The Church Aspect of Conversion

If your doctrine of conversion does not contain an ecclesiastical element, it is missing an important part of the whole. The Head of the Covenant is always accompanied by the People of the Covenant.

First vertical, then horizontal - inseparably

This does not mean that we should put the church element first. One might recall Wright’s famous statement that justification is «not so much about salvation (sateriology) as about the church (ecclesiology)» (What Saint Paul Really Said, 119). This is a striking example, in Douglas Moo’s almost famous phrase, of putting to the background what is important in the New Testament and putting to the foreground what is in the New Testament (quoted in D. A. Carson, “Faith” and “Faithfulness”).

There can be no true reconciliation between people until individual sinners are first reconciled to God. Horizontal reconciliation inevitably follows vertical. Ecclesiology necessarily follows sateriology. In other words, the ecclesiastical element must not come first, or we will miss the whole point.

But it must be. Indeed, the ecclesiastical aspect must remain within the structure of the doctrine of conversion. Our ecclesiastical unity in Christ is not simply a consequence of conversion; it is part of the very essence. Being reconciled to the people of God is distinct from, but inseparable from, reconciliation with God.

Sometimes this gets lost in our emphasis on the mechanics of conversion, when our doctrinal discussions of conversion do not go beyond the relationship of divine sovereignty and human responsibility or the necessity of repentance and faith. However, a full understanding of conversion must also include a description of what we are leaving behind and what we are coming toward. To be converted is to pass from death to life; from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. And it involves a transition from being alone to belonging to a people, from being a wandering sheep to belonging to a flock, from being something separate to being a member of the body.

Notice Peter’s parallel statements: «You were once «not a people,» but are now the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy« (1 Peter 2:10). Receiving mercy (vertical reconciliation) occurs simultaneously with our becoming a people (horizontal reconciliation). God shows us mercy by forgiving our sins, and the necessary consequence of this is inclusion in His people.

The Ecclesiastical Nature of the Covenants

Indeed, the ecclesiastical aspect of our conversion can be seen if we pay attention to the covenantal structure of the Bible. It is true that all the covenants of the Old Testament find their fulfillment in the seed (singular) of Abraham. Jesus is the new Israel. However, it is also true that all who are united to Christ through the New Covenant become the people of God and the seed (plural) of Abraham (Gal. 3:29; 6:16).

In other words, the covenant head by definition brings with him the covenant people (see Rom. 5:12ff.). So to belong to the New Covenant is to belong to the people.

It is no wonder that the Old Testament promises of the New Covenant are made to the people: «And they shall no more speak every man to his neighbour, and every man to his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin will I remember no more» (Jer. 31:34). The New Covenant promises forgiveness (vertical), and it promises fellowship of brethren (horizontal).

Vertical and horizontal in Ephesians 2

The whole story is beautifully presented in Ephesians chapter 2.

• Verses 1–10 explain forgiveness and our vertical reconciliation with God: «For by grace you have been saved.».
• Verses 11–20 then present the horizontal: «For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one, and has broken down in his flesh the middle wall of hostility» (v. 14).

Notice that the action in verse 14 is in the past tense. Christ has already united Jews and Gentiles. There is no imperative here. Paul is not calling his readers to seek unity. Instead, he is speaking in the indicative. This is what they are because God has done it, and God has accomplished it precisely where the vertical reconciliation took place—on the cross of Christ (see also the connection between the indicative and the imperative in Eph. 4:1-6).

By virtue of the New Testament of Christ, church unity belongs to the indicative of conversion. To be converted means to become a member of the body of Christ. Our new identity contains an ecclesial element. Christ has made us members of the church.

Here's a simple way to understand it: When a mom and dad go to an orphanage to adopt a son, they bring him home and sit him down at the family dinner table with his new siblings. Being a son is not the same as being a brother. Sonship comes first, but brotherhood inevitably follows.

In other words, conversion gets you signed in a family photo.

Personal Application: Join the Church

What is the application of this to our personal lives? It's simple: join a church!

You have been justified, so be righteous. You have become a member of His body, so join the real body (local church). You have become one, so be one with the real group of Christians.

Corporate application: Appropriate mechanisms

What does this mean for our churches? This means that a proper understanding of the above mechanisms of conversion in our doctrine is of the utmost importance. We need a deep understanding of both Divine sovereignty and human responsibility; both repentance and faith. Imbalance here will lead to imbalance and confusion in the church. What you put in the «pot» of conversion will determine the «soup» for the church.

• If your doctrine of conversion does not include a deep understanding of the sovereignty of God, your preaching and evangelism can become manipulative and people-pleasing. Membership practices can become entitlement or based on benefits. You will put holiness at risk.
• If your doctrine of conversion does not include a deep understanding of human responsibility, you are likely to mismanage your own gifts and those of your people. You may be prone to complacency in evangelism and sermon preparation. You will jeopardize love.
• If your doctrine of conversion does not include a deep understanding of repentance, you will be quick to offer assurances of salvation and reluctant to ask people to consider the price that must be paid to follow Christ. Nominalism will become more prevalent. The church will be happy to sing about Christ as Savior, but not about Christ as Lord.
• If your doctrine of conversion does not include a deep understanding of the faith, you will end up with a church filled with anxious, self-righteous legalists. Transparency will be rare and hypocrisy will be common. The church will be happy to sing about the command of Christ the King, but not so much about the Lamb, shed with blood.

I am, of course, describing in general terms. It is not all that simple. But the main idea in all these examples is the close connection between conversion and church. If conversion necessarily includes an ecclesiastical element, or, more specifically, if individual conversions necessarily create a single people, then whatever you bring to your doctrine of conversion will have a significant impact on what your church will be like.

Do you want a healthy church? Then work on your doctrine of conversion and teach all aspects of it to your church. Also, make sure that your church structures and programs are aligned with this multifaceted and powerful doctrine.