What makes you a Christian?
My Christian journey doesn’t include an amazing conversion story. There’s no exciting U-turn story. You know, like Nicky Cruz from the book/movie ‘The Cross & the Switchblade’ who used to be the leader of a gang, but then dramatically converted to following Jesus. Or St Paul, who had that amazing encounter and vision on the road to Damascus.
In comparison, I gradually and safely merged onto the highway. I was baptised as a three week old baby. I grew up in a Christian family. We worshipped nearly every Sunday. We prayed at home and had family devotions. I was confirmed in grade 8 and started taking Holy Communion. I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t Christian. Perhaps the closest conversion story I’ve got is from high school. One afternoon walking home from school, I was accosted by a street evangelist. He tried to give me some booklet, but I said, “No thanks. My dad is a pastor.” The guy responded very quickly, “It doesn’t matter who your dad is. It matters is whether you’re a Christian.” This made me think, and was a catalyst for a time in my life where I began to own my faith.
Whether you’ve had a dramatic U-turn, or a more gradual merge like myself, the question remains: “What makes you a Christian?” Or in other words, “How are people converted to the Christian faith?”
What is Pelagianism?
These questions are addressed by the Pelagian heresy. Around the turn of the fifth century, a British monk named Pelagius (360 – 418) came to Rome. He had a very simple and seductive message saying, “There is a spark of goodness in everyone.” Sounds nice doesn’t it? People are essentially good, and only bad a little bit of the time. Then Pelagius began teaching that this spark of goodness means that people can choose to follow God’s will and commandments, he said we can choose to turn toward God. In short: people have within themselves the capacity for good, and therefore people are responsible for their own conversion.
St Augustine, one of Pelagius’ chief opponents, in contrast asserted that people are corrupt. He used Bible passages such as, ‘I have been evil from the day I was born; from the time I was conceived I have been sinful’ (Psalm 51:5); “No one can come to me,” Jesus says, “unless the Father … draws them” (John 6:44); and ‘You were dead in your sins’ (Ephesians 2:1).
But Pelagius’ false teaching was alluring and persisted. Some followers modified it, saying that a person initiates conversion and God completes it. This false view is often called semi-Pelagianism. Similarly another false view, called Synergism, says that God initiates the conversion and the person completes it. In both, people co-operate with God to bring about their conversion, either by doing some good deeds, or following the rites and practices of the church (such as confirmation, confession, and Holy Communion). In short: people and God co-operate in conversion.
The false teaching persisted even still. The human desire to “do something” is stubborn! A protestant pastor at the time of the Reformation called Jakob Arminius (1560–1609) taught that a person has to do something to bring about their salvation — they must “decide” for Jesus or “accept” him into their heart. This false view is called Arminianism.
What’s wrong with Pelagianism (and related false teachings)?
So what’s wrong with saying we are involved in conversion? Surely the human will has some role to play in conversion? Don’t we need to decide? What is it that makes you a Christian?
The issue is twofold. Firstly, these views don’t take the fall seriously enough. As we’ve already heard, Scripture teaches that we are sinful from birth. Even before birth, from conception. That is how far we have fallen. All creation — even a few cells in a mother’s womb — is corrupt. Like Adam and Eve, we are susceptible to the lies of the devil, the world, and our sinful flesh — even from conception. One of the ways the Reformers spoke about sin was to say that humanity is “curved in on itself.” Selfish. Inward looking. Sinful. This hereditary disease is often called “original sin.” There is no spark of goodness within you.
The second issue is that we have no power to turn toward God. We are always turned in on ourselves. St Paul goes as far as to say, ‘You were dead in your sin.’ Dead. Like Lazarus. Dead and buried in a tomb. Dead for days. Really dead. Smelly dead. Remember Martha, who cautioned Jesus about cracking open the tomb because of the smell?! “But, Lord,” said Martha, “by this time there is a bad odour, for he has been there four days.” (John 11:39). Let me ask you this: Can a smelly dead person roll away the stone from the tomb? Can a dead person open the door of their heart to Jesus? Can a dead person decide to become Christian? Can a dead person co-operate with God to repent and be converted? No! No! No! Dead is dead.
Take another example: Nicodemus. Recall that Nicodemus was a Pharisee who came to Jesus at night, and Jesus said to him, “No one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again … of water and spirit.” (John 3:3,5). Sometimes we hear this phrase “born again Christian.” It typically means a person who has made a decision for Christ, or had a conversion experience as an adult. But think about your physical birth. Hands up if you’ve been physically born. Good. Now hands up if you decided to be born? No one?!
The gospel truth is that we have no strength to turn to God or come to him. We have no part to play in our being made a Christian. God, and God alone, makes you into a Christian and a follower of Christ.
St Augustine used baptism in his writings against Pelagius. He particularly emphasised infant baptism. As an infant you are physically and spiritually helpless. In fact you are Lazarus. Every single one of you was dead in the tomb. Really dead. Smelly dead. You were buried under the waters of baptism. A dead person can’t open the door of their heart to Jesus. But Christ has called out to you. Like Lazarus, Jesus has raised you from the dead. And this happens in baptism. You rise up out of the water alive, born again of water and spirit. It happens, not because of anything you have done. Like Lazarus, God raises you to life, because Jesus himself has walked free from the tomb. Jesus was also buried in the tomb. Yet he was able to roll the stone away and walk free. This is the gospel that has been handed onto us — ’that Christ died for our sins …, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures’ (1 Corinthians 15:3–4). This is true if you’ve had a dramatic U-turn or gradually been brought up in the Christian faith. What’s important is where we place our trust: in our own work, or in the work of Jesus dying and rising again.
Why is this important today?
So why is this old heresy important today? Firstly, it helps with evangelizing. It clears up how someone is converted. People are converted when they experience God working through the gospel. It is always the good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection that converts. Not our own will. Not our own decision. Not even us persuading someone with an eloquent speech. As St Paul says in Romans chapter 1, ‘the gospel … is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes’ (Romans 1:16). It’s like we are a chauffeur or taxi driver for a really important person with a life changing message. We are the means, or vehicle, that God uses to get the message of Jesus to others. He’s the important one, we’re just the driver. This takes the pressure off us. Phew! But this doesn’t mean we don’t have work to do. God calls us to support the church. God calls us to pray for our non-Christian friends. God calls us to tell others the gospel message in words they can understand. We, as church, are called to baptise and teach.
Secondly, all this is important because it helps us to live the Christian life. Being Christian means living under God’s two words of law and gospel. The law tells us that we are dead in our sin, that we can’t do anything to save ourselves. The law tells us we are selfish. The law brings us to our knees, empty handed before the cross. The law buries us in the tomb. Then the gospel raises us to life. We stand with Jesus, alive, victorious. There is a place for our free will and decisions. Along our faith journey we make commitments to follow Jesus and his way. Yet at times our commitment fails. We don’t do what we say. But our weakness and failure doesn’t affect our salvation, for our salvation is secure in the death and resurrection of Jesus. Now this doesn’t mean we can’t fall away from the faith into unbelief. But what it does mean is that salvation is taken from our hands and placed firmly in God’s hands. Our eyes are turned away from ourselves and we are turned to look at Jesus. That is why we engage in the rites and practices of the church, such as confirmation, confession, and Holy Communion — to strengthen our belief, to keep us firm in the faith, to give us nourishment for our faith journey.
So may Jesus raise you from the dead like Lazarus. May you take off your grave clothes and walk free into your new life. May you be a vehicle of the good news that Jesus Christ died, was buried, and rose again on the third day for the forgiveness of your sin. May you pass on to others this good news that you have received. Amen.
