204. Michael Lawrence on Conversion

In this episode, we welcome Dr. Michael Lawrence to discuss his book Conversion: How God Creates a People. What is conversion, and specifically – conversion to Christ Jesus, our unique Lord? Why did Nicodemus think being re-born from the physical womb was more reasonable than what Jesus was teaching? Dr. Lawrence takes us through distinctions between a gospel of nice, and the true gospel of new, true and false repentance, true and false assurance – and distinguishing the therapeutic pseudo-gospel of self-fulfillment and the real gospel of being born of God, the Holy Spirit and a calling to joy and sorrow. Was the Reformation based in subjectivity, or do Rome and the East project that onto the Reformers to hide legalism and a deadly subjective mysticism of their own? We also discuss the value of the sacraments, how the church isn’t optional, and discuss how a wrong ecclesiology can lead to confusion about the kingdom of God and the kingdoms of this world. Listen in as Dr. Lawrence helps bring clarity in being Bible-based and balanced in our approach into the heart of any true Christian life, both individually and collectively.

Book: Conversion: How God Creates a People

A few resources by Dr. Lawrence:

- “False Repentance Leads to False Conversions”

- “The False Gospel of Nice”

- The Acts of the Apostles

Other resources:

The Heart of Christ in Heaven Toward Sinners on Earth by Thomas Goodwin

Confessions; The City of God by Saint Augustine (also here)

What is the Mission of the Church? by Kevin DeYoung

Divine Government: God’s Kingship in the Gospel of Mark by R. T. France

In Defense of the Eschaton by William Dennison (also here, here, here)

The Witness of the Synoptic Gospels to Christ by Ned Stonehouse

Justification (2 vol.’s); Recovering our Sanity by Michael Horton