Converted Unto Good Works
Minister: | Rev. Ronald Van Overloop |
Date: | 11/18/2012 AM |
Text: | Colossians 3; Lord's Day 33 |
Psalters: | 427, 338, 103, 68 |
- Conversion’s character.
- Conversion's author is God, not man.
- God turns us, both in initial conversion and in continual conversions (Jer. 31:18; Lam. 5:21; Psalm 80:3).
- God works by His Spirit through the Word so the heart is turned spiritually towards Him.
- Conversion is to be understood in two ways.
- Regenerated sinners are turned efficaciously, by the Spirit and Word, from the way of sin to righteousness.
- Conversion is continual because of the presence of sin in us (our old man).
- Conversion is a spiritual turning from going in a sinful direction to going in a God-glorifying direction.
- True conversion is a change in our consciousness of God (to Him and toward His attitude about sin).
- The power which consciously motivates conversion is love of God (which is based on His love for us).
- Conversion's author is God, not man.
- Conversion’s activity is that of mortifying the old man and quickening the new man (Col. 3:9,10 and Eph. 4;22-24).
- The old man is crucified with Christ (Rom. 6:2), but the ruts or patterns of the old man are still with us.
- First and most frequent is the presence of godly sorrow for our own sins and sinfulness.
- As a result we strive more and more to give sin less room to operate.
- And conversion is a conscious quickening of the life of Christ in us, a sincere rejoicing in our hearts.
- The old man is crucified with Christ (Rom. 6:2), but the ruts or patterns of the old man are still with us.
- Conversion is manifested in the performance of good works. Good works ....
- ...are in harmony with God's objective standard, His law (I John 3:4).
- ...are rooted in faith (Hebrews 11:6 and Romans 14:23).
- ...have the end or goal of the glory of God (I Cor. 10:31; Romans 14:6-8; John 15:8).