About Conversion | AdventAI

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Mar 9, 1882

About Conversion.

A GOOD brother writes concerning the trials often arising in the churches, and finds a reason in the assumed fact that the majority of the members of the churches are not truly converted; and he requests us to give some light on the subject that they may know in what true conversion consists.

The task assigned us is not an easy one, for it is, no doubt, expected that we shall describe the process of conversion, so that all may know whether they have really experienced or passed through this process.

First, we are not prepared to grant the assumption that a majority of the members of the churches are not converted. We have no sufficient reason to induce us to believe it. That self-deception is prevalent as well as dangerous we fully believe; but that this fact involves the consequence assumed by our brother we are not prepared to admit.

Secondly, we inquire, What is sufficient evidence that a person has been converted? Among our earliest observations of church matters was the inevitable "experience" which every candidate for membership, whether on profession or by letter, was required to relate. And we have to record our regret that a person's standing before God was judged almost entirely from this relation. This manner of judgment is based on the supposition that if one is thoroughly converted—if his passage through the process was clear and his experience well defined—he was sure to be saved finally. "Once in grace, always in grace," was the motto, and if truly inducted in the proper manner into this grace, what other or further evidence should or could be desired? On this point we have altogether outgrown our Baptist theory. It is not our purpose at present, nor suited to our present purpose, to argue this point; but we believe the theory is wrong, the judgment based upon it ill-grounded, and the consequence of trusting in it injurious and often fatal.

But if such an "experience" is the test, whose experience shall be taken as the standard, seeing that they differ immensely? At the time of our conversion or first reception of Christ as a Saviour, several dear friends started with us, and finally with us united with the church. But our experiences differed in many points. Some were led through the darkness into light in a very short time, while we mourned our sins for days and nights; our waking hours were in bitterness, and, as Job, we were "scared with dreams" in our sleep. Some came out "bright," with shouts of joy, and beaming faces, while our burden passed off easily on expressing our determination to persevere even if darkness were to be our lot, and the faithful servant of God recited the promises to the persevering. Judging from the experiences of others, our own might have been considered a doubtful one; but ours was a calm, quiet peace, which grew and brightened as weeks and months passed by.

But just as we could say that our peace was as a river, and were longing for a righteousness which should be as the waves of the sea, we undertook to read "Edwards on the Affections." This proved too much for even the strength of our joy and peace, and our doubts of the genuineness of our conversion were as distressing as the darkness of our first conviction. What the consequences might have been to our immature judgment in spiritual things we cannot imagine. But the wisdom, the faithfulness, and the Christian love and sympathy of our teacher were manifested to our permanent relief, and, if ever we find a place in the kingdom of our Saviour we expect that one of the happiest of our meetings will be with "Brother Barber." And it may be humiliating to confess, but it is truth, and the whole truth is very often humiliating, that we came to regard that celebrated work of Dr. Edwards with such dread that we did not—could not—finish the reading of it.

And our after experiences have been as different as were our first. If we had "fallen away" it might easily have been reasoned out that our deliverance from the burden of sin was not sufficiently clear and decided; that the precise moment of deliverance was not well enough defined. But some of our very happy compeers did prove untrue to their vows, and others, if still maintaining the "form of godliness" are, we fear, not deeply enough interested in religion to show a very great amount of faith by their works.

Now it is evident that if our judgment is dependent on these experiences we shall be left in hopeless perplexity. Studying over these matters we have arrived at the conclusion that it is unwise and unsafe to attach much importance to the form and manner of the early experience of a convert. It is at best but the "a, b, c," of Christian life, and may soon become worthless if not sustained "by patient continuance in well doing." Of course the second step is never taken without the first. A scholar would never make any progress who did not learn the alphabet. But if his evidence of progress and scholarship consisted in continued repetitions of the alphabet, and if he had nothing better to offer as years passed by, we should readily decide that he had either been under a poor tutor or was a dull and negligent scholar; and though he had learned the alphabet never so well, if he relied upon this without constant persevering study and constantly increasing attainments, he would never be able to graduate at all—he would have no standing in any class.

And we have known some who were unable to fix the precise date of their conversion; who, if called upon for their experience, could not assert with any positiveness that they ever had been converted. Yet their brethren and their neighbors have no doubt of their good standing as Christians. Shall we doubt? Shall we decide that they are deceived, that they are not Christ's followers, because they cannot give the experience which others relate? If we shall, then whose relation or whose experience shall be taken as the standard?

We do like to see a deep conviction of sin in any person who attempts to come to Christ. But what shall be the evidence that the conviction is genuine? We will relate an incident. Once, while we were preaching in Southern Ohio, a gentleman, an entire stranger to us, requested a conversation. His chief desire was to relate some of his marvelous experiences and to secure our opinion as to whether he was under the influence of the Spirit of God, in these manifestations, or of some other spirit. Upon our repeatedly declaring that we could not probably decide by a mere recital, he asked, "Well, how could you tell?" "To a certainty by living neighbor to you a few months." He did not relate his experience.

Were we not right? We think no one will decide in the negative. Reading the New Testament we find that many of those who manifested the deepest feeling for, and interest in, the work and preaching of the Saviour, never followed him at all, or only for a little while. And taking the Saviour's own words, we find a rule which must be permitted to settle all cases of doubt. It is this: "By their fruits ye shall know them." A tree which continues to bear good fruit cannot be corrupt; and a tree which bears corrupt fruit cannot be good.

We said we should not here argue the possibility of falling from grace. But we must notice one or two points to justify the position that a person may be converted and still be finally lost. For Paul himself feared lest, by carelessness or unfaithfulness, he should be cast away, after he had preached to others; and of his conversion there could be no doubt. Jesus said his disciples were branches in him, he being the vine. "Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away." Is an unconverted person in Christ? We think not. But as Peter erred after his conversion, see Gal. 2:11, we cannot decide that a person has not been converted because he errs. And finally we would suggest a few rules to govern us in perplexing cases:—

1. Exercise the same charity toward others which we would like to have accorded to ourselves under similar circumstances.

2. If one be overtaken in a fault, restore such an one, if it be possible, "in the spirit of meekness, considering thyself lest thou also be tempted." Gal. 6:1.

3. Do not too soon relax your efforts in a brother's behalf, remembering God's long-suffering toward us. 2 Peter 3:9; Luke 13:6-9.