Jim McDonald

The words “convert,” “converted,” “converting,” and “conversion” are related words, all of which have the same root meaning. Each word indicates a turning from something and a turning toward something else. We are told that except one be “converted” and become as a little child, he shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 18:3). In Matthew 13:15 Jesus quoted Isaiah 6:9-10 to emphasize the need to turn again: “For this people’s heart is waxed gross and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest haply they should perceive with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and should turn again (be converted) and I should heal them.” This same passage is quoted in John 12:40 when Jesus concluded His public ministry. Some years later when Paul was a prisoner in Rome and had called Jewish leaders to his home to discuss with them the gospel of Christ, most of them rejected his teaching. Of them he quoted Isaiah 6:9-10 once more.

The word “conversion” is used to describe people who had to been saved and added by God to His church. When Paul and Barnabas traveled from Antioch of Syria to Jerusalem for the so-called “Jerusalem Conference” (Acts 15), they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria and declared to brethren the “conversion” of Gentiles, and among those brethren much joy resulted (Acts 15:3). In Acts 3:19 the call to “be converted” was a call for those who had heard Peter’s lesson that day to obey it by being baptized. Peter had concluded his sermon saying, “Repent ye therefore and turn again (be converted) that your sins may be blotted out, that so there may come seasons of refreshing from the presence of the Lord.” Thus, the word refers in this passage to a change in one’s life from bad to good, and in that sense refer to people repenting and being baptized, but such is not its exclusive meaning. James 5:19 refers to a brother’s restoration who had fallen away as a “conversion”. James wrote, “My brethren, if any among you err from the truth, and one convert him; let him know who converted a sinner from the error of his ways shall save a soul from death and shall cover a multitude of sins” (James 5:19-20). Still, it is proper to speak of a sinner’s conversion, meaning that he had been baptized and saved.

Both John and Jesus, in their personal ministry, had preached, “Repent ye for the kingdom of heaven (“God” in Mark 1:15) is at hand” (Matthew 3:2). Isaiah had written, “Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: let the wicked forsake his ways and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him turn unto Jehovah and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God for He will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts neither are my ways your ways saith Jehovah. as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts, your thoughts” (55:6-9).  Little did those of Isaiah’s generation (nor of succeeding ones) realize how true that was of God’s promise to them of a coming Messiah (who would be David’s descendant) and His kingdom. To Israel, a kingdom from God meant the continuation of the nation under Davidic rule, yet on a much higher and grander scale. And that was true — the Davidic rule was on a higher and grander scale. Yet the kingdom that descendant was to rule over would be vastly different from what they expected. Jesus expressed that truth to Pilate when He said, “My kingdom is not of the world. If it were then would my servants fight that I should not be delivered unto the Jews but now is my kingdom not from hence” (John 18:36). Some see in these words of Jesus (“now is my kingdom not from hence”) a “change of His plans.” His nation had rejected Him and His kingdom. Thus, they speculate that Jesus was setting into motion “Plan B” — He would “postpone” His kingdom until a much later time and set up His church now instead of His kingdom. Such speculators are mistaken. There was no change in His plans. The church was what He came to bring into being: His plan the whole while. It is a kingdom, yet not a kingdom of this world.

Jesus’ words to Pilate were just before His crucifixion, but were in harmony what He had earlier taught. At the beginning of His ministry Jesus had indicated His kingdom would be different. When Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, came to Jesus by night he said, “Rabbi, we know thou art a teacher come from God for no man can do these signs thou doest except God be with him.” Jesus responded, “Verily, verily I say unto thee, except a man be born anew he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus expressed his astonishment and doubts, and Jesus further explained, “Except a man be born of the water and Spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:3, 5). In short, Jesus told His nation that being part of national Israel did not make them citizens in God’s kingdom. Jews could be in God’s kingdom, but if they were, they would have to be “born again” just as every other citizen of that kingdom. In essence, by this revelation to Nicodemus, this “teacher in Israel” was told, “My kingdom of not this world” just as Jesus later told Pilate.

The two elements, water and Spirit, of which Jesus said one must be born to “see” or “enter” the kingdom of God were (and are) part of every true conversion recorded in the book of Acts and all subsequent ones since then. Join us as we examine some of those conversions and see how these two elements “water and Spirit” were essential components of the salvation of every person who turned to Jesus: both things a significant part of one being converted.