Christians are tempted to leave their sonship and go back to their slavery to the confusion and pain of their pastors.

When Good Disciples Go Bad? (vv. 8-11) -- Last week's message
When Good Pastors Get Bummed? (vv. 12-20)

(2nd lap through the text)

The Doctrine of Conversion (vv. 8-11)

“Conversion may be defined as the conscious act of a regenerate person in which he or she turns to God in repentance and faith. It involves a twofold turning: away from sin and toward the service of God.” (Anthony Hoekema)

“The Spirit doesn’t simply make me a singular new creation. He makes me part of God’s new creation people. He inscribes God’s rule on my heart, teaching me about love for neighbor and love for my brothers and sisters in Christ especially. He teaches me that my life with God includes a life with God’s people, in the corporate worship and common life of the church. This is why John can say that you’re a liar if you claim to love God but don’t love your brother (1 John 4:20). Or why Paul can say that we, Jew and Gentile, have already been made one new man (Eph. 2:13–16). Regeneration gives us a heart not only for God, but also for God’s people.” (Michael Lawrence)

“The power and truth of the gospel are displayed when churches live differently (pursuing holiness), love differently (forgiving our enemies), and look different (multiethnic, multigenerational, multi-economic). We testify to Jesus and his good news when our community of love cuts across the lines of growth the world expects, a community that can be explained only by the gospel that changes lives.” (Michael Lawrence)