“Biblical Application”
Conversion
Romans 12:1-2
Therefore I urge
you, brothers and sisters,
by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy
sacrifice, acceptable to God, which
is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be
conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of
your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is
good and acceptable and perfect.
Conversion requires that there is an
internal change of heart and mind that is exhibited by an external change in
our actions and behaviors.
Acts 8:9-24 gives an account of a
sorcerer by the name of Simon that was believed to be a man of God because of the
magic he performed. He came to believe
in Christ and followed Philip after hearing Philip’s preaching. However, when he witnessed people receiving the
Holy Spirit after Peter and John laid hands on them, Simon attempted to
purchase that authority. His desire was
the result of having an impure heart and he
was enticed by the actions of his life up to that point. His lust for this power indicated that no
conversion had taken place.
