The Theology of Conversion – A Lenten Call

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“Repent, and believe in the gospel.” It is with these words that Jesus started His public ministry. Every year during the season of Lent, Jesus calls each one of us to conversion.

This year Lent begins with Ash Wednesday on Wednesday 17 February 2021 and ends on Holy Saturday, 3 April 2021. This time of the year is very important for many Christians worldwide, especially for those within the Orthodox, Catholic, and Anglican traditions.

Teachings Of The Church

The Catholic Church’s Catechism teaches,

“The interior penance of the Christian can be expressed in many and various ways. Scripture and the Fathers insist above all on three forms, fasting, prayer, and almsgiving, which express conversion in relation to oneself, to God, and to others. Alongside the radical purification brought about by Baptism or martyrdom they cite as means of obtaining forgiveness of sins: effort at reconciliation with one’s neighbor, tears of repentance, concern for the salvation of one’s neighbor, the intercession of the saints, and the practice of charity “which covers a multitude of sins.”

Conversion is accomplished in daily life by gestures of reconciliation, concern for the poor, the exercise and defense of justice and right, by the admission of faults to one’s brethren, fraternal correction, revision of life, examination of conscience, spiritual direction, acceptance of suffering, endurance of persecution for the sake of righteousness. Taking up one’s cross each day and following Jesus is the surest way of penance. (CCC 1435 – 1435)

What Is The Purpose Of Conversion?

Conversion is essential to salvation in Christ. At the same time, both within each tradition and between them there exists a diversity of understandings and approaches to conversion. Issues that illustrate this diversity include whether conversion is an event, a series of events, or a process. The variety of experiences reflected in the biblical texts regarding conversion, and how we interpret these texts, underlie some of this diversity.

Conversion must be seen within the larger context of the process of Christian Initiation, which includes as essential elements

“proclamation of the Word, acceptance of the Gospel entailing conversion, profession of faith, baptism itself, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and admission to Eucharistic communion” (CCC 1229).

Catholics link “the special outpouring of the Holy Spirit” with the Sacrament of Confirmation (CCC 1302). They affirm that such initiation is aimed at conversion, which is a profound existential change in life that naturally results in the urge to spread the Good News. Catholics see baptism as incorporation into Christ and into the Church, while they also recognize the importance of the stages of the catechumenate.

Biblical Perspectives On Conversion

In a biblical sense, conversion embraces all human faculties: rational, volitional, and affective — “You will let me hear gladness and joy; the bones you have crushed will rejoice. A clean heart create for me, God; renew within me a steadfast spirit.” (Ps 51:10,12); it also affects the whole person, “So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Cor 5:17).

An aspect of conversion unique to the New Testament is that it is intimately tied to the person of Jesus Christ, in whom the kingdom is brought to fulfillment — “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” (Jn 3:16). Conversion relates to a variety of biblical themes (including faith, baptism, justification, salvation, repentance, forgiveness, and sin). The root notion of conversion in the Bible is change – that is, turning from darkness, death, and sin to light, new life, and grace.

Conversion is often associated with acts reflecting a purification of heart and mind — “Yet even now oracle of the LORD return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning” (Joel 2:12). The Bible generally shows conversion to be both an event and a process (Acts 9:1-19). As an example, in the account of Paul’s conversion, he first had an encounter with the risen Christ: “On his journey, as he was nearing Damascus, a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9: 3­-4).

This dramatic event was followed by a process of formation over a period in time during which he was prayed for by Ananias (v. 12), was filled with the Holy Spirit (v. 17), and was baptized (v. 18). Paul further described the process, mentioning his journey to Arabia, return to Damascus for three years, and his time spent in Jerusalem with Peter (Gal 1:13-24).

One prominent effect of conversion is the urge to give testimony to others and consequently to evangelize, particularly in response to the Lord’s command in the Great Commission: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” (Mt 28:19-20). During the post-resurrection period, when Peter and John were brought before the Sanhedrin, their declaration was, “It is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:20).

Conversion In The New Testament

In the New Testament, several perspectives on conversion can be found as one looks at the Synoptic Gospels and the Pauline and Johannine writings. This theme occurs in a variety of contexts and with different emphases. However, there are elements that are common to all of them, though not always highlighted in each one.

Generally, conversion entails being embraced by God’s goodness, turning away from sin, and turning towards God. In the biblical stories narrated by the New Testament authors, conversion occurs instantaneously or as an ongoing process. It can be a very dramatic event obvious to all spectators or a process of inner development that is largely hidden from the view of other people. For instance, the exchange between Jesus and the teacher of the law was seemingly a quiet event, resulting in Jesus noting the change in the man and declaring, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” (Mk 12:34).

