Canons of Dordt (39)

Those who are given to Christ are bought with a precious price: He laid down His life for them. Therefore, in the hour of God’s good pleasure, they will also be called out of darkness into His marvelous light. He calls them powerfully and gives them faith and repentance. The purpose of this saving work is that they may show forth His praises, that He will be honored by them. It is God’s work alone to give true conversion and to renew His people. This is what we read in the Third and Fourth Heads, Article 11.

But when God accomplishes His good pleasure in the elect or works in them true conversion, He not only causes the gospel to be externally preached to them and powerfully illuminates their mind by His Holy Spirit, that they may rightly understand and discern the things of the Spirit of God; but by the efficacy of the same regenerating Spirit, pervades the inmost recesses of the man; He opens the closed, and softens the hardened heart, and circumcises that which was uncircumcised, infuses new qualities into the will, which though heretofore dead, He quickens; from being evil, disobedient, and refractory, He renders it good, obedient, and pliable; actuates and strengthens it, that like a good tree, it may bring forth the fruits of good actions.

It is God’s good pleasure, which He accomplishes, when He works true conversion in the hearts of sinners. This article describes what that work really is.

The Remonstrants taught that faith which leads to conversion is an act of man. God gives man the ability to convert himself, but it is really man himself who then decides to turn unto God. The grace of conversion, according to the Remonstrants, is only a kind persuasion; it depends upon the willingness of man whether he acts upon this or not. In short, God makes conversion possible, but man really converts himself. It is the work of man.

God’s work alone

In this article our fathers, therefore, give a clear description of what true conversion to God really is. In the original languages of the Bible, one of the words for conversion means a turning around. This is an internal turning around, but it is also followed by a turning around in our actions, in our course of life. We read that the prodigal son came to himself, and so it is when God regenerates the sinner by blessing the gospel which is preached to him. That Word shows us who we really are and who God is. The Holy Spirit enlightens man’s understanding. This enlightening is so necessary because we are so blind and so ignorant. Man lives in a vain show, in delusions, and he does not see reality. We are by nature dead in trespasses and sin. We read in 1 Corinthians 2:14, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

God’s Word is then opened to us, and we begin to understand what it says about God. We learn to know Him as a holy and righteous but also good-doing and merciful God. We also begin to see who we have been and what we have done against such a holy and merciful God. When the book of our life is opened to us, the Lord shows us that it is full of rebellion, unthankfulness, and enmity against Him who has loaded us with His blessings and benefits.

He enlightens the understanding

Thus we receive knowledge of God and, in the light of His attributes, of ourselves, and we will abhor and loathe ourselves before Him. At God’s time He will also show unto us the way of salvation outside of ourselves, and we will receive some knowledge of that blessed Name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved, the Lord Jesus Christ.

The way of true conversion is still a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Greeks (1 Corinthians 1:23).

It is a mystery, but yet it is a reality, and the understanding, which has been so darkened, then begins to “rightly understand and discern the things of the Spirit of God.”

Conversion, however, is not only a matter of the understanding, but also of the heart. We need heart-renewing grace. Our hearts need to be renewed; we really must receive new hearts. That is what we already teach our little children to ask for, and it pleases God to give such a heart by the teaching of His Word, applied by the Holy Spirit.

He gives a new heart

We read in Ezekiel 36:26, “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.” Such a heart also Lydia received. We read in Acts 16 that the Lord opened her heart so “she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.”

Our heart by nature is as hard, cold, and barren as a stone. It is closed for God and His Word, but He opens it and softens it. Thus we receive a heart of flesh.

A stone does not feel, see, hunger, or love, but a heart of flesh mourns about sin and grieves because it has offended God. Such a heart feels the separation between God and the sinner. It longs for fellowship and communion again. It seeks, hungers, and thirsts after the living God.

By nature we have an uncircumcised heart. Stephen said to the spiritual leaders in the Sanhedrin in Acts 7:51, “Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.”

When God works by His Spirit, however, He will circumcise that uncircumcised heart. Such a heart begins to hate sin and that which is unholy; it yearns for deliverance from all evil and desires to walk in God’s ways. No, conversion is not just an outward reformation and trying to amend our ways somewhat, a turning from the bar or other places of sin to the church, but it is a complete renewing of our inmost desires, an inward turning away from wickedness unto God.

He renews the will

The old people of God used to say, “What was a burden [the service of God] becomes their delight, and that which was their delight [the service of sin] becomes their burden.”

God does not drag them into His service. He conquers them, takes away their unwillingness, and gives them a will that is good, obedient, and pliable, that is willing to do what He commands them.

God has a willing people in the day of His power. He infuses new qualities in the will. The will which was dead becomes alive. There is spiritual life that is longing; there is a choice, there is a surrendering to God’s will and a willing following of Him. He takes away the enmity and stubborn resistance. Sin becomes a burden; there is the desire to live without sin, to live to God’s honor and glory.

We read of Paul in Romans 7, “For the good that I would I do not....” The new desire for doing that which was good was laid in Paul’s heart by the Holy Spirit. A new nature wills what God wills, and it grieves because “the evil which they would not, that they do.”

God’s children will learn this struggle, this battle against their own corrupt nature, and they will long, like Paul, for deliverance from it. “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” (Romans 7:24). However, they will also glory in the grace and mercy of God. Paul continues and says, “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

The fruits

The Spirit’s working of this renewing of the heart and giving this new willingness will be seen in the fruits. It is not just that they talk or dress differently, but it is like a tree. A good tree will bring forth good fruits, just as an evil tree brings forth corrupt fruits. The good fruits are faith and repentance. These fruits of His work in their heart become evident in a tender, humble walk in the fear of His holy Name. God’s law becomes so precious, and His service a service of love. It is true that the battle will remain to the end of their life, and the older they become, the more they have to complain about their barrenness, unbelief, carnality, stiff-neckedness, lack of self-denial, love to self, and their many backslidings and departures from the Lord.

Nevertheless, when God begins the good work in them and gives this new heart, He will also finish the work. Paul knew this, too, when he said in Philippians 1:6, “Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”

Oh, that this work might be seen more among us. The poet asked for it in Psalm 90:16, “Let Thy work appear unto Thy servants, and Thy glory unto their children.” The work of man will come to nothing, but God’s work will be crowned with His own blessing.

Ask, dear youth, that God may work in your heart by His Spirit and convert you as He converts all His children. In the beautiful little booklet “Simple Catechism Questions for Children,” a booklet which I hope is still used in many catechism classes for younger children, Ledeboer says, “You have a warrant to ask this in your baptism.” Show your baptized forehead to the Lord. Ask Him to take away your heart of stone and to give you this precious gift of a heart of flesh. Then you will have a heart that loves Him and seeks to serve, honor, and glorify Him.

— Rev. C. Vogelaar
(Kalamazoo, MI)

Deze tekst is geautomatiseerd gemaakt en kan nog fouten bevatten. Digibron werkt voortdurend aan correctie. Klik voor het origineel door naar de pdf. Voor opmerkingen, vragen, informatie: contact.

Op Digibron -en alle daarin opgenomen content- is het databankrecht van toepassing. Gebruiksvoorwaarden. Data protection law applies to Digibron and the content of this database. Terms of use.

Printen