Conversion

Definition and meaning

Conversion (Korean hoesim, literally "turning the heart") is the change by which a person turns from sin to God and comes to believe in Jesus Christ. The concept is rooted in two Greek terms in the New Testament: metanoia (a change of mind) and epistrophē (a turning around).

Regeneration means rebirth, that is, being born again. The term comes from John 3:3: "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." In everyday usage, the three terms (conversion, being born again, and regeneration) are used interchangeably. Theologians, however, sometimes distinguish conversion from regeneration: regeneration is God's work of imparting new life within a person, while conversion is the person's response to that work through repentance and faith.

Biblical and historical background

The account in Acts 9 of Paul (Saul), who encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus and turned to him, is regarded as the classic example of conversion. In church history, the conversion of Augustine is widely known, as is the experience of John Wesley in 1738, when, at a meeting in Aldersgate Street in London, he felt his heart "strangely warmed."

From the eighteenth century onward, Anglo-American revival movements emphasized a distinct personal experience of conversion, and missionaries carried this emphasis to Korea. During the Pyongyang Great Revival of 1907, believers publicly confessed their sins, an event that profoundly shaped the Korean church's understanding of conversion.

Practice in the Korean church

Denominations differ in how they explain conversion and regeneration.

• The Reformed tradition, including Presbyterian churches, regards regeneration as an act of God's sovereign grace and teaches that regeneration logically precedes repentance and faith.
• Methodist and Holiness churches, following Wesleyan theology, also emphasize the human response to grace. The Holiness Church lists regeneration first in its Fourfold Gospel of regeneration, sanctification, divine healing, and the Second Coming.
• Baptist churches hold as a principle that baptism by immersion is administered only to believers who have professed conversion.
• Pentecostal churches tend to understand regeneration and baptism in the Holy Spirit as distinct experiences.
• The Anglican Church of Korea and the Lutheran tradition understand baptism as closely connected with regeneration.

Across denominations, it is common for people to pray a prayer to receive Christ at revival meetings or evangelistic rallies and to share their conversion experiences as testimonies. New believers typically complete a new members' class before being baptized.

The practice of asking "When were you born again?" bears on the question of assurance of salvation. The Salvation Sect emphasizes knowing the moment one realized the forgiveness of sins, a position that many denominations have publicly criticized.