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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Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Get up and go south by the road that leads from Jerusalem to Gaza; this is the desert road." So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian official, a member of the court of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, her chief treasurer, who had come to Jerusalem to worship, read more. and now was on his way home. He was seated in his chariot, reading the prophet Isaiah. So the Spirit said to Philip, "Go up and join him in his chariot." Then Philip ran up and listened to him reading the prophet Isaiah, and he asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?" He answered, "How in the world could I, unless someone teaches me?" And he begged him to get up and sit with him. Now this was the passage of Scripture that he was reading: "Like a sheep He was led away to be slaughtered, and just as a lamb is dumb before its shearer, so He does not open His mouth. Justice was denied Him in His humiliation, who can tell of His times? For His life is removed from the earth." "Tell me, I pray, of whom is the prophet speaking," asked the official of Philip, "of himself or of someone else?" Then Philip opened his mouth, and starting from this passage, he told him the good news about Jesus. As they continued down the road, they came to some water, and the official said, "Look! here is some water! What is there to keep me from being baptized?" Omitted Text. So he ordered the chariot to stop, and Philip and the official both went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away; the official saw him no more, for he went on home rejoicing; but Philip was found at Ashdod, and he went on telling the good news in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.
Now Saul, as he was still breathing threats of murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, that if he found any men or women belonging to The Way he might bring them in chains to Jerusalem. read more. As he traveled on he finally approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He dropped to the ground; then he heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" He asked, "Who are you, sir?" And He said, "I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But get up and go into the city, and there it will be told you what you ought to do." His fellow-travelers stood speechless, for they heard the voice but could not see anyone. Then Saul got up off the ground, but he could not see anything, although his eyes were wide open. So they took him by the hand and led him into Damascus, and for three days he could not see, and he did not eat or drink anything. Now there was in Damascus a disciple named Ananias, and the Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias!" And he answered, "Yes, Lord, I am here." And the Lord said to him, "Get up and go to the street called 'The Straight Street,' and ask at the house of Judas for one named Saul, from Tarsus, for he is now praying there. He has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, to restore his sight." But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard many people tell of this man, especially the great sufferings he has brought on your people in Jerusalem. Now he is here and has authority from the high priests to put in chains all who call upon your name." But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name to the heathen and their kings, and to the descendants of Israel. For I am going to show him how great are the sufferings he must endure for my name's sake." So Ananias left and went to that house, and there he laid his hands upon Saul, and said, "Saul, my. brother, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road on which you were coming here, has sent me that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." And all at once something like scales fell from his eyes, he regained his sight, got up and was baptized, and after taking some food he felt strong again. For several days he stayed with the disciples at Damascus, and at once he began to preach in their synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. And all who heard him were astounded and said, "Is not this the man who harassed those who called upon this name in Jerusalem, and has come here expressly for the purpose of putting them in chains and taking them back to the high priests?" But Saul grew stronger and stronger and continued to put to utter confusion the Jews who lived in Damascus, by proving that Jesus is the Christ.
So they were endorsed and sent on by the church, and as they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told of the conversion of the heathen and brought great rejoicing to all the brothers.
On the sabbath we went outside the gate, to the bank of the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and began to talk with the women who had met there. Among them was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple goods from the town of Thyatira, and she stayed to listen to us. She was already a worshiper of God, and the Lord so moved upon her heart that she accepted the message spoken by Paul. read more. When she and her household were baptized, she begged us by continuing to say, "If you have made up your mind that I am a real believer in the Lord, come and stay at my house." And she continued to insist that we do so.
But as the owners saw that the hope of their profit-making was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them to the public square, before the authorities, and brought them to the chiefs of the police court. They said, "These men are Jews; they continue to make great disturbance in our town read more. and to advocate practices which it is against the law for us Romans to accept or observe." The crowd also joined in the attack upon them, and the chiefs of the police court had them stripped and flogged. After flogging them severely, they put them into jail, and gave the jailer orders to keep close watch on them. Because he had such strict orders, he put them into the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. But about midnight, while Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, suddenly there was an earthquake so great that it shook the very foundations of the jail, the doors all flew open, and every prisoner's chains were unfastened. When the jailer awoke and saw that the jail doors were open, he drew his sword and was on the point of killing himself, because he thought that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul at once shouted out to him, "Do yourself no harm, for we are all here!" Then the jailer called for lights and rushed in and fell trembling at the feet of Paul and Silas. After leading them out of the jail, he said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" They answered, "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you and your household will be saved." Then they told God's message to him and to all the members of his household. Even at that time of the night he took them and washed their wounds, and he and all the members of his household at once were baptized. Then he took them up to his house and gave them food, and he and all the members of his household were happy in their faith in God.
to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light and from Satan's power to God, so as to have their sins forgiven and have a possession among those that are consecrated by faith in me.'
