Signs Of True Conversion

by Mark Talbot

Can we be sure that we are truly saved? Scripture teaches that we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, because of Christ alone. So we can rest assured that salvation is ours at the very moment of our conversion, at the very moment we repent and believe. Yet how do we know that we have genuinely repented and believed?

In this definitive booklet, Mark Talbot notes the scriptural signs of true conversion. He discusses the order of salvation--the stages by which Christ's objective and finished work is applied to us--and how to discern authentic faith from the counterfeit. Though all the steps of conversion result from the Holy Spirit's work in our lives, we must each deliberately and consciously turn to God--cognitively, emotionally, and willfully--each day so that we may bear the fruit of genuine faith.

Paperback

Published February 16, 2000

About the author

Mark Talbot (PhD, University of Pennsylvania) is an associate professor of philosophy at Wheaton College and the host of the When the Stars Disappear podcast. He is also the author of the Suffering and the Christian Life series, including When the Stars Disappear and Give Me Understanding That I May Live. He and his wife, Cindy, have one daughter and three grandchildren.

Associate Professor of Philosophy, Wheaton College

Reviews

[Samm Ellingson · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an interesting read. I think we do need to be serious about examining and testing our faith by our works but I can also see people using their works to justify their faith. It’s a tricky line to walk. Thankful for the thoughtful insight Dr. Talbot put into this and the words of encouragement he signed in the cover when he gave it to me.

[Mark A Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can Christians know they are truly saved? Can we be confident in what God has promised? Talbot explains that, while our primary assurance lies in the faithfulness of the One who has made these promises to His people, we can also find confirmation of faith in the evidence of our lives. He briefly examines what Scripture reveals as the tests of conversion (namely ongoing faith and repentance) and how to identify those qualities, or their lack.