The Doctrine of Conversion: Faith and Repentance in the Ordo Salutis
Phil Gons · October 14, 2012 · Spring Creek Bible Church · 47m
From Ordo Salutis
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For families
Ages Teens
This is a careful, scholarly exploration of what conversion actually means—not a vague emotional experience, but the biblical reality of repentance and faith working together. The speaker honors both dramatic conversions (like Paul’s) and quiet, gradual ones, which will comfort many listeners. Teens ready to think seriously about their own faith will find this clarifying and encouraging.
Worth knowing: The sermon references hardened hearts and the impossibility of repentance for those who persistently reject Christ (Hebrews 6), which is sobering but not sensationalized.
Holiness & obedienceFaith & trustGospel
Talk about it together (5 questions)
- The speaker says repentance has both a ‘turning from’ and a ‘turning unto’—what do you think he means by that?
- Why does the speaker say it’s unhelpful to argue about whether repentance or faith comes first? Can you think of why they might always happen together?
- The speaker mentions that not all conversions look the same. Why might someone feel like their faith isn’t ‘real’ if they didn’t have a dramatic conversion moment? What does he say to encourage them?
- What does the speaker mean when he says ‘it is not faith that saves, but Christ that saves through faith’? Why is that distinction important?
- The speaker challenges listeners to ask: ‘Are you feeling grief over your sin on a daily basis?’ What do you think he’s getting at, and how might someone actually grow in that?
Used by permission of Phil Gons — philgons.com