What does the Bible say about conversion?

The Bible passages below can be used in sermons, prayers, pastoral care, or worship planning focused on conversion.

• Isaiah 55:7, let the wicked return to the Lord
• Hosea 12:6, return to your God, hold fast to love and justice
• Joel 2:13, return to the Lord, for he is gracious and merciful
• Matthew 3:8, produce fruit in keeping with repentance
• Matthew 5:16, let your light shine, so that others may see your good works and give glory to God
• Mark 1:14-15, Jesus calls his listeners to repentance and faith
• Luke 6:44, Jesus says trees are known by their fruit
• John 14:21, those who love Jesus keep his commandments, and they are loved by the Father and the Son
• Acts 9:4-7, a voice from heaven confronts Saul and he converts
• Acts 16:30-31, what we must do to be saved
• Romans 6:13, present yourself to God as one who has been brought from death to life
• 1 Corinthians 6:10-11, the old way vs. the new way — washed, sanctified, justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and in the Spirit
• Ephesians 2:12-13, you were strangers, but Christ brought you near by his blood
• Colossians 3:12-14, clothe yourselves with compassion, humility, love
• James 2:18, faith and works go together

Sermon ideas about conversion

What is the central idea for a sermon about conversion? That conversion is a wholesale amendment of life. The convert abandons an old life centered outside the gospel —centered on the self and its pleasures, or on a group identity (nationality, political affiliation, alma mater), or on inherited advantages (wealth, intelligence), or on achievements (career success). Those who are converted abandon an old life that featured lying, cheating, boasting, and lusting. Now they confess sins, confess their need for a Savior, and begin to trust Jesus Christ for salvation. They become people who depends on the Savior and who, in turn, become dependable. They keep their promises. They weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice. When their faith in Christ slips, they retain enough faith to believe that the Spirit of God will one day secure their faith again.

Repentance

Sermons about conversion will point out the role of repentance: Those who are converted repent. Like the prodigal son, they turn away from the phony attractions of the far country and turn toward home, toward the father they had insulted but who is waiting with unfailing love. They feel genuine remorse for their transgressions and shortcomings, and genuine enthusiasm for a bright new life of faith. The old, proud, stubborn self dies, and a new self rises like Jesus walking out of his tomb. This new self is under new management and thus possesses new loyalties and goals. The convert is now loyal to the kingdom of God and is bent on contributing everything to its coming.

Faith

Sermons about conversion will discuss the role of faith: Those who convert cling to Christ and to the gospel. They now possess a quiet confidence in Christ and in the mercies that radiate from his self-giving work. They know that God is good and feel assurance that God is good to them. Their faith secures them against the ceaseless oscillations between pride and despair familiar to every human being who has depended on their own strength.

Because faith fastens on God's benevolence, it yields gratitude, which in turn sponsors risk-taking in the service of others. Grateful people want to let themselves go; faithful people dare to do it. People tethered to Jesus Christ by faith dare to let themselves go because they know they will get themselves back, and that the self they get back will be better than it was before.

Christian Practice

Sermons about conversion will also discuss the results of conversion. Those who are converted adopt a Christian practice. They clothe themselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. They discipline themselves with prayer, meditation, confession, worship, and reflective walks through cemeteries. They pass by graves and reflect on the fact that the Lord, who once lay down beside the dead, will be their Lord in death as well as in life. They practice their faith by visiting those who are lonely. They ponder the lives of saints and spend time and money on just and charitable causes. They long for God and the beauty of God, for Christ and Christlikeness, for the dynamite of the Holy Spirit and spiritual maturity. And every day they strive to live toward their longing, deeply aware that their failures are a blessed opportunity to renew their dependence on the Savior.

Some conversions, such as that of St. Paul, are sudden. Others, such as that of C. S. Lewis, are step by step. Some people can name a date and a time when they were seized by the outstretched arm of God. Others would have to describe a period of change that took weeks, months, or years. Neither is a template for all. God has different speeds for different people.

Dependence on the Holy Spirit

Repentance, faith, and Christian practice are dependent upon the once-for-all regeneration of the human heart by the Holy Spirit, a mighty miracle. So conversion can happen only if the Spirit of God is at work in a person. But the actual process, continuing for a lifetime, depends on faithful practice. Nobody can assess the comparative degrees of divine sovereignty and human responsibility in this mix. So faithful converts simply practice their faith day to day, confident that even when they fail, a faithful God has them well in hand.

Excerpts about Conversion

Following are sample excerpts from Zeteosearch.org sermon resources about conversion:

"Conversion is hard. We want to change, we want to be with God, but there is so much to do. The Psalm today speaks beautifully of our yearning for God's presence—'my flesh pines and my soul thirsts' (Ps. 63:2)." Scripture Meditation by David C. Paternostro from Homiletic and Pastoral Review 

"We associate conversion with 'religion,' a term used to describe certain human experiences and behaviors; but in the worldview of the Hebrew Bible's authors, the word 'religion' would have been foreign." Article about Theology by Cynthia Baker from Bible Odyssey 

Worship Ideas about Conversion

Following are sample excerpts from Zeteosearch.org worship resources about conversion:

"We pray for inner transformation for those who committed crimes, and in need of conversion. We pray for hearts and minds that are haunted by hatred and fear, that we will soon find peace and reconciliation in souls and in the societies." Prayer by Justin Delport from Worship Words