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CONVERSION
SUDDEN EXPERIENCE OR LIFELONG
PROCESS?
Almost everybody, lt seems, is al/ mixed up on this matter of spiritual conversion. lt's part of
the missing dimension in knowledge. Let's make it clear and plain as
Go~
Himself reveals it.
Y
esterday
I
was speaking be–
fore a packed house
in
the
Ambassador Auditorium here
at Pasadena headquarters.
1
had oc–
casion, so
I
felt at the time,
to
sort of
"bare my soul," so to speak. and
relate the circumstances of my own
conversion fifty years ago- not that
it is typical of the manner and cir–
cumstances in which all people must
come to conversion. Dilferent ones
will come to it in a large variety of
circumstances.
Yet there is, after all. ONE
w
AYto
real conversion. regardless of indi–
vidual circumsta nces.
But is it a single sudden experi–
ence one undergoes once in a life–
time- and then he is "saved." as it is
often expressed. once and for all - or
is ita gradual experience of CHANGE
cont inuing throughout a lifetime?
Llfe's Journey?
At times 1 have expressed the idea 1
think many millions have come to
believe and on which they are stak–
ing their eternity.
lt
is this: You are
on a journey on a railway train .
lt
is
your life's journey. whether long or
short. At the end ofthe line. because
of Adam's sin. the switch is auto–
matically thrown to send you di–
rectly down to hell. where you will
be burned alive-constantly burn–
ing, yet never burning up because
you are an immortal soul that can't
die. Or. as millions also believe. it
will shoot you directly to "purga–
tory."
But. if at any point in your life
during the journey you "accept
Christ as your Savior," then at the
instant of that sudden experience. in
whatever manner such experience
takes place. the switch at the end of
2
by
Herbert W. Armstrong
the line is suddenly thrown to shoot
you immediately up to heaven. And
there you sha ll live FOREVER in idle–
ness and ease. in glorious surround–
ings of splendor. with nothing to
do- no responsibilities anymore–
nothing bu t to be enraptured with
the delight of gazing continually on
the face ofChrist your Savior.
About thirty years ago a man said
to me: "Let me see if
I
can define
your
belief as contrasted to what
you claim many millions of others
believe." Then he explained the be–
lief of the many approximately as
I
have stated itjust above.
"But YOU believe." he continued.
"that after one is initially converted .
accepting Christ. he must then Live a
life of obedience to God's way,
struggling against himself to over–
come all wrong ways and GROWING
spiri tually in Christ's knowledge
and in grace-thus training himself
and qualifying to carry an impor–
tan! RESPONSIDILITY in the next life.
You believe that when he dies. he is
DEAD, wi ll not go to heaven or hell.
but will come to life again by a res–
urrection from the dead. and he will
be here on earth. Then he will have
immortality. and he will be RE·
WARDED according to what his
works were in this life- the BIGGEST
reward being to have conferred on
him the HEAVIEST and most impor–
tan! RESPONSIBILITY. ls that what
you believe?"
"We!l. not exactly," 1 repl ied.
"but you are not too far off."
"Well," he said.
"1
want the tirst
way with the other millions. l ooN'T
WANT TO HAVE TO CARRY ANY RE–
SPONSIBILJTIES- if indeed there
is
any life after dcath. J'd rather go to
heaven and be FREE from work and
re ponsibility. 1 prefer the idleness
and ease forever."
" Reward" of ldleness and Ease
Well, today, thirty years later. now
in his 70s. this man has been given
his wish- so far as the idleness and
ease is concerned. He long ago re–
tired. He has nothing todo but ju t
SIT. SIT. SIT all day long in his small
and modest living room. morbid
with gloom. frustrated with in–
activity. wishing to die. but unable
to die. He was sent to the hospital
with cancer: the doctors did not givc
much hope he would survive thc op–
eration. But he did. and they sen t
him home to die. But he didn't die.
A couple years later he was rushcd
to the hospital with an acute gall–
bladder infection. PeritOnitis began
to set in: the doctors gave him al–
most no chance to survive the op–
eration- yet it was sure death in less
than 24 hours unless they operated.
But again his sturdy constitution
su rvived, and he was sent home a nd
recovered.
At a funeral of a relative wh ich
we both attended sorne two years
ago. he said to me, " l'd give any–
thing to have a responsibility such
as you have that keeps you busy
traveling all over the earth." He had
discovered that idleness and ease for
eternity would be indeed a poor "re–
warct•· ofconversion.
When ls One Saved?
Just what is this thing we ca ll "con–
version"? What do we MEAN- "SAL–
VAnoN"? Peter said. " Repent. and
be baptized ... and ye shall ..."–
WHAT? Be aved? o. " ... Receive
the gift of the Holy Spirit."
When 1 was holding the six
The
PLAIN TRUTH April 1977