Why is a right understanding of conversion so important for a church’s corporate witness?
A church that does not rightly understand conversion will…
- Offer non-Christians false assurance, calling them Christians when they are not.
- Confuse Christians about what it means to be a Christian.
- Misrepresent God to everyone! Rather than reflecting his holy character and life-transforming grace, such a church will portray God as unconcerned about sin and unable to change lives.
God established his church to display his glory (Eph. 3:10) through the holy lives of its members (2 Cor. 6:14-71, Matt. 5:13-16). A church that misunderstands conversion will fill itself with false and weak believers and then broadcast lies about God, rather than the truth.
On the other hand, a church with a biblical understanding of conversion will be filled with imperfect but growing Christians. It will demonstrate that God is holy and that his gracious gospel is powerful and transforming (Rom. 1:16, 2 Cor. 3:18).
