Conversion has three primary elements: (1) belief, (2) repentance and (3) trust. Belief is a conscious acknowledgment of truth. It is more than a mere knowledge of truth; it is a persuasion of the facts. For example, belief (unto conversion) is not simply knowing that Jesus died on the cross but knowing he died on the cross for me (Mt. 27:42; Rom. 5:8; 1 Cor. 15:3; 1 Thess. 4:14). Many have a knowledge of the truth but are unconvinced as to its relevance (see Jn. 2:23-24; 8:31ff). Belief involves being persuaded of those facts which God has graciously revealed about me: (1) I am a sinner and as a result; (2) I am guilty before God yet; (3) God provided the penalty for my guilt to be paid by the death of his Son and; (4) promised me hope for everlasting life with him by raising his Son from the dead.

Although belief (or persuasion of truth) has mostly to do with the intellectual element of our soul, conversion touches the full spectrum of our existence. It entails a behavioral change as well. Hence, belief that converts yields repentance. While repentance involves a knowledge of and regret for our offense (e.g., Mt. 27:3; 2 Cor. 7:9-10; Heb. 12:17 KJV), repentance unto conversion always issues in a determined active response to abandon a lifestyle dominated by sin (see, Is. 59:20; Ez. 14:6; Mt. 3:8; 4:17; Lk. 5:32). In fact, on several occasions Scripture indicates that repentance is a necessary condition for forgiveness (Lk. 17:3-4; Acts 2:38; 5:31; 8:22). Repentance is not only desired but demanded by God (Acts 17:30; 2 Pt. 3:9) and was the beginning and end of Jesus' message (Mt. 4:17; Lk. 24:46-47). Repentance involves turning from everything(one) which seeks to rule an individual's life and turning to God as the sole Lord, Ruler and Master of all (Mt. 6:24; 12:30; Acts 3:19; 14:15; 20:21; 26:20; 1 Thess. 1:9). Repentance is more than just a change of mind, it is a change of masters! Finally, repentance unto conversion is granted by God (Acts 11:18; 2 Tim. 2:25) and does not lie dormant within the human soul (simile Tillich's concept of creative transformation).

Trust is not just a commitment to the truth God has revealed in the gospel and the new lifestyle God enables. It is not simply a cognitive or behavioral event. Rather, trust involves a personal relationship to the Revealer of truth. It is allegiance to God. Trust is an active confidence that what God has said in the gospel and promised to do upon belief and repentance will happen (Phil. 1:6; 2 Tim. 1:12). At least ten times the NT references trusting in God (Jn. 12:36; 14:1, 23; Rom. 4:5, 9:33, 10:11, 15:13; Tit. 3:8; Heb. 2:13; 1 Pt. 2:6). Moreover, trust yields a rest from all human effort to bridge the gap between God and us. If one has genuinely trusted in Christ and His work on the cross for the full, substitutionary payment of sins committed, then all personal activity to win God's favor will be abandoned for the rest given by conversion (see Heb. 4).

Faith, then, is the sum total of the conversion experience. Faith is believing. Faith is repenting. Faith is trusting. It entails belief in something. Rather than being irrational or even supra-rational (blind leap), faith involves persuasion of the facts such that one's life is transformed. Genuine faith, therefore, is a determined mindset that ungodly habits and desires are replaced with godly ones. Imagine Abraham hearing God's call and staying in Ur (Gen. 12:1-3; see also Jm. 2:20-22, 26)! Still, knowledge and repentance is insufficient for experiencing the new birth. One must rely upon the Truthgiver. This reliance is a settled persuasion that he who promises is faithful to perform no matter what (Rom. 4:20-22; 8:38-39; Phil. 1:6; 2 Tim. 1:12).

The result of conversion is regeneration – that activity of God wherein he radically transforms the moral fiber of a person through the unique work of the Holy Spirit. This transformation is analogous to a new birth where one begins his/her life (Jn. 3:3-7; 2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 6:15; Tit. 3:5; Jm. 1:18; 1 Pt. 1:3; 1 Jn. 2:29). The new birth has its start and finish in God the Holy Spirit who alone brings it about without respect to human activity (Jn. 1:13; 3:8; Tit. 3:5-7). Value systems are wholly renovated, not just altered. Old impulses and habits are replaced with new ones (Gal. 5:19-24; Col. 2:11-12) and a death takes place of the old self (nature) which was dominated by sinful desires and activities (Rom. 6:1-11-11; Gal. 2:20). In the place of the old life God renews the converted person and imparts new spiritual life never to be corrupted (1 Pt. 1:4).

