************ Sermon on Heidelberg Catechism Q & A 88-90 ************
Doctrine: repentance/conversion
By: Rev. Adrian Dieleman
This sermon was preached on October 14, 2001
Q & 86-87
Colossians 3:1-17
"Conversion"
Introduction
Topic: New Man
Subtopic:
Index: 2582-2586
Date: 12/1997.1387
Title: The Old Must Go
London businessman Lindsay Clegg told the story of a warehouse property he was selling. The building had been empty for months and needed repairs. Vandals had damaged the doors, smashed the windows, and strewn trash around the interior. As he showed a prospective buyer the property, Clegg took pains to say that he would replace the broken windows, bring in a crew to correct any structural damage, and clean out the garbage. "Forget about the repairs," the buyer said. "When I buy this place, I'm going to build something completely different. I don't want the building; I want the site."
That's God's message to us today. He doesn't just want to take our lives and do a little bit of touch up here and there. What He wants to do is make us into a brand new creation. He leads us to repent and convert.
I We Must be Converted
A "WHAT IS INVOLVED IN GENUINE REPENTANCE OR CONVERSION?," asks the Catechism. Its answer:
Two things:
the dying away of the old self,
and the coming to life of the new.
We see here that repentance/conversion has a negative and a positive side. Repentance/conversion means, negatively, to be putting off our old self of sin and, positively, to be putting on the new self of joy and righteousness. Repentance/conversion, in other words, means to be, to live, and to act as a new creation.
Repentance/conversion is like a U-turn. I remember the first time I, as a teenager, drove a car in the city of London, Ontario. I turned down a street and saw two lanes of cars coming toward me, most of them flashing their lights and honking their horns. I quick did a U-turn when I realized I was going the wrong way down a one-way street. Similarly, those who are converted change direction, they have a complete turn-around in their life. They know they are headed down the wrong road because of sin.
In speaking about repentance/conversion in Colossians 3 the Apostle Paul tells us to put off our old self and to put on our new self. In saying this he compares repentance/conversion to the change of clothing he saw converts make at the time of their baptism. In the New Testament period a convert, at baptism, tore off an old dirty cloak – symbolizing the putting off of the filth and pollution of sin – and put on a new clean cloak – symbolizing the putting on of the righteousness and holiness of Christ.
True repentance/conversion is always this way: something negative followed by something positive. We must put off the old in order to put on the new. We can't put on new clean clothing until we take off the old dirty clothing.
B If you remember, in Q & A 43 we confessed that by Christ's suffering and death upon the cross "our old selves are crucified, put to death, and buried with him." In looking at this we said there is three answers to the question, "when is it that my old self died with Christ?" We said we died with Christ on Golgotha, His death is guaranteed as ours when we are baptized, and we personally taste this death only when we are converted.
In Q & A 45, speaking of Christ's resurrection, we confessed that we "are already now resurrection to a new life." In looking at this we said there is three answers to the question, "when is it that I was resurrected with Christ?" We said we rose with Christ at the grave, His resurrection is guaranteed as ours when we are baptized, and we personally taste this new life only when we are converted.
Conversion: do you see how important it is? It is only in conversion that we actually experience that our old self has died with Christ. And, it is only in conversion that we actually experience that our new self has risen with Christ. The death of our old self of sin and the life of our new self of righteousness becomes real in our lives only in and through and by conversion. It is only in conversion that we experience that in Christ we are a new creation.
C It is not enough to say that repentance/conversion is important. We also have to say that it is absolutely necessary. In Q & A 87 the Catechism asked, "CAN THOSE BE SAVED WHO DO NOT TURN TO GOD FROM THEIR UNGRATEFUL AND IMPENITENT WAYS?" Or, to put it another way, "CAN THOSE BE SAVED WHO ARE UNCONVERTED?" The answer: "By no means." No unconverted person is "going to inherit the kingdom of God."
Every human being is a sinner and estranged from God. There are no exceptions – except for Jesus. Every man, woman or child who has ever lived has an old self of sin. Therefore every human needs to be converted. Thus, John the Baptist, Jesus, and the disciples all demanded repentance/conversion when they proclaimed the Gospel of the kingdom (cf Mt 3:2;4:17; Mk 6:12; Acts 2:38;3:19; Rev 2:16;3:19). "Repent or perish" is an essential part of the New Testament message. We either turn or we burn.
D Repentance/conversion is not something we do on our own. We do it only by the mercy, the grace, and the strength of God. The converted life always starts off with regeneration, with being born again by the blood and Spirit of Christ.
