day no. 14,589: the three stages of conversion

Adapted from Doug Wilson's "three stages of conversion" found HERE.

Acts 26:16-18

But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, 17 delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you 18 to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.

Conversion occurs in three stages:

(1) opening eyes

(2) turning from darkness to light

(3) turning from the power of Satan to God

The early stage of conversion begins when blindness becomes sight. This may sound like a metaphor for the entire conversion process, but consider what good sight is for someone living in utter darkness. How would you know that you can even see when all you see is darkness. But there does exist yet in this stage even an initial awareness of the darkness around you which comes by sight. Previously, in blindness, you walked in darkness, but you were unaware of it, like a fish being oblivious to how wet he is. This is the first step in the conversion process realizing, "Hey, it's dark in here!"

The next stage of conversion is turning from the darkness to see that there is a great light in the distance. While first stage was largely characterized by knowing that dark is dark, this second stage is characterized by seeing that there is a light and that it is altogether different than the darkness. During this stage the contrast between darkness and light is understood and acknowledged, but we still are not yet to full conversion. A person can see the darkness for what it is and the light for what it is and yet remain outside the shine of the light. There is one more step that must take place.

In the final stage of conversion, the person, having been given vision to see the darkness and the ability to understand how dark the darkness is and being shone the great light of Christ shining into said darkness, responds by actually entering into the power of the light and forsaking the shadows of the former life. The power of Satan is in the dark, the power of God is in the light. This last phase is the fullness of conversion that saves the soul and secures its inheritance in the city of light.