing forward, but it's always harder to come back when you know how far you've come (gone), hence my comparison to the road.
I did not intend to authorize remaining in sin( but this is not the first time I have thought someone only superficially understands what I am saying).
We are not able to deliver ourselves from all sins at once because we are not even aware of all of them....
It is true that we are not aware of all our sins, but this is the battle for the sphere of influence within us: God and demons.
God says tj sin.
Demons: sometimes you can flirt. Sometimes you can get drunk. If I drink a bottle 3 times a month with my friend, the world will not collapse. Everything is for people.
All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable, and I will not give myself up to anything, and be holy, for God is holy. Therefore, let us eliminate our weaknesses, because for a great price we were bought and so that we would not be like those washed pigs and dogs that return to their own vomit. The above words often come to mind when I think about sins or other things I have given up. They are blunt and true.
Overall, I can see how the Lord runs our blog 🙂 Right now, the truest Biblical Truth is being shown, which the "fans" of the Lord Jesus will never accept. There are 2 options, either such a message will touch our heart, and we will painfully continue to follow the Lord, or we will take the path of "cheap grace", which is nothing but just convenient Christianity. That is why people come to this blog. They feel that the truth can be found here, but not everyone accepts it into their hearts
I passed 🙂 I was freed from onanism, from cursing and from envy. All thanks to the spirit of sv.
Sometimes the temptations return but I fight them, sometimes with tears in my eyes.
Don't think that the converted are perfect, we all fall and so do I. But after showing repentance for our actions, Jesus reaches out to us as He did to Peter when he began to sink and we rise again. But after showing repentance for our actions, Jesus reaches out to us as He did to Peter when he began to sink, and we rise again.
I wish all those seeking the way of truth the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. Pray for guidance in the Holy Spirit, for me it was the key to leaving sin.
Is it possible? It will. Praise God for your freedom.
Ask and it will be given to you.
Oppose the devil and he will depart from you.
I would still Peter, as part of the test, which to my surprise I passed, add to be submissive, because that's probably the hardest thing with women....
Or maybe just the hardest for me, raised within the matriarchy I've been used to for over 30 years.
I remember the horror I felt when I realized it was outright rebellion against God...which maybe for some Christian women, is not so obvious at all...Greetings in Christ the Lord!
That's true, but it's good Anita that it was you as a woman who wrote it 🙂 I think it's good.
Great text.
And very necessary at a time when it is in fashion (because it is convenient) to hear about grace and not mention sin.
It was as if God suddenly began to like sin.
If that were the case, then God might no longer pay attention to the sin of Eve and Adam and make such a small exception as most today believe He does with regard to them.
Jesus' sacrifice takes away sin, but not sin committed knowingly and with determination. This is trampling on Jesus' sacrifice, not using it with thanksgiving.
Sin is sin. It will always be abominable in the sight of God, because God is unchangeable.
And in my case the test is passed by Christ, because I am decreasing day by day, and He is increasing.
The GOD has set me free from sin, from addictions, from bondages and to Him be the glory!
I just gave up and wanted to follow my Lord.Because He is wonderful! He proved it 2000 years ago by dying on the cross for me and you.He took all the sin,filth on Himself so we could be free.
He shows every day that He loved us, our Lord Jesus Christ, and to Him be glory forever!
We need to trust,believe in Him more then every day we can experience His presence,goodness,mull.So real being with Him throughout the day.
Praise you, Lord, for it is only through you that we become new creatures.
Thank you all for your warm welcome and extremely helpful advice. I know it won't be easy, my family is not very devout, so I expect to be misunderstood.
I've noticed that since learning the truth, I - a nervous person - have become more subdued, and have stopped lapsing into pointless anger.
I have one huge addiction. I read books compulsively, I don't know if I can stop. I have hundreds of them at home, even buried in my couch. I need to start getting rid of them.
This is great with this compulsive book reading ? just make a substitution.Instead of books start reading the Word like this.
Do not be discouraged by anything, the Holy Spirit will guide you and give you strength to follow the Lord Jesus.
We will intercede for you to God.
May God bless you and lead you into the truth :). Greetings from the bottom of my heart
I agree, since I was converted God has taken everything away from me, I have no addictions, I can forgive and if I do something wrong I immediately apologize to God and I feel at peace But I have only been converted since March which is 8 months now so I am learning everything But thank God I can do it all greetings to all ????
Greetings to you, Justina. God bless you.