Conversion
Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord. Acts 3:19
The most common word in the New Testament for conversion is the Greek word metanoia(also translated ‘repentance’ in some parts of the N.T.), which conveys the idea of “a general change of mind, which becomes in its fullest development an intellectual and moral regeneration”.
True conversion is born of godly sorrow, and issues in a life of devotion to God, 2 Corinthians 7:10. It is a change that is rooted in the work of regeneration (see N for New birth) and is effected in the conscious life of the sinner by the Spirit of God; a change of thoughts and opinions, of desires and volitions, which involves the conviction that the former direction of life was unwise and wrong and alters the entire course of life.. There are two sides to this conversion, the one active and the other passive; the former being the act of God, by which He changes the conscious course of a person’s life, and the latter, the result of this action as seen in the person’s change of direction in turning to God.
It is a wonderful thing to see the effects of the Gospel in the life of a person who once lived solely for worldly and temporal ideals and pursuits, pleasures and self-gratification, turned round onto a path of godliness and true devotion to God. O that we might pray more for true conversions in our world
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