In Galatians 1:15, Paul recounts his conversion to Christ, when God “called [him] by his grace,” and “was pleased to reveal his Son to [him].” Not all believers have such a dramatic conversion as the apostle Paul, but the dynamics and effects of conversion are similar in all genuine believers. Paul’s doctrine and life teach us what these traits are.
Like Paul, there needs to be a sense of a lost condition that moves the soul to come to Christ. When the depths of his sin were revealed in the light of Christ, Paul had a desire to be reconciled to God and saw the wonders of the grace in God, who abhors evil, yet is willing to forgive sinners and beckons them to return to him.
God “revealed his Son” to Paul. The Father’s love is manifest in giving us the Son and in giving his Son to be a ransom for us. The Son vanquished the curse of the law by nailing it the cross, paying in full the law’s demands for our guilt as sinners. The Son abolished death and destroyed him that had the power of death, the devil. As a sign of his triumph, he is alive from the dead and holds the keys of death and hades.
In the converted, the Son becomes the object of their faith and all their hope. When the Holy Spirit comes into the soul, he does not come empty-handed but brings all the riches of Christ—redemption, life, wisdom, love, and joy.
There is an inevitable joy in the soul that sees that God has bestowed freely and everlastingly upon him all the benefits that Christ won for his people in the work the Father gave him to do. The soul never tastes real joy until it embraces Christ. Zacchaeus was overjoyed when Christ came into his house (Luke 19). The Ethiopian went home rejoicing when he learned of Christ and believed in him (Acts 8). There was great joy in Samaria when Christ was proclaimed to them (Acts 8). The converted ate their meals with joy and praise to God (Acts 2).
When Paul came to know Christ, he became a new man, filled with adoration, reverence, and devotion to Christ. The name of Jesus became the name above all names to Paul. He cast away all his credentials as a Pharisee and was willing to suffer for the Son, who had suffered and died for him. Paul’s boast was in the cross of Christ, not the works of his own hand. He lived by faith in the Son of God who loved him and gave himself for him.
Being “born again” is more than simply moral reformation. It is the infusion of a new, real, spiritual principle into the soul that comes from the creating power of God. The purposes and inclinations of the mind and heart are changed. Instead of rebellion, there is a new principle of submission to the Lord; rather than enmity toward the Lord, there is affection.
The converted soul puts into practice his faith. The apostles are our example, and they were men of good deeds and mercies in the name of Christ. Dorcas was known for making many coats for the poor (Acts 9). Paul cautioned Timothy to pay careful attention to both his doctrine and his life (1Timothy 4). Paul, the greatest sinner, became the one who worked hardest of all for Christ. When you survey Paul’s life, it is apparent that he bathed his soul in frequent meditations of Christ’s love, which made him disdain sin. He thought sin the greatest evil and grace his supreme good.
It’s important to remember that the converted soul begins a warfare against sin. The Christian’s life is a continual battle, so it is not uncommon for joy to wane in the believer’s heart and his zeal for Christ grow cold. The beleaguered Christian must continually fall upon the grace he began the new life with. The Good Shepherd knows how to correct and comfort his people, so we must look to him and listen to him in the Scriptures.
After Paul was converted, he was a man of faith. As Martin Luther said: “Whoever has faith in Christ has all things; whoever does not has nothing.” Has God been pleased to reveal his Son to you? Then live by faith in the Son. Whatever else you have, you have reason to rejoice.
