CONVERSION by Albert Stone

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · May 11, 1869

CONVERSION.

By Albert Stone

BY ELD. ALBERT STONE.

TEXT.—Jer. iv, 3. “For thus saith the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.”

This text enjoins the duty, and illustrates the nature of conversion or sanctification. This is a subject of vital importance, and is too little understood by most Christians. There is a tendency to make religion a superficial thing, to build hopes for eternity on a sandy foundation, to seek the remedy without a knowledge of the nature and extent of the disease, to expect a harvest from seed sown upon uncultivated unsubdued soil.

First, there must be a preparation of heart to receive the gospel.

The farmer does not sow his grain in the uncleared forest. Much painful labor and expense is necessary to clear away the natural growth of timber, root out noxious weeds that would choke the tender grain, and break up and pulverize the soil to a suitable depth, that the seed may find a genial reception, so as to germinate, and gradually mature into a rich harvest to gladden the heart of the husbandman.

Equally necessary is it that the good seed of the kingdom, which is the word of God, when sown in the hearts of men, should fall upon good ground that has been well and faithfully prepared to receive it.

This important truth is forcibly illustrated in our Lord’s parable of the sower. Matt. xiii, and Luke viii: “A sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed some fell by the way-side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundred-fold.”

This parable represents four classes of persons who hear the word of God, and are favored with the means of salvation; only one of which attains to, and maintains, a truly converted state, and bears fruit unto salvation. They are all influenced by the word, and most of them make a profession, join the church and expect to be saved. Yet three of those classes are fruitless professors, bear no fruit that comes to maturity, and will meet a sad disappointment in the great day of God.

Now it is of the greatest importance that a close and searching inquiry be made as to the cause of so many deceptions and failures. The failure to bear fruit, of the three classes first named in the parable, is manifestly on account of the unprepared state of the soil on which the seed is sown.

The productiveness and consequent success of the fourth class in the parable, is manifestly because the seed was sown on good ground, that had been carefully prepared for its reception.

It should be borne in mind that the responsibility for unfruitfulness rests on those who hear the word of God.

The first class in the parable is represented by seed that fell by the way-side. It proved a failure as might be expected. Yet in a corresponding case of infinitely more importance, thousands will vainly expect to be successful, and risk their souls and feel safe, where if it were but a few dollars they would be alarmed, and bestir themselves to make it more secure.

The unfruitfulness of the second class of hearers in the parable is represented by seed sown upon a rock, where no one could reasonably expect any increase. The one who should literally do this, would, in the time of harvest, beg and have nothing. Yet many risk their souls upon ground equally untenable.

The unfruitfulness of the third class is represented by one who should foolishly sow his seed among thorns. Nothing could be more unwise in worldly matters, than to spend time and labor in such an enterprise. Yet a corresponding course is pursued by many in regard to their eternal interests.

Let us be thankful that the Lord, in this parable, has spoken of one successful class; one class in four, that exercise common wisdom, prudence and foresight; one class that work, while others rejoice, that see, while others are blind, that hear, while others are deaf; one class that work, while others feel that they have little or nothing to do; that return from their labor with joy, bringing their sheaves with them, while others utter the bitter lamentation, “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.”

We learn from this parable that a large majority of those who hear, and are wrought upon by the word of God, in whose hearts the incorruptible seed is sown, and who are moved upon to profess religion, do yet lack the essential properties of true conversion, and consequently of consecration to the Lord’s service.

A desire to be saved, together with a partial breaking off from outbreaking sins, constitutes the sum total of their religion. To be fellowshiped by the church, they take as good evidence that they are in a fair way to be saved, and this is about the hight of their religious aspirations. The cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and they become unfruitful. Eternal life is sacrificed to the pleasures of the moment, Jesus is wounded in the house of his friends, stumbling-blocks are laid in the way of others, and the way of life is made to appear unlovely to the world, by the unholy lives and frequent overt acts of these unconsecrated, and unsanctified professors.