Regeneration is also a cleansing whereby the Spirit of God purifies the converted person from moral corruption. Contrary to Pelagianism, Finney and some liberals, all of whom downplay human depravity, it is necessary that complete moral reformation occur before the estranged can fellowship with God (Jn. 13:8; Rom. 3:11-12; 7:18; Eph. 2:1). Regeneration is God's gracious means that he employs to purify us from sin. This purification or washing is actualized at the time of conversion when the Holy Spirit enters the life of a believer and symbolized at the time of baptism (Acts 10:47; Eph. 1:13; 1 Cor. 6:111; possibly Heb. 9:14; 10:22; 1 Pt. 3:21).

Titus 3:5 is the clearest reference on regeneration. It says (1) salvation is offered solely on the basis of God's mercy and is not contingent upon any human effort (note "He saved us;" see also v. 4) and (2) the means employed by God is through (dia with the genitive indicating means) the "washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit." Paul clearly states here and elsewhere (Rom. 4:4-5; Gal. 2:16-17; Eph. 2:4-5, 89) that regeneration is of God alone. Therefore, salvation is monergistic rather than synergistic. Water baptism is probably not in view here as it is an expression of regeneration and is never seen as the means of it.

God's Justification and Reconciliation of Believers
Believers placed in a right standing with God, who were once guilty before him, is the business of justification. However, many questions arise as to how and, to what extent, this happens. Does God pronounce once-for-all that believers are righteous before him or does he prompt believers throughout time to become more righteous? Is God's righteousness something given to us in full or do we have to work at attaining more and more of it? What are the results of justification? If believers are declared righteous once for all, do we have occasion for recklessly sinning? Can believers have assurance that they will never loose their adopted status in the family of God? Answers to these questions are essential for a proper grasp of the salvation event.

Believers are justified solely on the basis of what God has done in the work of the cross. The ground of justification is God's work in Jesus and wholly separate from human merit and achievement. As Calvin noted, we come with empty hands offering only our need (Lk. 18:13-14). Scripture affirms that our righteousness is completely insufficient for acquiring a right standing before God (Is. 64:6; Phil. 3:8b-9). "Justified" is God's proclamation of the believer's legal status before him. It could be said that condemnation is the opposite of justification (Rom. 5:16, 18; 8:33-34; 2 Cor. 3:9). "Guilty" is God's legal description of the unbelieving resulting in condemnation. Justification is God's ruling upon the believer as being "not guilty" (Rom. 8:33-34). God, in his mercy, pardons the ungodly who, through faith alone, trust in the all-sufficient work of the cross (Rom. 3:26; 4:5).

This is contrary to Roman Catholicism which holds that justification increases for the believer throughout life. Rather than justification being a proclamation of God whereby he declares believers "not guilty," Catholicism insists that God continuously prompts believers in life to become more righteous by their works. This presumes far too much upon humankind. God is the only one who can provide deliverance from the penalty of sin. No acts of righteousness will break the griping power of sin; only by an act of faith (enabled by him) can one's standing before God be altered. Scripture is clear that the basis of justification is Christ Jesus and the means of justification is faith alone (Gen. 15:6; Hab. 2:4; Acts 13:39; Rom. 3:20-30; 4:1-5; 5:1, 9; 10:10; Gal. 2:16; 3:8, 11, 24; Tit. 3:7).

In Scripture justification is seen as a declaration of God whereby he imparts the righteousness of Christ to those who have responded to him in faith. The believer's righteousness is not his/her own but that of Christ's (1 Cor. 1:30; 2 Cor. 5:17). It is a gracious credit made to our account. We have not the means to deposit it nor earn it in any way! When our account is called up (so to speak) it reflects a debt that has been canceled (Col. 2:13-14, NASB). God declares righteous those whose sin has not only been atoned for but altogether dismissed from the account (Rom. 4:6-8).

