What Does The Bible Say About Conversion? Today, the term “conversion” is quite common in theological and religious discussions than it was in the past. Unlike today, it was a relatively rare term in the Biblical times. The term conversion in its popular usage refers to someone who has become a Christian or decided to follow Christ. The Biblical roots of these concepts stem from the use of two terms that mean “to turn” (Heb. sub; Gk. epistrepho [ejpistrevfw]). The New Testament usage of this term is more like the common theological meaning which has been generally accepted. To picture how a convert looks like in Greek terminology, we can point to the example outside the New Testament whereby a person looks at the term “proselyte,” the convert from a Gentile way of life to Judaism.
In the Old Testament, the concept of conversion is very rare. It is important to note that the key term for “turning” is used in a variety of ways that really do not unravel or describe the term conversion. In some cases as we can read from Isaiah 19:22, it can refer to nations turning to God in the future. It can as well describe an Israelite who is returning to God or, negatively failing to do so as we can read from Jeremiah 3:10, and Isaiah 6:10. In Jeremiah 4:1-2, we clearly perceive a call to return to God by letting go idols. In some cases, God is said to return to His people as we can read from Isaiah 63:17. The verse in the Old Testament that is closest to meaning “convert” is Isaiah 55:7, which calls on the wicked to return to God for mercy.
What Does The Bible Say About Conversion?
Within the New Testament, conversion summarizes the call of the Church in response to Jesus’ commission to preach repentance for the forgiveness of sins to the whole human race. In simple terms, conversion has to do with turning to embrace God and His ways. In a few Biblical key occasions, we find the concept of conversion coming together with that of repentance. Inline with what the Bible says about conversion, we can say that repentance reflects the attitude that a person brings into conversion alongside the change of orientation and direction that comes with it.
What is conversion?
Today, millions of people consider themselves to be Christian. This is as a result of their believe to have converted to Christianity. However, is this truly the case? In order to claim to belong to Christ, you must first understand the true meaning of conversion. That is, you must first understand what the Bible says about conversion. It is with this in mind that we’ll present some key elements of answers to the question on what is conversion? Just having your name written on a church membership list does not make you a true follower of Christ. For more info, read our write-up on why going to Church does not make you a Christian. Many call themselves Christians but they are not truly Christians. Apostle Paul calls on us to keep watch against the false doctrines brought by such people.
Those who belong to Christ are those who are in Him and He is in them. Let’s support this spiritual truth by reading Romans 8:9 – “But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His” That’s why we can say without doubt that a person is a Christian only if God’s Holy Spirit is dwelling in him or her. Obtaining God’s spirit starts with a change of mind. In the same light, conversion begins with repentance as we can read from Isaiah 55:7 – “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.”
The true path to Christianity
In order for one to become a Christian, he/she must first repent of sin. Let’s support this divine truth by reading from Luke 13:3 – “I tell you … unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” In addition, when Christ began His ministry, He said in Mark 1:15 – “Repent, and believe in the gospel.” Hence, everyone wishing to follow Him must repent, believe, and be filled with the Holy Spirit. You might ask how to receive the Holy Spirit? Apostle Peter clearly answers this question in Acts 2:38 – “Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
In simple terms, we can say that to convert is to change from one type, character, or purpose to another. All those desiring to follow Christ must go through a process of transformation. This is pointed out by Apostle Paul in Romans 12:2 – “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” We must turn from darkness to light in as much as we are turning from the power of Satan to that of God. This goes in line with what Apostle Paul said in Acts 3:19 – “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord”
What The Bible Says About Conversion
2 Peter 3:9 – “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
2 Chronicles 30:9b – “For the Lord your God is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn his face from you if you return to him.”
Colossians 3:5 – “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.”
2 Chronicles 7:14 – “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
James 1:21 – “Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.”
Matthew 3:8 – “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.“
Matthew 4:17 – From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
Acts 2:38 – Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Ezekiel 18:32 – “For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live!”
Acts 3:19 – “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.”
Group 1 – What The Bible Says About Conversion
Revelation 3:19 – “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.”
Isaiah 44:22 – “I have swept away your offenses like a cloud,your sins like the morning mist.Return to me,for I have redeemed you.”
Luke 5:32 – “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
Luke 15:7 – “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”
Joel 2:13 – “Rend your heart and not your garments.Return to the Lord your God,for he is gracious and compassionate,slow to anger and abounding in love,and he relents from sending calamity.”
Acts 17:30 – “In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.”
Mark 1:15 – “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”
Isaiah 55:7 – “Let the wicked forsake their waysand the unrighteous their thoughts.Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them,and to our God, for he will freely pardon.”
Galatians 6:1 – “Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.”
Joel 2:12 – “Even now,” declares the Lord,“return to me with all your heart,with fasting and weeping and mourning.”
Group 2 – What The Bible Says About Conversion
Luke 15:10 – “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Ezekiel 18:21 – “But if a wicked person turns away from all the sins they have committed and keeps all my decrees and does what is just and right, that person will surely live; they will not die.”
Ezekiel 18:30b – “Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall.“
Zechariah 1:3b – “‘Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty.”
