Reference: Conversion
Easton
(1) the turning of a sinner to God (Ac 15:3). In a general sense the heathen are said to be "converted" when they abandon heathenism and embrace the Christian faith; and in a more special sense men are converted when, by the influence of divine grace in their souls, their whole life is changed, old things pass away, and all things become new (Ac 26:18). Thus we speak of the conversion of the Philippian jailer (Ac 16:19-34), of Paul (Ac 9:1-22), of the Ethiopian treasurer (Ac 8:26-40), of Cornelius (10), of Lydia (Ac 16:13-15), and others. (See Regeneration.)
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but an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Get up and go south, along the road from Jerusalem to Gaza" (the desert-route). So he got up and went on his way. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a high official of Candace the queen of the Ethiopians (he was her chief treasurer), who had come to Jerusalem for worship read more. and was on his way home. He was sitting in his chariot, reading the prophet Isaiah. The Spirit said to Philip, "Go up and join that chariot." When Philip ran up, he heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. "Do you really understand what you are reading?" he asked. "Why, how can I possibly understand it," said the eunuch, "unless some one puts me on the right track?" And he begged Philip to get up and sit beside him. Now the passage of scripture which he was reading was as follows: ??he was led like a sheep to be slaughtered, and as a lamb is dumb before the shearer, so he opens not his lips. By humbling himself he had his doom removed. Who can tell his family? For his life is cut off from the earth. So the eunuch said to Philip, "Pray, who is the prophet speaking about? Is it himself or someone else?" Then Philip opened his lips, and starting from this scripture preached the gospel of Jesus to him. As they travelled on, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, "Here is water! What is to prevent me being baptized?" -- So he ordered the chariot to stop. Both of them stepped into the water, and Philip baptized the eunuch. When they came up from the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, and the eunuch lost sight of him. He went on his way rejoicing, while Philip found himself at Azotus, where he passed on, preaching the gospel in every town, till he reached Caesarea.
Meanwhile Saul still breathed threats of murder against the disciples of the Lord. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus empowering him to put any man or woman in chains whom he could find belonging to the Way, and bring them to Jerusalem. read more. As he neared Damascus in the course of his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed round him; he dropped to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" "Who are you?" he asked. "I am Jesus," he said, "and you persecute me. Get up and go into the city. There you will be told what you have to do." His fellow-travellers stood speechless, for they heard the voice but they could not see anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but though his eyes were open he could see nothing; so they took his hand and led him to Damascus. For three days he remained sightless, he neither ate nor drank. Now there was a disciple called Ananias in Damascus. The Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias." He said, "I am here, Lord." And the Lord said to him, "Go away to the street called 'The Straight Street,' and ask at the house of Judas for a man of Tarsus called Saul. He is praying at this very moment, and he has seen a man called Ananias enter and lay his hands upon him to bring back his sight." "But, Lord," Ananias answered, "many people have told me about all the mischief this man has done to thy saints at Jerusalem! And in this city too he has authority from the high priests to put anyone in chains who invokes thy Name!" But the Lord said to him, "Go; I have chosen him to be the means of bringing my Name before the Gentiles and their kings as well as before the sons of Israel. I will show him all he has to suffer for the sake of my Name." So Ananias went off and entered the house, laying his hands on him with these words, "Saul, my brother, I have been sent by the Lord, by Jesus who appeared to you on the road, to let you regain your sight and be filled with the holy Spirit." In a moment something like scales fell from his eyes, he regained his sight, got up and was baptized. Then he took some food and felt strong again. For several days he stayed at Damascus with the disciples. He lost no time in preaching throughout the synagogues that Jesus was the Son of God ??21 to the amazement of all his hearers, who said, "Is this not the man who in Jerusalem harried those who invoke this Name, the man who came here for the express purpose of carrying them all in chains to the high priests?"
Saul became more and more vigorous. He put the Jewish residents in Damascus to confusion by his proof that Jesus was the Christ;
The church sped them on their journey, and they passed through both Phoenicia and Syria informing the brothers, to the great joy of all, that the Gentiles were turning to God.
On the sabbath we went outside the gate to the bank of the river, where as usual there was a place of prayer; we sat down and talked to the women who had gathered. Among the listeners there was a woman called Lydia, a dealer in purple who belonged to the town of Thyatira. She reverenced God, and the Lord opened her heart to attend to what Paul said. read more. When she was baptized, along with her household, she begged us, saying, "If you are convinced I am a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my house." She compelled us to come.
But when her owners saw their chance of profit was gone, they caught hold of Paul and Silas and dragged them before the magistrates in the forum. Bringing them before the praetors they declared, "These fellows are Jews who are making an agitation in our town; read more. they are proclaiming customs which as Romans we are not allowed to accept or observe!" The crowd also joined in the attack upon them, while the praetors, after having them stripped and after ordering them to be flogged with rods, had many lashes inflicted on them and put them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safe. On receiving so strict a charge, he put them into the inner prison and secured their feet in the stocks. But about midnight, as Paul and Silas were praying and singing to God, while the prisoners listened, all of a sudden there was a great earthquake which shook the very foundations of the prison; the doors all flew open in an instant and the fetters of all the prisoners were unfastened. When the jailer started from his sleep and saw the prison-doors open, he drew his sword and was on the point of killing himself, supposing the prisoners had made their escape; but Paul shouted aloud, "Do not harm yourself, we are all here!" So calling for lights he rushed in, fell in terror before Paul and Silas, and brought them out (after securing the other prisoners). "Sirs," he said, "what must I do to be saved?" "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ," they said, "and then you will be saved, you and your household as well." And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all in his house. Then he took them at that very hour of the night and washed their wounds and got baptized instantly, he and all his family. He took them up to his house and put food before them, overjoyed like all his household at having believed in God.
that their eyes may be opened and that they may turn from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God, to get remission of their sins and an inheritance among those who are consecrated by faith in me.'
