SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11/24/2022 11:28 AM
My Worship Time Focus: “More on
Elements of Salvation”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Matthew
18:3-4
Message of the verses: “3 and said,
"Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children,
you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 “Whoever then humbles himself as
this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
Once
the Lord took the young child and set him in His lap and then held him up
before His disciples He then gathered up all those elements of salvation: “Truly I say to You, unless you are converted
and become like children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
John MacArthur writes “The phrase are converted
translates an aorist passive of strepho,
which elsewhere in the New Testament is always translated with an idea of ‘turning’
or turning around.’ It means to make an
about face and go in the opposite direction.
Peter used a form of the term twice in his message shortly after
Pentecost, as he called his hearers to ‘repent therefore and return, that your
sins may be wiped away’ and declared of Jesus that ‘God raised up His Servant,
and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways’
(Acts 3:19, 26). The term is used
repeatedly in the book of Acts to speak of conversion (11:21; 15:19; 26:18,
20). Paul used the word when speaking of
the Thessalonian believers, who had turned ‘to God from idols to serve a living
and true God’ (1 Thess. 1:9).”
There
are two sides to this “coin” conversion and repentance as conversion is the
other half of repentance. Repentance is
being sorry for sin and turning away from it; conversion is the expression of
will that fully turns from sin to the Lord.
As we look at Psalm 51:13, the Psalm that David wrote after his sin with
Bathsheba, we will see that verse 13 alludes to both sides of this “coin.” “Then I will teach transgressors Your
ways, And sinners will be converted to You” (Ps. 51:13). John MacArthur writes, and we will conclude
this short SD with these words, but before that I wish all who are reading this
a Happy Thanksgiving.” “Jesus’ use here
of the passive voice indicates that the disciples could not be converted from
sin to righteousness by their own efforts but needed someone else to turn them
around. Although the response of a
person’s will is required, only God had the power to convert.” Remember when I became a believer I totally
know that this is a true statement.
11/24/2022 11:48 AM
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