Three Changes Following Conversion

What changes follow a genuine conversion?  This is a simple and yet vital question.  There are many wrong answers.  How you respond can be a source of comfort, or indifference, or anxiety, or false assurance.  You’re not sure that you're secure.  You said a prayer. You met with a mentor. But you still wonder if you’ve changed. You feel crushed by uncertainty. In guilt, you continue to walk the aisle but feel like you’re backsliding into hell.  Your unofficial motto is “Did I do enough?”

Or maybe you believe that by the grace of God you're redeemed. And yet, you're unconcerned with the things of God.  In your mind, that prayer you said all those years ago was the beginning and end of your salvation. The people telling you that true salvation brings about change are legalistic hypocrites.  Your unofficial motto is “He did enough so I can do what I want.”

Two Wrongs and a Right

Both of these mentalities are dangerous.  Both of them are born from a misunderstanding of the gospel.  Both of them steal your joy, your sincerity, and your peace.  Both of them undermine your growth.  Neither of them is of God. The Bible is clear: true conversion is always accompanied by divinely initiated and secured change.  But what changes follow conversion? Ephesians 4:25-28 shows that true conversion results in changed perceptions, protections, and practices.  

“Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need” (Eph. 4:25-28).

Genuine Conversion Changes Your Perception 

The world is not as it should be.  No surprises there.  After all, looking at the front page of any news outlet immediately reveals how messed up things are.  How is it, then, that a large percentage of Westerners believe that there is no such thing as absolute truth? How is it that people can demand justice and tolerance, while at the same time state that there is no universal standard of right and wrong? How can people live in a world so full of evil, and claim that all is well?   

A better question would be, “Why are you able to call evil, evil?”  Why do you see it for what it is?  Do you see the world this way because of some self-gained enlightenment? Paul’s answer in verse 25 is no, “Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.”

The hinge of Paul's argument in Eph 4:25-28 is the phrase "Having put away falsehood." Scripture is clear, the denial of the One True God is the pinnacle of falsehood (Ps 14:1).   The falsehood that Paul is speaking of in verse 25 isn’t some white lie.  It isn’t an inconsequential belief.  It isn’t a differing opinion on a secondary issue.  It is nothing less than the denial of God as the Sovereign Creator and Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.  This is what Paul argued in verse 18 of the same chapter: “They [those who are not God’s people] are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.”

You see, there are only two types of people in the world.  Those who know God, by the will of God, as revealed by God.  And those who do not know God, by their own will, as darkened by sin.  Romans 3:10 tells us no one seeks after God. Ephesians 2:1-2 tells us that we’re dead in our sin. And Isaiah 64:6 declares that nobody can merit favor with God because their works are like filthy rags before Him.  Our heart determines how we perceive the world, and a spiritually dead heart perceives spiritually dead falsehoods.

But, when a once-dead heart starts beating by the regenerative work of the Spirit, things change.  Everything looks different because you’ve been given new eyes.  Activities which once brought you joy disgust you.  The wisdom of man, which you once praised, is now foolish and vain.  When the Spirit regenerates you, your perception changes. The truth invades your view of everything. This is the reason Paul called the church in Ephesus to “speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another” (v. 25).  The supernatural shift in perspective wrought by conversion is illuminating.  Evil is exposed and the truth is all that remains.  

Genuine Conversion Changes Your Protections

“Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,  and give no opportunity to the devil” (Eph. 4:26-27).

What is the point of anger?  For some of us, it’s how we get our way or rationalize the poor treatment of others.  Or it may be a motivation to right the wrongs we see around us.  We know that anger isn’t by nature sinful.  After all, Jesus made a whip and flagellated a bunch of greedy punks out of the temple.  And even more sobering, God’s righteous wrath and anger burn against the wicked (Rom 1:18).  But as we’ve already seen, the nature of our heart determines our perception of God, so those who do not know the Lord have different purposes for their anger other than God’s glory. 

Before conversion people can still observe injustice in the world.  Humans are, after all, made in God’s image.  Regardless of what they attribute pain to they still experience the effects of sin. People then build various protections against it.  Some folks flung virgins into volcanoes, while others embraced humanism. All people want to live without the effects of the Fall. The irony is that we try to avoid the harsh effects of sin by perpetuating the same rebellion that led to the Fall.

Anger against sin is good, it is holy, and it is necessary for spiritual growth.  It drives us to call out sin in brothers and sisters in Christ who've hurt us, with the intent of restoration. This is why Paul reminds the Ephesians not to sin in their anger.  It’s because the proper outlet of anger is to oppose sinful injustices.  But the natural man's anger, the anger of the unregenerate is always misdirected.

The easiest way to make someone angry is to call sin, sin.  By nature, we hate the effects of evil but love our own expressions of it.  By reacting in anger against calls for righteousness you can avoid facing the sin in your own life.  Christian, do not react to having your sin called out with anger against God’s truth. Be angry that sin is present in your life and by the power of God kill it.  Nobody likes to feel the effects of sin but only through Christ is sin defeated.  Don’t try to protect yourself from it by your own methods. When anger is used by our own standards it becomes a barrier against righteousness rather than genuine protection from evil.