Compare regeneration/conversion to the planting of a garden. As any gardener knows, it is not enough to plant the seed. The seed also needs to be cultivated, watered, sprayed, and fertilized in order for fruit to be produced. In regeneration the Holy Spirit implants the seed of new life in our hearts. In conversion we cultivate that seed of new life planted within our heart so that fruit of gratitude is produced.
Many Christians and churches make the mistake of thinking repentance or conversion is the first and only step of salvation. They talk and sing about following Jesus – as if it were only and totally up to them. They fail to see and understand that our decision to follow Jesus comes only after God has chosen us and called us. They fail to see and understand that our decision to follow Jesus doesn't happen on its own – that it happens only when God makes us born-again, and justifies us, and starts us on the path of sanctification and glory.
E Conversion comes in different ways to different people. For the Apostle Paul it was an instantaneous experience on the road to Damascus (Acts 9). If asked, I am sure he could tell you the day and hour of his conversion experience. For Timothy, however, it was a gradual process that started as a little child on the lap of his mother Eunice and his grandmother Lois (2 Tim 1:5). If asked, he would be unable to tell you the day and hour of his conversion. He would reply it happened so naturally that he was hardly aware of it happening. This means that those who tell us that we are not converted unless we can pinpoint the exact day and hour of conversion are not listening properly to Scripture. The fact is, the Holy Spirit works in different ways in bringing different people to conversion.
What is most important about repentance/conversion is not the way in which it occurs, or even the time it occurs, but its genuineness. What we need to ask is not "What day and what hour were you converted?" but "Is your old self dying and your new self living?"
II The Dying-Away of the Old Self
A The Catechism asks, "WHAT IS THE DYING-AWAY OF THE OLD SELF?" Its answer:
It is to be genuinely sorry for sin,
to hate it more and more,
and to run away from it.
Notice, the Catechism calls it the "dying-away" of the old self. It is not completely dead and gone; rather, it is in the process of dying. You know what this says about us, don't you? It means that, unlike the angels of heaven, we are not immune to sin and evil. But it also means that we cannot go to the other extreme by continuing to wallow in our sin. There is a delightful story of a pig who was all washed up for a showing at the fair. Somehow he got loose, raced for the mud, and got dirty all over again. Christians experiencing true repentance/conversion do not wallow again in the mud and filth of sin and evil. Rather, the old self of sin is to be in the process of dying-away. Year-by-year there ought to be discernible progress in its dying-away. Year-by-year we are to rid ourselves of such things as
(Col 3:5) sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry ... (8) ... anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.
B According to the Catechism the dying-away of the old self means "to be genuinely sorry for sin." As a pastor I have heard many confessions of sin. I am sure most of those people were genuine in their confession and sorrow. Yet, there were also times when I've wondered if sorrow is being expressed for the sin or at being caught in that sin; is it sorrow for sin or is it sorrow because of the sin's consequences? There is a huge difference, of course.
Genuine sorrow for sin is a necessary part of our conversion. "Godly sorrow," says Paul in 2 Corinthians 7:10, "brings repentance that leads to salvation." Yet, I can't help but note that genuine sorrow for sin seems to be a lost art today. Consider, for a moment, the statements of Congressman Gary Condit about his affair with Chandra Levy. Many, when they are caught at sin, show no sorrow, no shame, no guilt; rather, they are bold as brass about their sin and even dare boast about it to others.
C The dying-away of the old self also means to "hate (sin) more and more." We are to be like God and His Christ and hate all sin, evil, and wickedness. Don't forget, by true faith we have been grafted into Christ (A 20). And, we are so united to Christ that whatever happened to Jesus also happened to those who are "in" Jesus. Thus, the New Testament teaches not only that we died with Him and were raised with Him but also that we were exalted with Him in His ascension and are seated with Him at God's right hand (Eph 2:6). Furthermore, when Christ is revealed in glory we also will be glorified with and in Him (Col 3:4). Between Christ and Christian there is total harmony and unity so that "we are flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone" (A 76).
We see this total union between Christ and Christian expressed by King David at the end of Psalm 139:
(Ps 139:21-22) Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD, and abhor those who rise up against you? (22) I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.
King David is so united with the Lord that he loves what and whom Christ loves and he hates what and whom Christ hates. So, like the Lord, David hates the sin and evil of wicked men.
