Converted Unto Good Works

Minister:
Date: AM
Text: II Corinthians 5:17; Lord's Day 33
Psalters: 375, 233, 426, 68
  1. Its character.
    1. Conversion is God’s work.
    2. Conversion is a spiritual turning from going in a sinful direction to going in a God-glorifying direction.
      1. True conversion is a change in our conscious relation to God.
      2. The conscious motivating power of conversion is love of God.
    3. Conversion's author is God, not man.
      1. God turns us, both in initial conversion and in continual conversions (Jer. 31:18; Lam. 5:21; Psalm 80:3).
      2. God works by His Spirit through the Word so the heart is turned spiritually towards Him.
      3. When the Spirit works this conscious awareness in the believer, then the believer moves to activity.
  2. Conversion’s activity is that of mortifying (killing) the old man and quickening (making alive) the new man.
    1. Re. the terms "old man" and "new man" (Colossians 3:9,10 and Ephesians 4;22-24).
    2. We are to become increasingly aware of this "law of sin," so we fight it and kill it with the sword of the Spirit.
      1. First and most frequent is the presence of godly sorrow for our own sins and sinfulness.
      2. As a result we strive more and more to give sin less room to operate.
    3. And conversion is a conscious quickening of the life of Christ in us, a sincere rejoicing in our hearts.
      1. There is an increasing measure of joy in God and in the things of God.
      2. It is the endeavor to place ourselves and our life under the dominion of Lord Jesus.
  3. Conversion is manifested in the performance of good works. Good works ....
    1. ...are in harmony with God's objective standard, His law (cf. I John 3:4).
      1. Only God can say what is good, for He is Creator and the only Good (Deut. 12:32).
      2. Obedience to God's law is loving God and our neighbor, for “love is the fulfilling of the law” (Romans 13:10).
    2. ...are rooted in faith (Hebrews 11:6 and Romans 14:23).
      1. The idea is that for a work to be good it must proceed from Christ.
      2. Abiding in Christ we are able to bear fruit and without Him we can do nothing (John 15).
    3. ...have the end or goal of the glory of God (I Cor. 10:31; Romans 14:6-8; John 15:8).