Don’t let the sun go down on your anger because it will infect everything.  And it won’t be used for God’s glory. As Peter said, give no opportunity to the devil;  he’s always looking for one (1 Peter 5:8). If you’re angry at someone right now, and it’s for a good and righteous reason, speak to them in the Spirit of Matthew 18.  True Conversion enables your anger to be used as an agent of restoration.  Don’t use it as a wrecking ball,  knocking all of your opponents down and leaving a trail of debris behind you.  

Yes, everyone, those who are saved by the blood of Christ, and those who are outside of Christ, can be angry against true injustices.  But only those who are children of God can use this anger to please God.  And this is where true safety and protection is found.

Genuine Conversion Changes Your Practices

“Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need” (Eph. 4:28).

Here we come to the climax of this section.  People who experience true conversion will see the world differently, deal with the effects of sin differently, and live their life differently.  At the beginning of Chapter 4 of Ephesians, Paul charges the elect to live according to the calling of God.  And verse 28 shows what this looks like:  The thief no longer steals, but works, so they can give to those in need.  This is an ontological shift beyond comprehension.

Thieves steal!  They are always sizing people up and looking for the next big score.  They don’t care about the needs of others.  They are always looking for ways to enrich themselves by illegal means. This is how they make their living, it’s who they are.

When I read this verse I always think about the western outlaws.  There are countless stories of a group of renegades, living out in camps.  Riding horses alongside trains and hopping on to steal the gold.  And then hopping off before the bridge explodes, or something.  Tippin’ their hats to the bank teller before robbing the joint.  Naming both their guns and their horses something poetic.  (I may be confusing some of this with a country song, but it still works).

Thieves steal, but the moment that the Lord changes their hearts the desire to steal falters.  They may struggle with temptation but their ultimate identity shifts from thief to Christian.  That is what is so amazing about this passage.  The very nature of a man changes to the point of not only living a different life but desiring to live a holy life.

Mirror Images

The gospel is the revelation of who Jesus is, what He accomplished, and how it applies to you.  If you don’t know Jesus then the sins that you commit define who you are.  The gospel shows us that when we’re made into a new creation we mirror Christ.  The Good news of Christ isn’t an abstract concept.  It isn’t an intellectual exercise.  It details the nature of the heart change that comes with faith and repentance.  

John Calvin called the unregenerate heart a perpetual factory of idols.  It never ceases to put things above God and corrupt knowledge about Him.  But the second you see your need for Christ and see the wickedness of your sin,  you will repent and believe that He is your savior.  And when Christ moves in, that perpetual idol factory goes out of business.  

There is no other way to explain the life change that accompanies the gospel.  True conversion will change the way you see the world and yourself.  You know you need Jesus.  It determines how you deal with sin: through Jesus.  And it will change how you live your life: for Jesus. Don’t do it backward.  Don’t think changing your practices will change your heart.  If you do you will be putting a burden on your back that you could never hope to carry.  The moment you think you killed sin by your own work, an even worse one will take its place.  This leads to a never-ending cycle of disappointment.

When you try to change your practices to earn salvation you’ll only be dealing with the effects of your sin. You'll ignore its source, your own heart.  Thieves don’t stop stealing.  The sexual pariah doesn't just stop having lustful urges.  Gossips don’t seal their own lips.  The Lord does the work.  We respond to it with grateful thanks.  You can’t have godly practices without first being made holy by God.  We all try to change bad habits and often fall short.  I know many of us will be making a New-Year's resolution (it may simply be to survive 2021!) and many of us will keep it until about January 5th.  Don’t expect to change your soul without first resting in the one who created it. 

True conversion results in changed perceptions, how you view the world.   True conversion results in changed protections, how you deal with sin. And true conversion results in changed practices, how you live your life.  All these changes have the same source.  Jesus Christ.   

Conclusion 

In God’s kingdom, rebels become reverends. Thieves become open-handed givers. And rageaholics become peacemakers.  And even more shocking, the dead are raised to life.  Paul’s purpose in life was to spread the Gospel to the Gentiles, to those once blind to God's truth.

Paul saw things that we can’t imagine.  He saw the Spirit work in amazing ways.  He saw the sick made whole, demons cast out of men and women, and the dead raised to life.  But he currently sees something better.  He sees Christ on the throne.  This vision isn’t reserved for the rich, the famous, or the well-put-together.  No, it is only for those who put their faith in Christ.  

Paul’s mission wasn’t made effective by Paul.  It was the power of God that brought the gospel to the ends of the earth and it is the power of God that makes it effective in your heart.  He does not save us then forsake us.  We are His people, and He is our God.  Don’t forget the calling of God.  Remember His promises.  Know that your new life is secured in someone greater than yourself.  

If you don’t trust that the Lord has done something amazing in you, look to the cross.  There you’ll find comfort and security in the blood of Christ. If you believe that you don’t need to change or grow in holiness look to the cross.  You will see how seriously God takes sin.