Hastings
The noun occurs only in Ac 15:3 (epistroph
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For this people's soul has grown dull, and with their ears they can scarcely hear, and they have shut tight their eyes, so that they will never see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn to me, so that I may cure them!'
and said: "I solemnly say to you, unless you turn and become like little children, you can never get into the kingdom of heaven at all.
and said: "I solemnly say to you, unless you turn and become like little children, you can never get into the kingdom of heaven at all.
'They may look and look and yet not see, And listen and listen and yet not understand, Lest, perchance, they should turn and be forgiven.'"
Therefore, I tell you, her sins, as many as they are, are forgiven, for she has loved me so much. But the one who has little to be forgiven loves me little."
Then he came to himself and said, 'How many of my father's hired men have more to eat than they need, and here I am dying of hunger!
Then Zaccheus got up and said to the Lord, "Listen, Lord! I now give to the poor half of my property, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay him back four times as much."
but I have prayed especially for you that your own faith may not utterly fail. And you yourself, after you have turned, must strengthen your brothers."
but I have prayed especially for you that your own faith may not utterly fail. And you yourself, after you have turned, must strengthen your brothers."
Then he went on to say, "Jesus, remember me when you come in your kingdom!" So He said to him, "I solemnly say to you, this very day you will be in paradise with me."
"He has blinded their eyes and benumbed their hearts, so that they cannot see with their eyes and understand with their hearts, and turn to me to cure them."
So they accepted his message and were baptized, and about three thousand persons united with them on that day.
constantly praising God and always having the favor of all the people. And every day the Lord continued to add to them the people who were being saved.
So now repent and turn to Him, to have your sins wiped out, that times of revival may come from the presence of the Lord,
So now repent and turn to Him, to have your sins wiped out, that times of revival may come from the presence of the Lord,
So now repent and turn to Him, to have your sins wiped out, that times of revival may come from the presence of the Lord,
So Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began to preach the Christ to the Samaritans. As the crowds continued to listen to his message and continued to see his wonder-works which he was performing, with one mind they became interested in what was said by Philip.
But when the people came to believe the good news proclaimed by Philip about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were constantly baptized.
As he traveled on he finally approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.
Then all the people who lived at Lydda and Sharon saw him, and so they turned to the Lord.
And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number of people believed and turned to the Lord.
And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number of people believed and turned to the Lord.
and shouted, "Men, why are you doing this? We are merely men with natures like your own, who are telling you the good news, so that you may turn from these foolish things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and all that they contain.
So they were endorsed and sent on by the church, and as they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told of the conversion of the heathen and brought great rejoicing to all the brothers.
So they were endorsed and sent on by the church, and as they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told of the conversion of the heathen and brought great rejoicing to all the brothers.
After leading them out of the jail, he said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
but constantly and earnestly I urged Greeks as well as Jews to turn with repentance to God and to have faith in our Lord Jesus.
but I began to preach first to the people of Damascus and Jerusalem, and all over Judea, and then to the heathen, to repent and turn to God, and to live lives consistent with such repentance.
For this people's soul has grown dull, and they scarcely hear with their ears, and they have shut tight their eyes, so that they may never see with their eyes, and understand with their souls, and turn to me, that I may cure them."'
but whenever anybody turns 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 solemnly say to you, unless you turn and become like little children, you can never get into the kingdom of heaven at all.
So now repent and turn to Him, to have your sins wiped out, that times of revival may come from the presence of the Lord,
So they were endorsed and sent on by the church, and as they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told of the conversion of the heathen and brought great rejoicing to all the brothers.
For the people themselves tell us what a welcome you gave us, and how you turned from idols to the true God, to serve the God who lives on and is real,
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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to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light and from Satan's power to God, so as to have their sins forgiven and have a possession among those that are consecrated by faith in me.'