But why must the cause of God be burdened with such a state of things? Why this light esteem of eternal life, by so many professors? Why such trampling on Christ, and counting the blood of the covenant an unholy thing? Why so many half-hearted espousals to a cause so precious? Why so many carnally-minded, world-loving, professors? Why so many with whom it is so difficult for them to understand their errors? Why so many causing offenses to the little ones that believe in Christ? Why so many to whom Christ will say, in the great day of God, “Depart from me, I never knew you?”

The answer to these questions may be found in the fact that the “fallow ground” is not broken up, or if this work has been done at all, it has been a very limited work, and has ceased to progress. The work of the law upon the heart has been limited, partial and ineffectual; a continued looking into the glass of the law would reveal greater enormities than have yet been seen, greater needs than have yet been felt. But instead of this, the individual is claiming gospel blessings, which, in his present state of mind, he cannot appreciate. He claims pardon, his need of which he has never sufficiently felt. He asks to be sanctified, while he does not understand the nature of sanctification. He asks to be converted, while he is ignorant of, or rejects, the principal instrumentality by which the law accomplishes such a work. “Thus saith the Lord, Break up your fallow-ground and sow not among thorns.”

Let it be borne in mind that conversion, in every case, is sound or unsound, false or true, in proportion as the principles of the divine law are brought to bear upon the heart and conscience.

“The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing

the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.”

The law of God is the sword of the Spirit in the work of conversion, and the Lord will not dispense with it in the performance of that work. Every stick in the heavenly building must be fitted for its place, by that perfect rule. It is a rule to be had in constant use, not only in the beginning of our Christian experience, but during our whole life.

Conversion is not the work of a moment, it does not consist in good thoughts, or forming good resolutions. Nor does it consist in happy feelings, or ecstatic joys. One class in the parable received the word with joy, but they had no root, and soon withered away. Joy may result from conversion or deception, and is comparatively of little account in deciding upon our state. Conversion is the turning of a sinner from his sins to God, a breaking off of sins by righteousness, and of iniquities by turning unto the Lord.

It is to seek the salvation of the soul in every means of grace. It is a gradual, progressive work, preceded by deep heart-felt repentance and godly sorrow for sin, and followed by fervent love to God and all men, evinced by a willing submission to the will of God, and a hungering and thirsting after righteousness. Regeneration occurs but once; but conversion must be repeated, while we find we have any sins to repent of and forsake.

It is usually a great mistake to suppose that our first conversion forms a basis sufficiently broad for the action of our entire future life, or that the fountain of sin in the heart is all broken up and eradicated.

Such is only the beginning of an experience in the warfare against sin, which must be followed up through life, and become more and more expansive, as we become more enlightened in the righteous principles of the law of God.

Every development of light or knowledge forms a basis for a more extended and perfect conversion, because conversion is the practical use of knowledge, and a correct knowledge of the law is necessary, in order to a correct obedience to its requirements, and a lack of knowledge, where we have the means of knowing, is equivalent to a rejection of the law. The Lord says by his prophet, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee; seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.” Hosea iv, 6. True conversion can be practically demonstrated only in proportion to our knowledge of God’s requirements.

A state of perfect conformity to the law of God is the object at which every Christian aims. But such a state is not instantaneously attained. Conversion can proceed no faster than our advance in correct knowledge makes way for it; and a state of perfect conformity to God implies the possession of an understanding perfectly acquainted with the law of God, of a memory which perfectly retains all its precepts; of a conscience which always faithfully applies it; of a heart which perfectly loves it; of a will which is perfectly obedient and submissive to its authority; and of an imagination which presents to the mind no images but such as ought to be entertained.

Such is the elevated standard at which we aim. How important that we heed the voice of God as he speaks to us in the text: “Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy, break up your fallow ground; for it is time to seek the Lord till he come and rain righteousness upon you.” Let none suppose while we exalt the law, that we think lightly of Christ. God forbid! If we exalt the law, we exalt Christ. If we detract from the law, we dishonor Christ.