Whenever one engages in the study of the ordo salutis, that is the order of salvation; two general points must be emphasized. First, the different parts must not be viewed as separate progressive stages of salvation in the believer's life. The ordo salutis is a way for us to study and better understand the whole work of God in our salvation Second, one must distinguish between the parts which God exercised in bringing about salvation, and the parts that effected by the Holy Spirit which appear in the believer's life.
Faith and Repentance: Two Side of One Coin
In this article the subject of repentance will be addressed. It is helpful, however, to begin this discussion by noting that repentance is half of what is referred to as conversion. The other half is faith. As such, it is very difficult to speak of repentance without immediately tying it to saving faith. This will become evident as the work of conversion is better understood.
In last month's article, the discussion of regeneration was defined as the beginning of God's work of salvation in the new birth and conversion. For some, regeneration and conversion are often combined-as referring to the same thing, or erroneously reversed in order. There is, however, a fine distinction that can be made between the two that will then benefit our discussion of repentance. The distinction is this: regeneration is the power that drives the process of conversion.
If these two aspects are broken down they can be seen as two sides of the same coin. One side depicts the working of God and the other side the effect which that work effects in the recipient of God's grace. This is an important point that must be made within reformed doctrine, for often the accusation is made that Calvinism teaches that man is passive in his salvation, as though man was totally uninvolved. Often such a charge appears to have merit as the proper emphasis is made on the sovereignty of God in His application of irresistible grace. Too often, however, this emphasis stands alone and the flip side of the coin, which is man's activity, is not considered. The sovereignty of God is the decree which brings God's power to bear in one's salvation, but man's repentance and turning to God in faith are the process.
Perhaps the best way to illustrate how these two come together is found in Philippians 2:12-13 where Paul offers the challenge to, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. Note how Paul here puts emphasis on our responsibility to apply ourselves to the process of our own conversion. The Heidelberg Catechism likewise emphasizes in questions 88 through 90 that in the conversion process true repentance involves the new man nurturing a heartfelt sorrow and hatred for sin, causing him to turn from it, and a heartfelt joy in God causing him to take delight in living according to the will of God in all good works. In other words, some visible change in the life of the recipient of regeneration becomes evident as the individual makes choices for God based on the new will he has been given through the power of the Holy Spirit. The individual becomes committed to the process of his or her salvation as a result of the power of God being implanted in him by way of regeneration enabling them not only to do the will of God, but perhaps more importantly to desire to do the will of God. One Reformer once said that we act consistently with the will that we have-whether in bondage to sin or set free.
Repentance and Conversion
What then is to be understood by conversion? As the Heidelberg clearly states, it is the change in our desires that brings about a change in our actions. It is to forsake a love for one's self and the things of this world, and to turn toward a love for God and to do those things that are pleasing to God.
The first part of conversion is true repentance. Repentance is a biblical concept that literally means a turning of the mind. One way this concept is illustrated confronts us when we are driving down the road and realize we are heading south and want to go north. In every block there is a repentance sign in the form of a U-turn sign. So repentance is to come to that point in your life where you recognize your life is headed in exactly the wrong direction from where you want to go-hell bound instead of heaven bound.
The reality of the contrast is declared in the words of Romans 6:23, "for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." It is the distinctiveness of this two-world only reality that sets the stage for the declaration of the gospel. Many people think they are on their way to heaven. In fact, polls indicate that the vast majority believe God will let them into heaven. But when you probe into the basis upon which they believe God will accept them into His heaven, the answer often focuses on the actions of the individual not being so bad-the good in their lives outweighs the bad, because they try their best to be a good husband or wife, treat their neighbors well, etc. This is not surprising from the unbeliever, but what is amazing is how common such an answer is from those who go to church.
This is may be an indication of what a poor job the church has done in explaining God's plan of salvation and especially the doctrine of repentance. How does God use repentance in the process of salvation? The answer is, He uses it right up front. One of the first things that must take place in the process of salvation is an awareness that one needs to be saved. But saved from what? The Bible is brutally clear on this point. Man is a sinner. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).
At the heart of the gospel, "which is the power of God to salvation for all who believe" (Romans 1:16) is that eternal life is the free, unmerited gift of God. You cannot earn it and you do not deserve it. God gives it freely through the redemptive work of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
To those who would still seek to place their trust in what they are doing, God does hold out His minimal standard for obtaining heaven by one's own actions. He says, "therefore, you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect." Since this is God's minimal standard of righteousness, it clearly eliminates all people from having any ground to trust their own goodness to gain heaven. Yet, the sinner must be convinced before he will let go of trusting in himself.
This is where God uses repentance. In the process of regeneration the Holy Spirit brings about the first resurrection in the believer's life (cf. Revelation 20:6) when the soul of the believer is raised to new life spiritually. At that moment of being made alive, the new believer looks back and understands the deadness of his soul before that moment (Ephesians 2:1). Led by the Spirit of God, the sinner suddenly sees his own spiritual poverty that renders him without the ability to approach God because of the pollution his sin has brought upon him.
The significance of the Gospel's call to repent and to be baptized is its emphasis on the sinfulness of man that can only be counteracted through the cleansing work of God in spiritual baptism. Thus, "key aspect in the conversion process must be a genuine and deep sorrow for sin that is sensed when the glory of God is opened for one to see. Even for one who is considered righteous, the glory of God serves to leave one with a deep sense of remorse for their uncleanness. Consider Job who cries out, "but now my eye see you. Therefore, I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes." Think too of the prophet Isaiah and the beloved disciple John, who when lifted up to the throne room of God to behold His glory, fell down with a deep sense of their own uncleanness.
A Deep Sense of Sin
This deep sense of one's sin is a necessary element for salvation that seems to get little attention in today's environment of self-esteem. Nevertheless, to come to a true understanding of the gospel of salvation, the sinner will come to a keen sense of his own sin as God seeks to drive any inkling of self-trust from the individual in preparation for him to turn completely in trust to God for his salvation.
Notice the balance: God drives the sinner to this realization. The realization of the sinful-self is at the heart of repentance. When the power of God in regeneration lays hold of the sinner, he is given the mind of Christ (1Cor. 2:16). This simply means that God completely changes the way we think so that we no longer put ourselves and the world first, but now we see all things through the eyes of God's Word. Cornelius Van Til effectively used this statement: "we think the thoughts of God after God."
The emphasis up to this point has been on the negative side of considering one's sin. The positive side is what the sinner turns his focus to. Namely, seeing no hope of acceptance before God on the basis of his own goodness, the sinner transfers his trust from self to faith in the finished work of the resurrected and living Savior Jesus Christ as his only hope for eternal life. This will be the second part of our consideration of conversion as the topic of saving faith is addressed in the next issue.