Hastings
The noun occurs only in Ac 15:3 (epistroph
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For the heart of this people is obtuse, their ears are heavy of hearing, their eyes they have closed, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they understand with their heart and turn again, and I cure them.
and said, "I tell you truly, unless you turn and become like children, you will never get into the Realm of heaven at all.
and said, "I tell you truly, unless you turn and become like children, you will never get into the Realm of heaven at all.
so that for all their seeing they may not perceive, and for all their hearing they may not understand, lest they turn and be forgiven."
Therefore I tell you, many as her sins are, they are forgiven, for her love is great; whereas he to whom little is forgiven has but little love."
But when he came to his senses he said, 'How many hired men of my father have more than enough to eat, and here am I perishing of hunger!
So Zacchaeus stopped and said to the Lord, "I will give the half of all I have, Lord, to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody I will give him back four times as much."
but I have prayed that your own faith may not fail. And you in turn must be a strength to your brothers."
but I have prayed that your own faith may not fail. And you in turn must be a strength to your brothers."
And he added, "Jesus, do not forget me when you come to reign." "I tell you truly," said Jesus, "you will be in paradise with me this very day."
He has blinded their eyes and made their hearts insensible, to prevent them seeing with their eyes and understanding with their hearts and turning for me to cure them.
So those who accepted what he said were baptized; about three thousand souls were brought in, that day.
praising God and looked on with favour by all the people. Meantime the Lord added the saved daily to their number.
Repent then, and turn to have your sins blotted out, so that a breathing-space may be vouchsafed you,
Repent then, and turn to have your sins blotted out, so that a breathing-space may be vouchsafed you,
Repent then, and turn to have your sins blotted out, so that a breathing-space may be vouchsafed you,
Philip travelled down to a town in Samaria, where he preached Christ to the people. And the crowds attended like one man to what was said by Philip, listening to him and watching the miracles he performed.
But when they believed Philip, who preached the gospel of the Reign of God and the name of Jesus, they had themselves baptized, both men and women;
As he neared Damascus in the course of his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed round him;
And all the inhabitants of Lydda and Saron saw him, and they turned to the Lord.
the strong hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number believed and turned to the Lord.
the strong hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number believed and turned to the Lord.
shouting, "Men, what is this you are doing? We are but human, with natures like your own! The gospel we are preaching to you is to turn from such futile ways to the living God who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all that in them is.
The church sped them on their journey, and they passed through both Phoenicia and Syria informing the brothers, to the great joy of all, that the Gentiles were turning to God.
The church sped them on their journey, and they passed through both Phoenicia and Syria informing the brothers, to the great joy of all, that the Gentiles were turning to God.
and brought them out (after securing the other prisoners). "Sirs," he said, "what must I do to be saved?"
bearing my testimony, both to Jews and Greeks, of repentance before God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
I announced to those at Damascus and at Jerusalem in the first instance, then all over the land of Judaea, and also to the Gentiles, that they were to repent and turn to God by acting up to their repentance.
For the heart at this people is obtuse, their ears are heavy at hearing, their eyes they have closed, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they understand with their heart and turn again, and I cure them.
though whenever they turn to the Lord, the veil is removed.
Morish
This is from ?????????, 'to turn to.' It is in scripture the real effect that accompanies the new birth, a turning to God. It is beautifully expressed in the case of the Thessalonians, showing how they "turned to the same word God from idols, to serve the living and true God." 1Th 1:9. Paul and Barnabas were able to make known to the saints the 'conversion of the Gentiles.' Ac 15:3. In Peter's address to the Jews he said, "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out." Ac 3:19. Without being converted they could not enter the kingdom of heaven. Mt 18:3. The word is used in a somewhat different sense in respect to Peter himself. The Lord, knowing that he would fall under the sifting of Satan, said, "When thou art converted strengthen thy brethren;" that is, when he had returned in contrition, or been restored. In the O.T. the Hebrew words signify the same, 'to be turned,' 'to turn back.' Ps 51:13; Isa 6:10; 60:5: cf. Isa 1:27, margin
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and said, "I tell you truly, unless you turn and become like children, you will never get into the Realm of heaven at all.
Repent then, and turn to have your sins blotted out, so that a breathing-space may be vouchsafed you,
The church sped them on their journey, and they passed through both Phoenicia and Syria informing the brothers, to the great joy of all, that the Gentiles were turning to God.
People tell us of their own accord about the visit we paid to you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and a real God
Watsons
CONVERSION, a change from one state or character to another. Conversion, considered theologically, consists in a renovation of the heart and life, or a being turned from sin and the power of Satan unto God, Ac 26:18; and is produced by the influence of divine grace upon the soul. This is conversion considered as a state of mind; and is opposed both to a careless and unawakened state, and to that state of conscious guilt and slavish dread, accompanied with struggles after a moral deliverance not yet attained, which precedes our justification and regeneration; both of which are usually understood to be comprised in conversion. But this is not the only Scriptural import of the term; for the first turning of the whole heart to God in penitence and prayer is generally termed conversion. In its stricter sense, as given above, it is, however, now generally used by divines.
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that their eyes may be opened and that they may turn from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God, to get remission of their sins and an inheritance among those who are consecrated by faith in me.'