A Distinct Approach To Conversion – AB Simpson Style
ANYWAY, as I began to read his thinking about conversion and the need for the Alliance to develop a distinct understanding of it I was really struck by how similar it was to my own personal views. Within the Alliance we talk a lot about the sanctification process being both a crisis moment and an ongoing process but I’ve always felt that somewhere in there conversion was also more of a process.
Our modern evangelical perspective is to presume that ‘saying a prayer’ gets you in the books and from there everything just sort of falls into place. For some it does, no question, but as a pastor to students, many of whom are second, third and even fourth generation members of Christ-centred families, my experience and what I read in Scripture is a bit more of a progressive salvation.
Smith, in his article, talks about salvation really as containing seven distinct components. Components because there isn’t exactly an order to them and it would probably be counter-productive to call them steps. Anyway, he basically says that there are seven distinct components, listed below:
- belief, the intellectual component;
- repentance, the penitential component;
- trust, the component of emotional dependency;
- water baptism, the sacramental component;
- surrender to the will of God and consecration in response to God’s call, the volitional component;
- the reception of the gift of the Spirit, the charismatic component; and,
- incorporation into congregational life, the corporate component.
I like the way that Smith constructs this picture of conversion because in my opinion it holistically captures what I have seen in my personal experience as the foundation for a successful Christian life. As I read through this list again, my mind immediately jumps to how we teach salvation in a church context and makes me wonder where we fall short as teachers and where we basically fail. I mean, as I read this list I can say that sometimes in church the ‘salvation’ message is solely about belief. ”Do you believe that Jesus was who he said he was? Do you believe that he died for your sins, rose again and now sits at the right hand of the Father? Will you accept his gift of salvation?” Are we failing to provide the complete picture of salvation?
Another question pops into my head as well as it relates to spiritual formation, is our job as pastors and teachers to disciple believers or present the complete picture of salvation to people? I mean for me, seven steps could easily be seven years of teaching in the life of my students. I could easily start my grade 6′s out on belief, grade 7′s on repentance and so forth through all seven components, preparing them for adulthood, true conversion and a victorious Christian life.
This understanding of conversion makes a lot of sense when I look at those who have fallen away or ‘stopped the process’. My Calvinistic side wants to believe that once I am saved I am always saved and maybe the addition of ‘if saved’ is a little more complicated than it looks. My mind is racing so fast it’s hard to type and keep up but maybe, for my family members and friends and students who have simply ‘walked away from the church’ or started living a lifestyle that is not really in keeping with statements they’ve made is the reality of not really being ‘saved’ in the first place. This is a really scary thought but maybe heaven won’t be as full as I hope it will be.
Maybe there is room here for a distinctive Alliance perspective on conversion. My thinking has definitely been challenged and the practical implications of such a perspective aren’t all that complicated. In some ways it’s almost freeing. It gets me excited to reimagine my primary job as an evangelist, sharing the conversion message more fully. It really gets me thinking a lot about how I view those who walk away from my programs and ministry areas and how I can better equip my students to be fully alive followers of Jesus.
I feel like I’m in an episode of Lost. More questions at the end than answers. There’s so much more to this than just how we understand conversion but how we understand sanctification and the reception of the gift of the Spirit as a necessary part of conversion. Woah, not sure I can handle that right now but man, this is immense.
Well, I think I may send this post to some of my more theologically minded friends in hopes that they can contribute some wisdom and clarity to my comments, feel free to add yours too.
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4 Comments
27 July 10 at 8:08am
1
No offense James, but I think you're mixing up Justification & Sanctification. All those steps ARE part of being saved, and they ARE all parts of sanctification. But justification does happen instantly at the beginning of salvation. We are instantly justified based on belief (read through John & Romans and try to tell me otherwise). You have to be really careful with a post like this, because (while I know this would never be your intention) it sounds VERY close to being saved through works. Now, on the positive side, I completely agree that "saying a prayer" doesn't make you a Christian. It's a matter of "confessing with your mouth and believing in your heart." (Rom. 10:9) We have plenty of times under-taught salvation. We have also plenty of times taught about how to be saved without talking about the consequences or opposition people will face because of Jesus. That's also very dangerous.
27 July 10 at 12:28pm
2
Hey Matt! Thanks for the reply. I completely agree that justification happens, I'm just not convinced that belief as the only part of the equation is all it takes. Woah, that's an intense thought. When I look at the different components and when I think to those whom I have had the pleasure of leading in making a decision to follow Christ, many of these happen all at once. When I explain the gospel, it always includes belief, repentance and trust. I think maybe at that point justification can happen but James also says that faith without works is dead. I think probably more what I am saying is that conversion is a collection of distinct events in the life of a believer and not necessarily one distinct event. Distinct and inseparable events. Does that make sense?
27 July 10 at 1:16pm
3
Well, if you include "sanctification" as part of "conversion," then yes, of course it's more than 1 distinct event. Romans 10:9-13 "That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile — the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Belief, trust, & repentance can all take place in 1 distinct event. And perhaps (theoretically) they can take place over time. Regardless, belief is the core issue. I would say belief without trust or repentance isn't true belief. And good works is the fruit that proves true belief. I think that's the issue with what you're saying. You're separating belief from these other components that it inherently is connected to. Of course trust comes along with belief. Without it, you wouldn't have true belief! Jesus says it pretty simply: John 5:24 "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life." That sure sounds like conversion to me.
27 July 10 at 3:21pm
4
Hi James, You found a good article on A.B. Simpson. Smith has some interesting comments on salvation with his own 7 distinct components listed. While there is much said in the article on a two-paradigm approach to salvation: namely justification and sanctification, what is often overlooked is the fact there are actually three components of salvation: justification, sanctification, and glorification. Many overlook this fact and see the work of the Holy Spirit as complete upon sanctification. While the Holy Spirit does do an inner work of infilling, this is not the final act of the Spirit in salvation. The Apostle Paul wrote on this in Romans 8:29-30. Glorification is the final stage of salvation, sort of the point at which the doctrine of salvation and eschatology overlap in the life in the world to come. Some key verses to check are: Romans 8:29-30, Romans 8:18-25, John 17:1-5, 1 Peter 1:21.