************ Sermon on Heidelberg Catechism Q & A 88-90 ************
By: Rev. Adrian Dieleman
This sermon was preached on June 8, 2008
Q & A 88-90
Colossians 3:1-17
"Conversion"
Introduction
Sunday night, Ruth & I were walking home. Keith Haveman came by on his motorcycle, hit his horn, and Ruth just about jumped out of her skin.
Monday morning, Keith Haveman comes by on his motorcycle again. Walks into the office with a big grin on his face. Apologizes for scaring us. Asks if he can blow his horn again. Continues to grin at us. Asks if we thought his apology was sincere.
I told him to listen to this morning's sermon – carefully.
Keith already knows, of course, that genuine sorrow means you don't do something again, that you hate it, and that you run away from it.
This morning we look at genuine repentance or conversion.
I need to tell you that many churches and Christians confuse conversion with being born-again. Yes, we need to be born-again. Yes, we need conversion. But they are not the same thing though they always occur together. They are like two sides of the same coin.
What is the difference between born-again and conversion? Born-again is that act of the Holy spirit whereby new spiritual life is implanted into man. Conversion is the conscious act of the regenerate person in which he turns to God in repentance and faith. Born-again is a work of God alone; man is passive. Conversion is a work of God and man. You don't wake up some morning and decide to be born-again. However, you do wake up some morning and decide, with God's help, to be converted.
Let me remind you of where we are at in the Catechism. We have already looked at sin and misery. We have also examined in great detail our marvelous salvation in Christ. Now, we are looking at how we are to thank God for our deliverance.
How are we to thank God for deliverance? Today, we learn that the thankful life includes conversion. Next time, we learn it also includes good works. After that, we learn it includes obedience to the Ten Commandments and it involves prayer.
I We Must be Converted
A The thankful life means you need to be converted. "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 conversion has a negative and a positive side. 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.
In conversion you make a change. I remember the time Ruth and I went to visit someone in the hospital in downtown Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. We did not know Hamilton, so we carefully followed a map. Unfortunately, the map did not tell us it was illegal to make left turns in downtown Hamilton during certain hours. I got ticketed by a police officer. I made sure I never made a left turn in downtown Hamilton after that. I changed my ways.
In Colossians 3, the Apostle Paul speaks about conversion. He tells us to put off our old self and to put on our new self. He compares 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 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 are 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 resurrected to a new life." In looking at this we said there are 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 died and arose.
C It is not enough to say that 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 is a sinner and estranged from God. There are no exceptions. Every man, woman or child who has ever lived has an old self of sin. Therefore, every person needs to be converted. Thus, John the Baptist, Jesus, and the disciples all demanded conversion – they used the word "repent" – 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 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 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.
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 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 You need to be converted. Your old self needs to die. 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 chase after sin. 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.
If this is not happening in your life, you are not converted.
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."
C The dying-away of the old self also means we "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 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 You need to be converted. 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.
If this is not happening in your life, you are not converted.
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 in God through Christ." This means God's people are filled with joy 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 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 every congregation that I have served there have been members like Dorcas – they 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 or earthquake victims.
Of course, for most of us it is a struggle to be like Dorcas. 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 converted, then it is our desire to do 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
as 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 my oak tree. I have noticed that my oak tree will not let go of some of its 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.