God the Holy Spirit, Mentor's Guide, MG14

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G O D T H E H O L Y S P I R I T

Now we want to speak about what happens in the life of an individual at the moment of conversion. By conversion we mean that action of the Holy Spirit upon us by which we are moved to respond to Jesus Christ as Lord . In conversion:

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we repent of our sins,

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• and by faith we acknowledge Jesus as Lord and Savior and place all our trust and hope in him for salvation,

• which we receive as a free gift of grace from God.

Matt. 18.3 (ESV) - . . . and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted [ strepho - to turn] and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” (cf. Matt. 13.15; Mark 4.12).

Acts 3.19 - Repent therefore and be converted [ epistrepho - to turn towards].

The moment we repent and turn to God by faith in Jesus, he does a number of things in us on the basis of Christ’s work but through the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Russian Orthodox theologian Sergius Bulgakov (1871-1944) makes the interesting observation that at Pentecost, “The descent into the world of the Holy Spirit, that He may abide with us forever, is His final descent; it knows neither a return ascent to heaven nor any interruption” ( The Comforter , trans. Boris Jakim, Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2004, p. 277). The work that was begun at Pentecost (and manifested through the new community–God’s Church) is a work that continues until all things are brought to renewal. This Spirit is applying to the world the results of Christ’s once-for-all victory over sin, death, and the devil. The Spirit’s work in the Church is a genuine foretaste what the Spirit will one day accomplish in the whole world (although the return of Christ and judgment of the wicked will be the necessary prerequisite to this new creation).

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