Conversion In The Synoptic Gospels

In the synoptic Gospels of Matthew and Mark, conversion relates to repentance. The definition of conversion as turning away from sin is rooted in these passages — “John [the] Baptist appeared in the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” (Mk 1:4; see also Mt 3:2; 8, 11); and also, Jesus began his ministry by proclaiming, ““This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” (Mk 1:15).

Later in Matthew repentance is described as changing one’s mind towards obedience (Mt 21:29). There it may reflect the need for ongoing repentance as turning towards obedience to God and be associated more with the general idea of discipleship than with conversion or initiation.

Conversion In The Gospel Of Luke

The parables in Luke 15 (the lost sheep, lost coin, and prodigal son) illustrate the notion of being embraced by God’s goodness. This is contained in two motifs also emphasized elsewhere by Luke: first being brought back by God — “So he got up and went back to his father. While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.” (v. 20); and second, repentance — “I tell you, in just the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance.” (v. 7).

The repentance described in the lost sheep and coin parables emphasizes God’s initiative, while the prodigal son’s repentance demonstrates a more active human response. In all three parables, there is a sense of restoration to the community – being found, being carried home, being restored to the rest of the flock, and being reinstated into the family.

Other Lucan passages also reflect the drama between the divine initiative and the sinner’s response to repentance (Acts 5:31; Lk 19:10). Luke 8:18 (“Take care, then, how you hear. To anyone who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he seems to have will be taken away.”) implies an active listening, being actively involved in something that is happening within oneself, or to oneself.

In Luke 19, Zacchaeus experiences a conversion. He is restored to the fellowship of the community – Jesus has included the one who was excluded. This narrative is almost pragmatic for many conversion stories in Luke and Acts: conversion is about believing in the good news and allowing oneself to be embraced by God’s love and to be restored to the community of God’s people.

Conversion In The Gospel Of John

The Johannine perspective focuses more broadly on salvation, and not specifically on conversion. Two metaphors that John does emphasize are those of receiving life and receiving light. Jn 3:1-21 emphasizes the new birth as the work of God, although it does not take place apart from faith expressed by the person being born again. Here and elsewhere in John the emphasis is on Jesus coming so that this world and those who believe will have life — “For God so loved the world that he gave* his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” (Jn 3:16).

Having life means accepting what has been offered, as depicted in Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman (Jn 4:10­,15). The variety of “life” metaphors (bread, living water, birth) point to John’s interest in Jesus` bring or giving of life. The same emphasis applies when considering John’s use of the metaphor of light: Jesus comes into this world, gives light, and people are to receive it and live in it “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (Jn 8:12). However, John also reports Jesus’ invitation to the thirsty that they should take action: “Let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink.” (Jn 7:37).

Conversion In Pauline Letters

Paul offers us a unique insight into the theme of conversion, by giving us a profound theological interpretation of his own conversion experience. While Acts 9 describes the conversion of Paul, Paul provides us with his personal understanding of it which sheds some light upon the mysterious interaction between the divine and the human (Gal 1:13-17; Phil 3:4-11).

Pauline’s writings reflect conversion as a radical, decisive event, expressed by a variety of descriptions. These include hearing and responding to the call — “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all, enriching all who call upon him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Rom 10: 12-13).

Paul also expresses the beginning of the Christian life as either a cry for help (Rom 7: 24), the experience of being called, or other depictions that illustrate the newness of existence. Most of these emphasize God’s initiative, with the person entering into experiences such as repentance, death of the old nature, or becoming a new creation. The one passage referring to repentance (Rom 2: 4) depicts it as an encounter with God’s love and mercy. As in the Gospels, this newness of life, while personal, is not merely an individualistic experience but that of a believer being reconciled with God and reunited with the community.

Conclusion On Conversion In The New Testament

The Bible presents various perspectives on conversion and not just one definition. There are many characteristics of conversion found in Scripture. First, conversion involves establishing or re-establishing a personal relationship with God so that the sinner can cry out with confidence, “Have mercy on me, God, in accord with your merciful love; in your abundant compassion blot out my transgressions.”(Ps 51:3).

It implies a mysterious interaction between the divine and the human, which is primarily the human response to divine initiative. Though conversion is a personal experience, the biblical understanding is that it is always relational. The biblical call to conversion is properly directed to whole communities as well as to individuals.

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3 thoughts on “The Theology of Conversion – A Lenten Call”

  1. Pingback: MONDAY EDITION – Big Pulpit

  2. The results of conversion and repentance are different after Pentecost when the Spirit of Christ became available. Prior to Pentecost, even during the gospel period when Christ was on earth, this was not possible (see John 14:17-18 and 16:7).
    “It is the spirit that enlivens; the flesh profits nothing” (John 6:63).

    1. There was never a time when conversion was not possible. In the Old Testament it was the conversation of Saul to Paul and in the New Testament is the conversion of Simon to Simon Peter.

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