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VII. Conversion
From the discussion of regeneration and effectual calling there is a natural transition to that of
conversion. By a special operation of the Holy Spirit the former issues in the latter. Conversion
may be a sharply marked crisis in the life of the individual, but may also come in the form of a
gradual process. In the psychology of religion the two are generally identified. All this points to
the close relation between the two.
A. THE SCRIPTURAL TERMS FOR CONVERSION.
1. THE OLD TESTAMENT WORDS. The Old Testament employs especially two words for
conversion, namely:
a. Nacham, which serves to express a deep feeling, either of sorrow (niphal) or of relief (piel). In
niphal it means to repent, and this repentance is often accompanied with a change of plan and
of action, while in piel it signifies to comfort or to comfort one’s self. As a designation of
repentance—and this is the meaning with which we are concerned here—it is used not only of
man but also of God, Gen. 6:6,7; Ex. 32:14; Judg. 2:18; I Sam. 15:11.
b. Shubh, which is the most common word for conversion, means to turn, to turn about, and to
return. It is often used in a literal sense of both God and man, but soon acquired a religious and
ethical signification. This meaning is most prominent in the prophets, where it refers to Israel’s
return to the Lord, after it has departed from Him. The word clearly shows that, what the Old
Testament calls conversion, is a return to Him from whom sin has separated man. This is a very
important element in conversion. It finds expression in the words of the prodigal son, “I will
return, and go to my father.”
2. THE NEW TESTAMENT WORDS.
There are especially three words that come into
consideration here:
a. Metanoia (verbal form, metanoeo).
This is the most common word for conversion in the
New Testament, and is also the most fundamental of the terms employed. The word is
composed of meta and nous, which is again connected with the verb ginosko (Lat. noscere;
Eng., to know), all of which refers to the conscious life of man. In the English Bible the word is
translated “repentance,” but this rendering hardly does justice to the original, since it gives
undue prominence to the emotional element. Trench points out that in the classics the word
means: (1) to know after, after-knowledge; (2) to change the mind as the result of this after-
knowledge; (3) in consequence of this change of mind, to regret the course pursued; and (4) a
change of conduct for the future, springing from all the preceding. It might indicate a change
for the worse as well as for the better, however, and did not necessarily include a resipiscentia