The Truth about Conversion
India has six major religions – Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Sikhism, where Hindus form 80% of the population and others are minorities. There are also States in India with majority populations of other religions like in J&K, where we have a Muslim majority, Punjab with a Sikh majority, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Meghalaya with a Christian majority, and so on.
The preamble of the Indian Constitution declares India as a Sovereign, Socialist, Secular, and Democratic Republic. It treats all religions equally and Religion is basically a matter of choice, faith, or sets of beliefs. It has been stated in the Constitution of India that one of the fundamental rights of the people of India is the freedom of religion and every citizen of the country has a fundamental right to practice his or her religion peacefully.
However, we have been hearing a number of incidents of religious intolerance that have led to riots and violence in our country for a very long time. Everyone has a right to follow his religion as per his birth or as per his wish. It’s the constitutional right to choose his or her own religion, but making people forcibly change their religion or luring people to change their religion should be considered illegal and a violation of Law.
What is religious conversion?
Religious conversion means adopting a new religion, a religion that is different from his previous religion or religion by birth. There are various reasons for which people convert to different religions: Conversion by free will or free choice, Conversion due to a change of beliefs, Conversion for convenience, Conversion due to marriage, and alleged Conversion by force.
In ancient history literature, we have come across conversions. For instance, when Brahmanism was propagated in India, there were many others, like Ashoka the Great and Mahavira, who promoted Buddhism and Jainism. Emperor Ashoka sent ambassadors to various parts of the country and foreign kingdoms and he himself undertook religious journeys to inspire others to take up Buddhism. After the advent of the Mughal emperors, Islam was propagated. During the 15th century, Sikhism also came into existence. Christianity in India traces back to the coming of St Thomas, the Apostle of Jesus, around 50 AD. Conversion was common in India since ancient times, some out of their own will and some out of obligation. In this modern age of science and technology, this has continued even today.
After independence, in 1954 the Indian Conversion (Regulation and Registration) Bill was passed and in 1960 the Backward Communities (Religious Protection) Bill was passed but both these Bills had to be scrapped. In Article 25 of the Indian Constitution, citizens of the country have the right or freedom to practice, profess and propagate their faith in a manner that it does not disturb the public, the law and order and does not affect anyone’s health and morality adversely. Article 25 of the Indian Constitution is a basic human rights guarantee.
Any incidents of violence and vandalism against religious places or people deserve to be condemned wholeheartedly. At the same time, we must take a closer look at people who convert from one faith to another. To start with, let it be clear that these days there are no forced conversions anywhere in the world. India is no exception. Those who assert that the poor, innocent, and ignorant of India are being forced to accept particular religions are deliberate misconceptions.
There are various reasons why people do convert their religion like Voluntary Conversions i.e., conversions by free choice or because of a change of beliefs. A few converts to another faith when they do not find consolation in the faith of their ancestors. There are also men and women who convert to the faith of those they wish to marry. However, a large number of people converted to Spiritual encounters and gratitude. They were neglected, ignorant and poor. When somebody came to look after them, prayed for them, opened schools and hospitals for them, taught them, healed them, and helped them to stand on their own feet to hold their heads high, they felt grateful. They found new life and hope in their lives that were deprived of hope.
In the in the year 52 AD, Saint Thomas, a disciple of Jesus landed in south India and began preaching Christianity. Subsequently, Christian missionaries begin to establish and run the best educational institution, schools, colleges, and hospitals in our country. They are well-organized inexpensive and free of corruption. Hence, they do get the support and trust of people because of the sense of love, acceptance, hope, honesty, generosity and gratitude they generate. Can this be called a tactic for conversion? No, it is not, in Christianity and in the Bible teaches there is no forced conversion allowed or permitted, accepting Lord Jesus Christ and acknowledging his Lordship is an individual choice, and can only be made that way, it cannot be forced.
The people forcing others to say they are Christian are either not true Christians, or have not read their Bibles. And those that have claimed Christianity in a "conversion" are not truly saved, as that is not how salvation works. God of the Bible never forces Himself on anyone. God does not drag people kicking and screaming into His kingdom. God doesn’t violate our free will when it comes to making a decision for Him. Hence No matter which religion you belong to, knowing more truth about other religions and belief systems will help you understand and interact with people better.
Millions of people consider themselves to be Christian. Many believe they have converted to Christianity, but is that the case? Just because some may call themselves Christian and have their names written on a church membership list, does that guarantee that they are converted Christians? Notice an important truth in the Bible: “… Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His” (Romans 8:9). So, we must understand this: A person is a Christian only if God’s Holy Spirit is dwelling in him or her.
Then what is conversion? The word conversion, as we use it in religious circles today, usually implies the acceptance of a religious belief system. But the fundamental biblical meaning is “to turn to God”.
