Proof of Conversion

www.insidethebible.ca /proof-of-conversion/
Micah Hackett
Galatians 1:21-24
Afterwards I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia; And was unknown by face unto the churches of Judaea
which were in Christ: But they had heard only, That he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith
which once he destroyed. And they glorified God in me.
It is amazing to examine the testimony of Paul in his ministry. In it, he could confidently defend that his motives were
genuine and that he was ordained by God; no man could rightfully demean Pauls ministry. Interestingly, the same
can be said of his salvation and his personal testimony: it was self-evident. As we look at a few things we can notice
from our text, continually challenge yourself as to the validity of your salvation: examine yourself. And afterward, ask
yourself Is my salvation self-evident? Do people have a reason to question your claims of belief?
Conversion is Evident to the Believers
Paul had never seen the believers in Judaea, he never met them, and they never met him. But yet they understood
who he was, what he converted from, and what his mission was at that point in time. It was no longer to persecute,
but to profit. They had assurance, once they knew Pauls identity, that they were in good company. Paul had never
said anything or had ever done gospel work in their area, and yet just by word-of-mouth these believers were
confident in the faith of this fairly new convert. From this we learn three lessons.
1. Your testimony should be sufficient to prove your salvation. Many people are so-called Christians only
because they claim the name, and yet it all seems to be a game with them. They call themselves believers,
but in works deny the Truth of the One they claim to believe. They compromise morality. They compromise
doctrine. They compromise clear Scriptural statements. And yet in all this, they claim to be Christians, with
the only thing differentiating them from the atheist being their title. This is sadly very often the case, and it
really is unfortunate, because it makes unbelievers think that Christianity is only a title, not a responsibility.
Dear reader, dont play Christian. Dont profess Christ if you dont want to live Christ. Paul didnt even have
to say a word, and yet people knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that this man was saved. Can the same be
said about you? Or do you have to constantly tell people that you think youre saved and then have to defend
that to them since they cannot tell by your works? It should not be the case. Live the faith you claim to have.
2. Your testimony means responsibility to be blameless. News of Pauls conversion spread, which means there
are many talkative believers in this case it was a good thing. But this should also serve as a warning to us
that your actions will be known of by many that you never imagined would know. If you have a good
testimony, it will be a pleasant surprise when people say for example Oh, youre so-and-so? Pleasure to
meet you! Ive heard that you have a burden for souls, and youve inspired me. But remember that if you
have a bad reputation, that may very well spread also, and it can be a scary thing. Claiming to be a Christian
is serious business, and you must learn to be blameless so that people do not have any reason to accuse you
of sin or of false profession. Beware, people know what youre doing, and your reputation will take character
from that.
3. As believers, we should be watchful for evidence of conversion. The reason Paul was accepted by the
believers that he had never met was because they knew of his testimony. And they cared about the testimony,
because they were no doubt a people who were careful to watch for false professors. Now, they were
probably not questioning the salvation of every believer who came unto them, but they were serious about
reputation, which is why they are recorded as having received Paul on the basis of his solid testimony. So

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must we be a people concerned about genuineness in our Christianity. We must be careful as assemblies to
beware of false teachers. Let us watch for evidence of conversion.
Conversion is Proven by Allegiance
In watching for true conversion, we must understand the true evidence of it, which is a change of allegiance. The
element which proved beyond doubt Pauls genuineness was the stark contrast between his post-conversion life
and his past. At one point the faith of believers was disgusting to him, but at this point he was preaching it. No man
can serve two masters, and Paul proved just which one he was going to serve.
Similarly, the Thessalonians also provided clear evidence of conversion: For from you sounded out the word of the
Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we
need not to speak any thing. For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how
ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised
from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. People cannot simply serve the living God
and wait for His Son in sincerity while they have no allegiance toward Him. Rather, conversion is seen as a change
of masters and a change of service. So also in our lives should there be such a stark contrast with our preconversion lives that men are without reason when they question the validity of our faith. For so is the will of God,
that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men.
Conversion Glorifies God
While the people did not glorify Paul, he was instrumental in their glorifying God. The response of the believers to
Pauls conversion is the proof of this verse: Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works,
and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
When people see the action of your faith, what does that sight promote? Do you give others a reason to think
Christianity is only about hypocrisy, or do you make them without excuse as to their rejection of the Saviour? It is a
solemn question. You see, if our testimony is a main source for the glorification of God, then this places a
tremendous responsibility on our shoulders to have a good testimony. Your life should be an evidence of Gods
working and power. Can people look at your lifestyle and say God has clearly worked in this persons life? Or do
they say I thought Christians were supposed to be different; evidently hes an exception? Sad thing if that is so.
But not only ask yourself if you give cause to glorify God; ask yourself what your motivation is for service. Do you
serve for the purpose that God might be glorified? Do you care about what others think about Him? Does the cross
so warm your heart that your response is How can I not glorify the One Who went to such lengths to save me?? O
that we would be motivated by such incentive! We owe so much to our Saviour, and He deserves so much more
than we can give. Should we not then give our hearts to Him and live our lives so that He receives all the glory? Is
there anyone else who deserves such glory? Let our motivation be to please our Lord, and from that we can know
that He will be glorified. It is a tremendous privilege to be part of that, and some day we will also share in glory with
Him, for we shall be like Him and see Him as He is. Let us not lose sight of what really matters in life, and by that let
our testimonies be sound and blameless.

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