The dying-away of the old self means we are to be one with the Lord in His hate of all sin and evil. His loves are to be our loves and His hates are to be our hates.
D Finally, the dying-away of the old self means we are "to run away from (sin)." My favorite example here is a young and handsome Joseph waylaid by the beautiful but bored wife of Potiphar. Remember how she grabbed Joseph by the coat and begged him to go to bed with her? But when she insisted Joseph ran away in his underwear rather than sin against God. Joseph hated sin so much and loved God so much he rather flee than fall.
Too many times God's people embrace sin as a friend rather than flee from it as an enemy. But, the dying-away of the old self means we are to run away from sin.
E I am not going to mislead you, my brothers and sisters, by telling you it is easy to put to death your old self. Day-to-day experience alone tells us otherwise. Too often every step forward comes only after great struggle; it seems every step forward involves the pain and disappointment of a step or two backwards. You see, our old self is very persistent and very stubborn. But we must be even more persistent and stubborn in our struggle to put it to death.
III The Coming-to-Life of the New Self
A Repentance/conversion is not only the dying-away of the old self. It is also the coming-to-life of the new self. The Catechism asks, "WHAT IS THE COMING-TO-LIFE OF THE NEW SELF?" Its answer:
It is wholehearted joy in God through Christ
and a delight to do every kind of good
as God wants us to.
Notice, this too is in process. It is "coming" rather than accomplished. This means that our new man is not yet fully ours. This means that we are not fully able yet to do all the good we want to do. This means that ours yet is only a foretaste of the joy and bliss of life with Christ.
Yet, as with the dying-away of the old self we ought to see discernible progress. Year-by-year there ought to be discernible progress in the coming-to-life of the new self. Year-by-year we are to put on such things as
(Col 3:12-14) ... compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (13) Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. (14) And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
B According to the Catechism the coming-to-life of the new self
... is wholehearted joy in God through Christ and a delight to do every kind of good
as God wants us to.
The Catechism mentions two distinguishing features, two marks, of the new life: wholehearted joy and a delight in doing good.
The first feature of the new life is joy. Joy, as you may know, is an inward religious emotion which absolutely has to come to outward expression. Generally, joy can express itself in such things as singing, shouting, clapping, praying, and praising. It is the natural consequence of fellowship with God and can have only one result: praise to and for God. Joy leads to praise.
Notice, the joy of the new life is a "joy in God through Christ." God's people are filled with joy and rejoicing that results in praise, because of all of the blessings of the Gospel: redemption, being partners in missions, possessing the hope of a new and better life in a new and better body on a new and better earth, having the comfort of belonging to the Lord.
The second feature of the new life is to take a delight in doing good. In every church of believers there is a saint or two who can never do enough for the other believers. In the church of Joppa it was a woman named Dorcas "who was always doing good and helping the poor" (Acts 9:36). In previous congregations that I served it was Mrs. Guetter and Mrs. Loomans. People like Dorcas & Mrs. Guetter and Mrs. Loomans – those last two ladies would be greatly embarrassed if they knew I was talking about them this way – are always there with pies, cakes, soups, and casseroles when there is a death or illness; they are forever visiting the widows and lonely; they warmly greet every newcomer with a welcome call or two; they help prepare clothing boxes for shipment to Haiti; they take working vacations to help tornado victims or to help the poor of Mississippi, they participate whole-heartedly in the Peter Fish program to feed the hungry. I look at Mrs. Guetter and Mrs. Loomans just like believers used to look at Dorcas, and I can tell: they love to do and be good.
Of course, for most of us it is a struggle to be like Dorcas or Mrs. Guetter or Mrs. Loomans. We are so busy with work, children, church, and school we hardly have time to go out of our way to do good to others. Yet, if we are a new creation in Christ, then it is our desire to not only do good but to also be good.
C "WHAT IS THE COMING-TO-LIFE OF THE NEW SELF?" The Catechism says,
It is wholehearted joy in God through Christ
and a delight to do every kind of good
ad God wants us to.
This is the real secret to the dying-away of the old self. This is the real key to overcoming the temptations of the world. You see, the desire for evil diminishes when we find our joy in God and are attracted to doing good.
Think of oak trees. Have you ever noticed that oak trees will not let go of some of their old leaves even when Fall has come and gone, even when the winds and cold have come? But in the Spring an old leaf will fall without any wind or blast, simply because a new leaf sprouts!
We don't overcome evil merely by sorrow, hate, or flight. We overcome evil when we have a taste of joy and a delight in doing good.