This, of course, brings up a crucial question: What do we turn away from when we turn to God; what do we set aside when we are converted? The Bible gives us the answer: “Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear” (Isaiah 59:1-2).
The Bible declares that everyone is born dead in sin (Eph. 2:1), is by nature alienated from God and under His wrath (Eph. 2:3), and lives in a natural state of rebellion against God such that no one seeks Him on their own (Rom. 3:11), views the gospel as foolish (1 Cor. 1:18, 2:14), and is morally incapable of accepting God’s saving ways (Rom. 8:6-7). Scripture also declares that all humanity is enslaved to sin (Rom. 6:20), hostile towards God (Col. 1:21), and unable to come to Christ unless the Father (God) draws them (John 6:44, 65).
In other words, Scripture affirms that everyone is in a state where, unless God changes a person's will, they remain in a position where they cannot perceive God’s saving grace and will never receive Christ as Saviour. God requires that we leave our former ways and change direction by turning to God. We must turn from darkness to light and from the kingdom of Satan to the kingdom of God. As Peter said, “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19).
The apostle John adds: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves …” (1 John 1:8). God created us all and so we are all children of God. But sadly, we have all rebelled and sin has broken our relationship with the Father. God is continually calling out to his children to return to Him so that the father/child relationship can be restored. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says: “For God made Christ, Who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.” Everyone who believes and accepts the fact, that Jesus Christ died to take their punishment, and then asks for God’s forgiveness, will be accepted into his family. (John 1:12–13) Being a child of a child of God, means we have been born a second time into God’s family.
The New Birth is necessary, for it is the means by which we enter the Kingdom to become children in the family of God. It is the source of power that motivates our actions and makes us new creatures in Christ Jesus. The New Birth, being born again, entitles us to a home in Heaven. It marks the beginning of a joyous, wonderful life; but with it goes grave responsibilities. The pathway for the Christian is strait (difficult) and narrow; the road is even uphill; but praise the Lord, eternal bliss at God’s right hand is the reward awaiting all those who have been faithful.
To receive blessings and favors from God, we must turn to Him—recognizing His Lordship and turning from our sins. In the Bible Conversion is the divinely enabled personal response of individuals to the gospel in which they turn from their sin and themselves (repent) and trust in Jesus as Saviour and Lord (believe). The gospel is "the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes" (Romans 1:16). That is, God does something to "cause us to change" in form, character, and function.
Just as God spoke into the void and created the world, He speaks to the soul and it is changed, given light, and re-born as a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17; John 3:3–6). Jesus discussed the new birth in His conversation with Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader, in John Chapter 3. Jesus said to him, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again” (John 3:3). Jesus explained that this new birth is not physical, but spiritual.
Nicodemus had studied the Old Testament of the Bible and yet he didn’t get what Jesus was saying because he was not born again. Most scholars agree that by the time of Jesus’ crucifixion, Nicodemus had come to faith, as evidenced by his courage in helping with the burial of Jesus (19:38-42). But at this point, he had not been born again and so he was spiritually confused, in spite of his years of religious studies and devotion. The new birth is one of the most exciting doctrines of Christianity, but exactly what does it mean, how does a person get it, and what happens after they receive it? Despite his great learning, Nicodemus was confused. Jesus explained that he was not talking about a physical new birth, but a spiritual rebirth: "Jesus answered, 'I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.'" (John 3:5-6)
There is a fundamental divide between the physical and the spiritual. John 3:6 says “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” Jesus draws a sharp line between physical birth and spiritual birth. By “flesh,” He is referring to human nature or the natural man. As we saw in Romans 5:12-19, because of Adam’s sin, we’re all born in sin, separated from God, and unable to submit to God (Rom. 8:6-8). We’re all born alienated from God and so we need God’s Spirit to impart spiritual life to us so that we can become God’s children. As John 1:12-13 says, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” So there is this divide between what is born of the flesh and what is born of the Spirit. As Jesus says (John 6:63), “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.”
Jesus further said in John 3:7: “Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’” “Must” is a strong word of necessity. It’s not an option. Before we are born again, we are walking corpses, spiritually dead. We are alive physically, and from outward appearances, nothing seems wrong with us. But inside we are creatures of sin, dominated and controlled by it. Just as we can't give physical birth to ourselves, we can't accomplish this spiritual birth by ourselves, either. God gives it, but through faith in Christ, we can request it: "In his great mercy he (God the Father) has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you ..." (1 Peter 1:3-4) Because God gives us this new birth, we know exactly where we stand. That's what is so exciting about Christianity. We don't have to struggle for our salvation, wondering whether we have said enough prayers or done enough good deeds. Christ did it for us, and it is complete.
