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Conversion, Conditions for
(From Forerunner Commentary)

Acts 2:37-39  (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up) We have to repent. God gradually unfolds before us what the conditions for conversion are. Layer upon layer of truth, or revelation, is needed to get the fullness of a subject. So we have to repent—a condition that was not mentioned before. We have to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. We also have to have hands laid on us (Acts 8:14-17). Here are the conditions: We have to be called (John 6:44). We have to repent. We have to believe the gospel. We have to believe in Jesus Christ. We have to begin obeying God, because God gives His Spirit to those who obey Him (John 14:15-18; Acts 5:32). We have to be baptized, and we have to have hands laid on us. This should help us to understand that the "writing of the law on our hearts" (Hebrews 8:10) is a cooperative effort. It is not something done only by God, but it absolutely requires what God does. It also requires that we do something. When a person does these things, he is meeting the terms of the New Covenant—not all of them yet. Were there terms like this in the Old Covenant? No. What a difference exists between the two! It is no wonder that the Old Covenant is obsolete. It is no wonder the Old Covenant could not be kept (Hebrews 8:7). There is such a flaw, a fault, in every one of us (Hebrews 8:8). God knew this when He made the Old Covenant with Israel. Since God is love, He left us an example of how much the New Covenant means to us, so that we could look back on history and understand what awesome gifts have been given to us. By that, He hopes to create within us a deep sense of thanksgiving and of obligation. John W. Ritenbaugh The Covenants, Grace and Law (Part 12)

1 Corinthians 2:6  (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up) Paul's use of "we" undoubtedly speaks in its broadest sense to all of the people who are part of God's church, but in its narrowest sense, he is talking about the ministry. Those "who are mature" should be all church members. He is setting the stage for comparing one group of people with another—those who are mature and those who are not, that is, those who are converted and those who are not converted. John W. Ritenbaugh Satan (Part 3)

1 John 3:1-2  (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up) A progression takes place in our spiritual lives. It begins with the calling of God, and then moves to repentance, baptism, receiving the Holy Spirit, and growth in our relationship with God. Finally, we are clothed with God's glory through the resurrection from the dead. John W. Ritenbaugh You Must Be Born Again!

 

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