Upon declaring believers righteous, God forgives all sin and makes the pronouncement "not guilty" (Rom. 4:6-8; 2 Cor. 5:19; Col. 2:13; Heb. 8:12; 1 Jn. 1:9; 2:12). The Arminian view holds that God grants initial justification but requires righteous acts throughout life in order to complete justification. But this is to confuse the categories of justification and sanctification. While it is true that God does not think of believers as something they are not (justified in and of themselves), God accepts believers on the basis of Christ's work which meets all of his righteous requirements. God enables the justified to live, with increasing measure, in accordance with his holy demands (2 Cor. 3:18; Eph. 2:10; Phil. 2:12-13; Rom. 8:4). This holy living that all believers are called to is not the process of justification but the call to perseverance which is our sanctification. Justification is the Father's proclamation of our righteous standing; sanctification is the Father's enablement of our righteous living. The former is complete; the latter is ongoing.

Being reconciled to God and adopted into his family is the result of justification. Whereas justification is legal in nature and has to do with the believer's moral status, reconciliation is relational and has to do with familial status. Before faith, the relationship to God is of an entirely different nature. Believers were God's enemies, separated from and hostile toward him because of sin (Rom. 5:10; 8:7; Eph. 2:12; 4:18; Col. 1:21). But, having been justified, believers now have peace with God through faith in Christ (Rom. 5:1; Eph. 2:14-18). The initiative for restoring peace is God's alone because of Christ alone (Rom. 5:8; 1 Cor. 1:30a; 1 Jn. 4:19). It is God who reconciles us to himself. He is the one offended because of our sin, and it is he alone who closes the gaping hole between our sin and his holiness (Col. 1:19-20, 22). The coming of Christ our Savior is a message of peace showing that God turned his favor upon his creation reconciling the world to himself (Lk. 2:14; Acts 10:36; Rom. 3:17; 2 Cor. 5:19; Eph. 6:15).

The reconciling work of the cross provides access to God as a loving Father rather than divine Judge. Having been reconciled to God through faith, believers are adopted into the loving family of God (1 Jn. 3:1-3). Because of God's gracious activity at Calvary, believers can now count themselves among his family (Jn. 1:12-13). Adoption results in being united with Christ. Union with Christ, however, is not a meshing together of two substances (viz., the individual + Christ) resulting in a new substance (tertium quid), but a sharing in the riches of fellowship and communion with God as Father, Christ as Savior-Redeemer and the Holy Spirit as Comforter-Enabler (1 Cor. 1:9; 2 Cor. 13:14; 1 Jn. 1:3).

The Sanctification and Continuation of Believers
Transformed by the grace of God through faith in Christ, believers begin their spiritual journey as members of God's family. Sanctification is the practical side of and directly results from justification. In justification God grants a righteous standing and in sanctification he enables the believer to progressively live a righteous life. Hence, sanctification begins as the believer enters the kingdom. Motivation for holy living is based upon the mercy of God in salvation (Rom. 12:1-2). The model of sanctification is the Lord (1 Pt. 2:21-25). Sanctification is subsequent to justification, however the fullness of God's Spirit to live a holy life is given the moment of belief and does not depend upon a crisis nor second experience (Eph. 1:13 NASB; adverbial participles ["listening to the message . . . having also believed"] modifying finite verbs ["you were sealed"] often refer to action that is concurrent with that of the finite verb. That is, the person who believes is immediately sealed with the Spirit. See also, 1 Cor. 12:13; 2 Pt. 1:3).

While sanctification involves holy living, it is primarily relational. Although it is a display of the legal standing before God, sanctification involves the continuing development of a relationship between the believer and the person of the Holy Spirit who lives within. As the relationship grows, holiness increases. Therefore, sanctification is a cooperative effort between both the believer and God the Holy Spirit that results in greater degrees of holiness. Nevertheless, it is God who empowers, equips and provides the means for the believer to be sanctified (Eph. 5:26; 1 Thess. 5:23; Tit. 2:14; Heb. 13:20-21).

