Conversion
QUOTE
If a person professes faith in Christ and yet falls away or makes no progress in godliness, it does not mean that he has lost his salvation. It reveals that he was never truly converted. (Prominent Calvinist Minister)
RESPONSE
I was recently tasked with responding to this quote from a prominent Lordship Salvation Calvinist (LSC) posted in a Facebook theology group. To do so one must understand how he defines his terms. LSCs often use CONVERTED and REGENERATED interchangeably. They insist that there is no REGENERATION without CONVERSION. The theological implication is, “If someone is NOT CONVERTED then they are NOT REGENERATED.” That statement is categorically false. Let’s start with some biblical definitions to see if we can untangle this matter:
REGENERATION (the new birth) is the immediate impartation of spiritual life / eternal salvation to man (John 5:25). Man has no participatory involvement in that event as it is a work of God alone (Ephesians 2:1). The REGENERATE are in possession of eternal life based on God's sovereign mercy and not based on anything they have ever done.
CONVERSION is the proper motion of the REGENERATE under gospel instruction. It is a matter of absolute biblical certainty that a man can be REGENERATE and yet UNCONVERTED. Peter was a regenerate man as affirmed by Jesus Christ in Matthew 16:16-17 (per John's affirmation in I John 5:1). Yet he stood in need of CONVERSION in some respects, per the Lord's own testimony (Matthew 16:21-23, Luke 22:31-32).
If we employ these proper definitions of REGENERATION and CONVERSION, then the original statement is true, albeit not what the author intended. When CONVERSION is properly defined, this statement affirms:
"If a person professes faith in Christ and yet falls away or makes no progress in godliness, it does not mean that he has lost his salvation, it reveals that he stands in need of conversion. It means that he needs the correction of James 2:14-18. He needs to be converted from the error of his way because his behavior is inconsistent with his profession of faith.”
Again, while this is NOT what the LSC author intended, when proper definitions are employed, this is a correct statement. It is precisely what James has in mind when he speaks of "dead" faith (James 2:14).
“What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be yewarmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.” (James 2:14-18)
Notice, he is addressing "brethren" (v14) and his subject is the "showing" of faith (v18). He is speaking of an external manifestation of belief that arises from action. He does not suggest that those who are "without works" have no faith. Indeed, a man who has no faith certainly does not have dead faith. The dead faith James has under consideration intends a state of living in hypocrisy by acting in a way that is inconsistent with one’s profession. This dead faith designs a failure to utilize God-given faith such that one’s life is not profitable to the kingdom of God (v14).
Zealous Lordship Salvation Calvinists press their improper understanding of James 2:14-18 upon the naive, who lack a proper understanding of James’s dead-faith lesson. It takes the form of telling brethren, "You're not REALLY eternally saved." Ironically, when pressing this accusation upon others, these zealots prove themselves unconverted with respect to this truth. Were they to apply their doctrine to their own error, it would find them NEVER TRULY converted, and raise the question: “Are they eternally saved?”
The fact of remaining sin reveals many ways that every disciple of Christ stands in need of conversion. When Christians insist that UNCONVERTED = NOT ETERNALLY SAVED, and consistently apply that precept, they will likewise be forced to conclude that no one is eternally saved. However, when our terms are correctly defined, we see that eternal salvation is not a function of our personal performance in righteousness. Rather, it is based entirely on the work of Christ. Nevertheless, we all stand in need of conversion in many ways. This is part and parcel of the life of a disciple of Jesus Christ.
May God bless our studies and understanding of his word.
- Elder Daniel Samons