Romans 6:13 – “Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.”
Acts 3:19-21 – “Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.”
Mark 16:16 – “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”
Ephesians 4:22 – “To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires,“
Acts 2:38 – “And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Group 3 – What The Bible Says About Conversion
Galatians 5:16 – “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”
Romans 15:13 – “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”
John 8:32 – “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
James 4:8 – “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”
Acts 3:19 – “Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out,“
2 Corinthians 5:17 – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.“
Matthew 24:42 – “Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.”
Acts 8:12 – “But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.”
Acts 2:37-39 – “Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.””
Group 4 – What The Bible Says About Conversion
Matthew 24:21-22 – “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.”
Matthew 3:2 – “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Psalm 19:7 – “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;”
Acts 17:30-31 – “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”
John 16:17 – “So some of his disciples said to one another, “What is this that he says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’; and, ‘because I am going to the Father’?””
Acts 26:16-18 – “But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’”
Group 5 – What The Bible Says About Conversion
Matthew 24:13 – “But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”
Galatians 1:4 – “Who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,”
Acts 26:28-32 – And Agrippa said to Paul, “In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?” And Paul said, “Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am—except for these chains.” Then the king rose, and the governor and Bernice and those who were sitting with them. And when they had withdrawn, they said to one another, “This man is doing nothing to deserve death or imprisonment.” And Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”
Acts 9:1-43 – “But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him, And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. ...”
Luke 21:36 – “But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
Group 6 – What The Bible Says About Conversion
Matthew 2:1-6 – “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: …”
Mark 14:12 – “And on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, his disciples said to him, “Where will you have us go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?””
1 Timothy 4:12 – “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.”
John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.“
Ezekiel 33:11 – “Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?“
Matthew 24:22 – “And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.”
Group 7 – What Does The Bible Say About Conversion?
Romans 13:11 – “Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.”
Matthew 7:13-14 – “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”
1 John 1:1 – “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—”
Matthew 5:18 – “For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.”
Matthew 24:3 – “As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?”
1 Peter 3:6 – “As Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening.“
Matthew 24:44 – “Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
Acts 16:33 – “And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family.”
Acts 2:41 – “So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.”
Group 8 – What Does The Bible Say About Conversion?
Exodus 20:1-17 – “And God spoke all these words, saying, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me, “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, …”
Malachi 2:1 – “And now, O priests, this command is for you.”
John 3:5 – “Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”
1 John 5:19 – “We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.”
Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
Matthew 24:36 – “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.”
Acts 2:40 – “And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.””
Leviticus 3:3 – “And from the sacrifice of the peace offering, as a food offering to the Lord, he shall offer the fat covering the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails,”
Group 9 – What Does The Bible Say About Conversion?
Acts 17:30 – “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,”
Galatians 2:20 – “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Luke 1:37 – “For nothing will be impossible with God.”
Galatians 5:22 – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,”
Acts 26:18 – “To open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’”
Isaiah 55:7 – “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”
Acts 9:4 – “And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?””
Mark 1:15 – And saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
Acts 9:9 – “And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.”
Romans 12:2 – “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Group 10 – What Does The Bible Say About Conversion?
Genesis 1:1-31 – “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep, And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters, And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. …“
2 Chronicles 7:14 – “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
Genesis 1:18 – “To rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.”
Colossians 3:1-25 – “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. …”
1 John 1:9 – “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
2 Peter 3:9 – “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”
Group 11 – What Does The Bible Say About Conversion?
Acts 22:4 – “I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women,”
Acts 9:22 – “But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ.”
Philippians 4:8 – “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
Romans 8:7 – “For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.”
Romans 8:18 – “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”
Luke 13:3 – “No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”
John 8:12 – Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Acts 9:19 – “And taking food, he was strengthened. For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus.”
John 10:10 – “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
Romans 1:16 – “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”
Group 12 – What Does The Bible Say About Conversion?
Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.“
Isaiah 41:10 – “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Matthew 4:17 – “From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”“
Matthew 6:33 – “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
John 6:44 – “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.”
Isaiah 6:10 – “Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”
Proverbs 3:5 – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.“
Revelation 3:20 – “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”
Isaiah 40:31 – “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
Group 13 – What Does The Bible Say About Conversion?
Revelation 1:1-20 – “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. …”
James 5:19-20 – “My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”
1 Peter 5:7 – “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”
1 Peter 2:25 – “For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”
Revelation 3:19 – “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.”
1 John 4:8 – “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
Group 14 – What Does The Bible Say About Conversion?
Titus 3:5 – “He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,”
2 Timothy 2:25 – “Correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,”
Hebrews 11:1 – “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
James 4:4 – “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”
James 2:26 – “For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.”
Colossians 4:1-18 – “Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven. Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. …”
2 Timothy 1:7 – “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”
1 Thessalonians 1:9 – “For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,”
Group 15 – What Does The Bible Say About Conversion?
Colossians 1:12-13 – “Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,”
Colossians 1:1-29 – “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, …”
Colossians 3:23 – “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,”
Colossians 2:1-23 – “For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ. ...”