Holiness can be defined as that which conforms to the nature of God as displayed in the life of Jesus. The goal of sanctification is not deification but likeness to Jesus (Rom. 8:29). Sanctification is never fully complete this side of heaven (contra Wesleyan Holiness). Sin never leaves the believer (1 Jn. 1:8); what changes is the believer's relationship to sin. Whereas the believer used to be dominated by sin, he or she is now dominated by the Spirit (Rom. 6:6-7, 14, 17-18; 8:12-14; Gal. 5:22-24). The Spirit's domination is not coercive but graciously and lovingly subdues the believer to willingly do those things which please God. Sanctification is a continual process (Phil. 1:6; 3:12; 1 Cor. 1:18) that culminates when believers join the Lord (1 Jn. 3:2).

Sanctification is a kind of spiritual warfare where the devil's schemes and our inherent sinful desires seek to dominate the believer (Jm. 1:13-15, 4:1; 1 Pt. 2:11; 5:8). But as the believer gradually appropriates God's armor (Eph. 6:10-18) and relies upon God to express holy virtues (1 Cor. 10:13; Gal. 5:22-23), he or she experiences victorious Christian living. How this happens is outlined by Paul. First, one must take off of the old sin nature (Col. 3:5,9) and put on the new nature (Col. 3:10). This is a conscious decision to destroy, demolish or be separated from any thought or behavior that is explicitly prohibited in Scripture or subjectively forbidden by conscience (Rom. 14:22). In addition, Paul encourages imitating others who are more mature in their spiritual journeys (1 Cor. 4:16; 1 Cor. 11:1; 2 Thess. 3:7-9).

Sinlessness is not the goal of sanctification; glorification is. However, holiness of life and purity of heart should be the aim of every Christian (Mt. 5:8; Heb. 12:14). As believers are repeatedly filled with the Spirit, they are empowered to experience the dynamics of ministry (1 Cor. 12:7; Rom. 12:6-8; Eph. 4:11-12; 1 Pt. 4:10), balanced and harmonious relationships (Eph. 5:18-6:4), discernment (Acts 13:9; Phil. 3:15b), and boldness for evangelism (Acts 4:8, 31). Sin may at times overpower the believer but will not, in the end, prevail. As the believer draws nearer to God, sin is decreased and Christlikeness increased. This is true sanctification.

Salvation is secure for the believer who has been converted, regenerated and justified. It is secured through God's power, by Jesus Christ and on the basis of an abiding relationship which he initiates and sustains (1 Pt. 1:3-5; Jude 1:1; Jn. 10:27-30 respectively). Genuine salvation never perishes. Believers are sealed for the day of redemption and can do nothing to loose their status (Eph. 4:30; Rom. 8:38-39). Just as initial redemption is not conditioned upon the believer, so too ultimate redemption is not contingent upon believers. While continuance is the responsibility of believers (Phil 2:12), it is not a condition of salvation but a manifestation of it. In the same way that salvation is a work of God, so, too, is sanctification (Phil. 1:6).

The Scriptures attest to the assurance of believers (2 Tim. 1:12; Heb. 6:11; 10: 22; 2 Pt. 1:10; 1 Jn. 5:13). If one could loose his or her salvation it would be impossible to have assurance of salvation. In other words, since the Bible teaches assurance of salvation it follows that salvation is secure.

Those passages which allude to falling away have to do with apostasy, not loss of salvation (Acts 8:13ff, 2 Tim. 2:17-18; 4:10; Heb. 6:4-6). Apostasy is where one leaves a professed position of belief. It does not necessarily indicate a departure from a change of heart wrought by God. There are many who claim to have known God but by their activity (or inactivity) deny the reality of genuine conversion (see esp., Mt. 7:21-23; 13:1-9, 18-23; Jn. 6:70; 8:31, 44; 13:10; 2 Pt. 2:21-22; 1 Jn. 2:19).

Because of Christ, believers no longer fear condemnation and punishment but eternally abide as members of God's household with full assurance (Rom. 8:1; Gal. 3:26; Eph. 1:5; 2:13; Heb. 3:6; 10:19-22). The basis of this assurance is grounded in the faithfulness of God (2 Tim. 2:11, 13). Believers are guaranteed by God to retain the status of sons/daughters. As the ultimate "Promise Keeper," God will never let go of those for whom Christ died (Jn. 10:28-29; Rom. 8:39; 2 Cor. 1:20; 1 Jn. 3:20-21).