Topical Bible: Conversion: Through the Instrumentality of Affliction

◄ Conversion: Through the Instrumentality of Affliction ►

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Topical Encyclopedia

The concept of conversion through the instrumentality of affliction is a recurring theme in the Bible, where God uses trials and suffering as a means to bring individuals to repentance and a deeper relationship with Him. This process is often seen as a divine tool to refine, purify, and redirect the hearts of believers and non-believers alike.

Biblical Examples:

1. Job's Suffering:
The account of Job is a profound example of affliction leading to a deeper understanding of God. Despite his intense suffering, Job ultimately declares, "My ears had heard of You, but now my eyes have seen You" (Job 42:5). Through his trials, Job's perception of God transforms from hearsay to a personal encounter, illustrating how affliction can lead to spiritual enlightenment and conversion.

2. Manasseh's Captivity:
King Manasseh of Judah, known for his idolatry and wickedness, experienced conversion through affliction. Taken captive by the Assyrians, he repented and turned to God. "In his distress, he sought the favor of the LORD his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers" (2 Chronicles 33:12). His affliction became the catalyst for his repentance and restoration.

3. The Prodigal Son:
In the parable of the Prodigal Son, Jesus illustrates how personal affliction can lead to conversion. The younger son, after squandering his inheritance, finds himself in dire circumstances. It is in his destitution that he comes to his senses and decides to return to his father, saying, "I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you" (Luke 15:18). His suffering prompts a change of heart and a return to his father’s house.

4. Paul's Thorn in the Flesh:
The Apostle Paul speaks of a "thorn in the flesh" given to him to prevent pride and to keep him reliant on God's grace. He writes, "Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness'" (2 Corinthians 12:8-9). This affliction serves as a constant reminder of his dependence on God, fostering a deeper spiritual conversion and reliance on divine strength.

Theological Insights:

Affliction as a means of conversion is rooted in the belief that God, in His sovereignty, uses suffering to draw individuals closer to Himself. It is through the crucible of trials that believers often experience a profound transformation, leading to repentance, renewed faith, and a more intimate relationship with God. The Bible teaches that God disciplines those He loves, as a father disciplines his children, to produce a harvest of righteousness and peace (Hebrews 12:6, 11).

Practical Implications:

For believers, understanding affliction as a tool for conversion encourages a perspective of hope and trust in God's purposes. It invites individuals to seek God's presence and guidance in times of trouble, recognizing that suffering can be a pathway to spiritual growth and maturity. This perspective also fosters compassion and empathy towards others undergoing trials, as it acknowledges the potential for divine transformation through adversity.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Psalm 78:34
When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and inquired early after God.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

A Consecrated Ministry
... church superintends His work through the instrumentality of men ... For the conversion
of one sinner the minister ... and the immortality it may gain through the hope ...
/.../white/the acts of the apostles/lesson 34 a consecrated ministry.htm

The Real Presence, the Great Want of the Church
... We owe our conversion, the most of us, to some earnest teacher of the truth in the
church of God, or to ... Through the church's instrumentality the Bible ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 18 1872/the real presence the great.htm

From the Close of the General Conference of 1816 to the ...
... in that part of the country, which eventuated in the conversion of about four ... that
the gospel took such a rapid spread through the instrumentality of their ...
/.../chapter 4 from the close.htm

The Waterer Watered
... an honor upon his own servants by using them in instrumentality. ... You have not become
warmed through yet, your whole ... if you are blessed to the conversion of the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/spurgeon/sermons on proverbs/the waterer watered.htm

Introduction.
... any form, or through whatever instrumentality, and who ... and William Cowper; and yet,
through the signal ... became, after their equally remarkable conversion to God ...
//christianbookshelf.org/montgomery/sacred poems and hymns/introduction.htm

From the Close of the General Conference of 1836 to the ...
... and soon saw the fruit of their labors in the conversion and salvation ... into the glorious
liberty of the children of God, through the instrumentality of the ...
/.../chapter 14 from the close.htm

From the Close of the General Conference of 1820 to the Beginning ...
... God had already done through their instrumentality, may be ... to be saved now, by "grace,
through faith.". ... conference, which eventuated in the conversion of about ...
/.../chapter 6 from the close.htm

The General Conference of 1820
... appears to be preparing the way for the conversion of the Indian ... particularly among
the Wyandots; of which tribe many, through the instrumentality of our ...
/.../chapter 5 the general conference.htm

From 1787 to 1791 Inclusive
... private house, where the work of conversion began ... who had been converted by the
instrumentality of the ... worship similar in all our societies through the continent ...
/.../a history of the methodist episcopal church volume i/chapter 2 from 1787 to.htm

Appeal to the Christian Women of the South
... as a recommendation to Philemon, informing him of the conversion of Onesimus ... confer
this holy privilege upon man; it is through his instrumentality that the ...
/.../an appeal to the christian women of the south/appeal to the christian women.htm