Conversion is the child produced by the marriage of faith and repentance (43).

In order to fully appreciate the necessity of conversion, we need to understand the depth of man’s sinfulness and the nature of the human heart to live in rebellion against God’s authority and to resist or replace His demand for singular worship.

Challenges to conversion:

1. Willful independence. This is in fact a definition for sin (Is.43:7; 53:6; Gen.2:7-25; 3:8-24). “Sin is first and foremost a rejection of the supremacy of God and His lordship over our lives” (Thomas Schreiner) “Sin is a deification of self and dethronement of God.” (Charles Horne) Sin is self-worship.

2. Selfish cruelty. Man is more inhumane that wild animals because we are about self-exultation although made in the image of God. (i.e. The Brothers Karamazov; Gen.9:6; Js.3:9)

3. Total Depravity. Our autonomous heart is rooted in our depravity (i.e. continually under the influence of sin).

4. Spiritual unresponsiveness. Without Christ we have total inability to save ourselves and left to ourselves sin will rule us to the grave (Rom.5:6; 3:11; Eph.2:1-3; 1 Cor.2:14). Regeneration is the supernatural imparting of spiritual life to the sinners hear by the Holy Spirit alone. (Eph.2:1; Rom.3:10-18; 5:6; Col.2:13)

Adapted from Chapter 3 of Counsel One Another by Paul Tautges