What Will This Change Involve?
Danger, Will Robinson!
Conversion is not just cognitive agreement.
Some churches have gradually begun to identify conversion with mere mental acceptance of certain propositional truths. Many times the form this acceptance takes is itself minimalistic - walking an aisle, praying a prayer, making a decision, or filling out a card.
- Of course, there is nothing inherently wrong with mental assent to the gospel - indeed, this is a necessary prerequisite to Biblical conversion. But mere mental assent doesn't save anyone. "You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder" (James 2:19).
- The same is true with the outward forms. There is nothing inherently wrong with praying, deciding, walking, or filling out cards.
- But when the performance of any one of these actions becomes identified with conversion, then:
- The substance of conversion becomes blurred
- People become confused about what must happen for them to be saved
- And some even become deceived about their own spiritual state because they were wrongly assured of their salvation based on an aisle walked or a prayer prayed.
