Last week we talked some about moral conversions, that is, a person who becomes or remains moral but is never really changed in heart. The person’s very morality deceives him into thinking that he has been changed by Christ when in fact it is nothing but self-love that has caused the person to be moral. This week we want to look at intellectual conversion and the danger it poses to true evangelism and life in the church. This is, in one sense, a twin to moral conversion or the other side of the coin of the evil one’s work in the deception of souls.
What is intellectual conversion? It is when a person is intellectually convinced of the truths of Christianity or at least gives a mental assent to them. This can happen when a person is overpowered by the one doing the socalled evangelism or it can happen because the truth is intellectually satisfying. It can also happen because the unconverted heart takes pride in its own position regardless of what it is. So once a person takes on a Christian worldview of some sort, it is possible for a person to defend the truths of Christianity simply out of selfish reasons.
Or we could say that intellectual conversion has many facets to it. It can be the easy-believism way of evangelism, which is simply to get the person to assent to certain propositions and say a prayer in order to be converted. It can also be a long session where the evangelist wears down the other person with arguments and the person just gives in. It can be that people simply see the logic of a position and believe it because it answers the problems in the world better than the rest. It can be because a certain brand of theology is far more intellectually satisfying than others. It is even possible to agree with a position because several people that a person respects hold to a certain belief. But whatever the case, just because a person gives mental assent to a position does not show that the person is born from above and has a new heart.
An intellectual conversion is to believe certain things or doctrines without a change in heart. But they believe these doctrines because they satisfy the intellect and not because these things display the glory of God that all true believers love. The preaching and teaching within the Church must take note of what an intellectual conversion is and must preach and teach in a way that shows that the change of mind alone is not true repentance and is not true conversion. The core of the person is not converted. So until this basic truth is brought to the fore within Christendom, it will be a huge problem in evangelism and therefore in the churches. This shows the great need of the Church to focus on the heart and not just feed people information. But here is a huge problem. It is far easier for a pastor to remain deceived about himself and others if he does not strive to go after the heart. Sermons are much easier to prepare if it consists of information only. Sermons that drive to the depths of the heart and deal with men at the depths of their being require a lot more time and preparation. Sermons like that will also cause people to leave the church, even some of the most stalwart people in the church. It is not easy.
What does the intellectual convert look like? This person can be a very committed person in the church. This person can be a leader in the church and love theology. This person can be a very moral person, even taking part in movements against immoral activities in the community. But this person can cause a lot of trouble in the church. Since his own heart is not changed, he does not know how to deal with the hearts of people. An unconverted person is a person full of pride, though a person who is intellectually converted will usually learn how to hide that to some degree. After all, a person who studies the Bible or the giants of the past will readily see that pride is a problem. So, this person takes on a feigned humility of sorts. However, he is quite proud of his humility. The person who is an intellectual convert can be judgmental out of pride or he can be quite tolerant out of pride. Either way, an intellectual convert can cause a lot of trouble in the church, though he may be the hardest worker there.
An intellectual convert is most likely self-deceived, though there may be nagging doubts. He believes the things that Christians believe and he follows the same outward moral pattern that the Christian does. This person may be one who studies the Bible and prays on a consistent basis because that is what Christians do. His conscience may bother him if he does not keep up the daily ritual of study and prayer. But even the means of grace are used to deceive him. He does not realize that the purpose of Bible study is not for him to do his duty, but is the way to meet and commune with God. Bible study can be a means of self-idolatry to an individual like this. The only thing that will awaken a person like this is to hear the preaching of God’s Word in a way where his heart is pierced (Acts 2:37), though indeed this is exactly what he does not want and will fight vociferously.
While the signs and dangers of intellectual conversion are many, the basics have been set out. To put it concisely, the proud and self-centered heart of man will seize on many things to deceive itself. Intellectual conversion is one way that is obvious. The proud heart of man seizes on the truths of Christianity and holds to it with tenacity, though the heart has never been changed. It is ironic that the very thing that must be changed if man is to be converted is the very thing that deceives man as to true conversion. It is that proud heart that obtains knowledge and deceives the person into thinking that he is converted. It is that proud heart that is satisfied with outward knowledge of the Bible and perhaps a lot of Bible study. Knowledge does indeed puff up, even spiritual knowledge (I Cor. 8:1). It is possible for the deceived person who is intellectually converted to have deep feelings for self or for others, but these are still out of pride and self-interest. It is possible for the intellectually converted person to speak of the heart since he has a wrong idea of the heart too. But, as we have seen in previous weeks, the real problem with man is that he is self-centered and proud. Self-centered and prideful people will use religion to their own perceived selfish benefit as well (Mat. 6:1-7, 16-24). Some of the churches in Revelation were that way and so were the Pharisees. That spirit is still very much alive today.
The answer to this problem is simple, though carrying it out is hard. Leaders in churches must begin to examine their own hearts and practices. Interestingly enough, it is possibly easier to be deceived in this way in Reformed circles than in other traditions. The Reformed people stress the minds and intellects in theology along with a strict adherence to a creed. While these things may be good, they do lend themselves to believing people are converted just because they adhere to certain beliefs. This shows that even the most orthodox of leaders must begin to examine themselves and their own hearts. They must begin to rethink how to do evangelism and deal with people in the churches. Have people in our churches been properly evangelized? Do they think that all they need to do is state a belief in a creed or certain beliefs in order to be saved? Do they know (beyond an intellectual awareness) that they must have a new heart in order to be converted? Jesus taught that a person must be born from above to enter the kingdom. Do we stress that or do we stress agreeing to certain beliefs? Do they know that all their righteous deeds are as filthy rags (Isa. 64:7)? Do they know the difference between religious activities done in the power of self and those done in the power of grace? Do they know that all religious activities done apart from a true love for God and the neighbor (I Cor. 13:1-3) is of no benefit?
We must return to a true and experiential adherence to the doctrine of total depravity. This is the biblical teaching that man is dead in sin and cannot give himself a new heart. This is the teaching that man is born in a state of self-love and that all he does is for himself out of pride and self-centeredness. Combined with the teaching of the new birth, we can see how a person must repent of selfcenteredness, self-love and pride to a centeredness upon God and love for Him. Man can grasp many things by the intellect and love them for how they relate to self and pride, but that is not a true conversion. Intellectual conversion is simply one way of man deceiving himself and of pastors being deceived as well. We must teach this doctrine until man gives up all hope in himself and lays down at the foot of the cross asking only for grace. We must never settle for such things as intellectual or moral conversion or we will be part of deceiving the people we are to be spiritual guides for.
We must begin to deal with people as spiritual beings instead of just mental beings. We must be searchers of souls and not just informers of minds. We must learn what it means to get to the depths of the heart even when people call us names. Beware; to get to the depths of people’s hearts and self-deception is to tap into the power of self-love, which flows out in anger. Jesus was treated harshly and with anger when he exposed the heart sins of the Pharisees. We should not expect to be treated any differently. When the heart of man is exposed by the Word of God, especially people who consider themselves good and moral, the reaction is one of anger toward the one speaking the Word. The reaction is especially ferocious when a person who is deceived as to salvation begins to have that confidence cracked by a person who is dealing plainly with his soul. But a true concern for souls will not allow us to take an easier route. Jesus, the Chief Shepherd, did not take the easy route and those who are faithful to Him will not take it either. Evangelism is not easy when it strives to deal with the hearts of men as Jesus did. However, if we are to carry out the Great Commission, we must deal faithfully with the hearts of men. Jesus requires no less.
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