New Birth Causes Total Transformation. The new birth is another term for regeneration. Before salvation, we are degenerate: "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins ... " (Ephesians 2:1) After the new birth, our regeneration is so complete it can be described as nothing less than a totally new life in the spirit. The Apostle Paul puts it this way: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:17) With our new nature comes an intense desire for Christ and the things of God. For the first time, we can fully appreciate Jesus' statement: "'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me.'" (John 14:6, NIV)
We know, with all our being, that Jesus is the truth we have been seeking all along. The more we get of him, the more we want. Our desire for him feels right. It feels natural. As we pursue an intimate relationship with Christ, we experience a love unlike any other. As Christians, we still sin, but it becomes shameful to us because we now realize how much it offends God. With our new life, we develop new priorities. We want to please God out of love, not fear, and as members of his family, we want to fit in with our Father and our Savior and Lord Jesus. When we become a new person in Christ, we also leave behind that suffocating burden of trying to earn our own salvation. We finally grasp what Jesus has done for us: "'Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'" (John 8:32) Being a child of a child of God, means we have been born a second time into God’s family.
1 John 5:4: “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” 1 John 5:18: “We know that no one who is born of God sins; but He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him.” John is not referring to a sinless life, but to a life that sins less. In other words, all whom the Spirit saves, He sanctifies. It takes a lifetime, but they progressively grow in holiness, without which no one will see the Lord (Heb. 12:14). Those born of the Spirit develop the fruit of the Spirit as they learn to walk in the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23).
We do not cause the new birth. God causes the new birth. What happens in the new birth is not getting new religion but getting new life, a new mind, a new character, new peace, a new purpose, a new perceptive, and a new destiny. John 3 Verse 6 emphasizes the supernatural nature of the new birth: “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” The flesh is what we are naturally. The Spirit of God is the supernatural Person who brings about the new birth. So there is no spiritual life — no eternal life — apart from connection with Jesus and belief in Jesus. Someone who has experienced the new birth will begin to exhibit character qualities that are more like Jesus. This doesn’t happen overnight, but just as a fruit tree grows and begins to produce fruit in season, we produce godly character traits such as love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control. These traits are the natural result of yielding to the Spirit and spending time with God in His Word, with His people, and in worship.
The basic meaning of the word convert is “to turn around, to transform, or to change.” In the biblical sense, conversion means a turning from evil to good—a spiritual turning away from sin in repentance and to God in faith. The turning of a sinner to God (Acts 15:3). Thus, when a person is truly converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ, his whole life is transformed. The scriptures refer to such a person as having been “reborn,” because he becomes a new person. To convert is to change from one status to another, and gospel conversion consists in the transformation of man from his fallen, corrupted, and carnal state to a state of saintliness and godliness.
This spiritual conversion is so profound that it involves many changes in a person. It involves a change of mind, which is an intellectual change; and a change of understanding, a new recognition of God, self, sin, and Christ. It involves a change of affections, which is an emotional change, a change of feeling, a sorrow for sin committed against a holy and just God. It involves a change of will, which is a volitional change, an intentional turning away from sin, and a turning to God through Christ to seek forgiveness. The entire person—mind, affections, and will—is radically, completely, and fully changed in conversion. This is why Jesus said, “Unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:3).
Transformation means that knowledge must be merged with understanding. The natural mind, stimulated by superior thought, reason, awards, degrees, and worldly acclaim must be reconciled to God and restored to its original innocence at creation. Paul's admonition is that only by an action of the Holy Spirit to renew, re-educate, and redirect our minds can we be truly transformed. This is why Bible says "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Before the new birth happens to us, we are spiritually dead. We are morally selfish and rebellious. And we are legally guilty before God’s law and under his wrath. When Jesus tells us that we must be born again he is telling us that our present condition is hopeless, corrupt, and guilty. Apart from amazing grace in our lives, we don’t like to hear that about ourselves. So it is unsettling when Jesus tells us that we must be born again. We repent by turning away from sin and surrendering our lives to God. Each new convert must turn away from ways of Selfishness by turning to the ways of God.
Each must accept and respond to God’s terms and conditions for the forgiveness of sin. Peter exhorted, “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out …” (Acts 3:19). We must recognize that our sins originate in our thoughts, often motivated by our pride and selfishness, anger and jealousy, our lust and greed-in short, our human nature. Repentance begins with God’s calling—His opening our minds to correctly understand His Word and His ways. Then we must pray for His help and begin studying the Scriptures to find out what we need to change. We do this by comparing our beliefs, behavior, customs, traditions, and thoughts to the righteousness of God. God’s Word is the only trustworthy standard by which we can measure our attitudes and behavior. Genuine repentance produces a change in the way we live, even in the way we think. Like King David of old, we should ask God to create a clean heart and a right spirit within us (Psalms 51:10) Now that you understand what conversion is, you need to begin practicing what you have learned. If you truly want to be converted, ask your Creator God for help. Turn from sin to a life of faith in God and obedience to His laws. This is the most important thing in your life. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to advance your relationship with living God.
