What is the one key area of Christian life which shows whether a person is deeply converted or not? Sabbath keeping? Showing love? Being zealous for the Work?
While all of those fruits are important, by themselves they may be misunderstood or misguided. For instance, many Orthodox Jews keep the Sabbath even more strictly—at least according to their understanding— than we do. And even some Buddhists and people of other religions around the world may—on the surface at least—seem to have more kindness and love than even many true Christians. Also, some people I have known were very zealous for the Work of God because of their personal involvement in it—because it made them feel more important to see "their" activity growing in power and prestige.
So what is the key area of Christian behavior that profoundly denotes one's deep conversion? After being in God's true Church for 59 years and being very well acquainted with all of the leading ministers, it has become quite clear to me that one key element denotes real conversion in a person—probably more than any others.
What is that key character trait?
To find the answer, let us consider carefully a number of fundamental teachings in God's inspired word. Notice Proverbs 1:7: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction." God says it is the "fools" who despise wisdom and instruction. In other words they will not take correction. In verses 25–26, we read: "Because you disdained all my counsel, and would have none of my rebuke, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your terror comes. "When even professing Christians will not take God's rebuke and correction, He says that He will "laugh" at their calamity!
In the foundational teaching that Jesus Christ gave in the Sermon on the Mount, He tells us: "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth" (Matthew 5:4–5).
Many biblical scholars acknowledge that a primary meaning of "mourn"—as used in this passage— is a profound repentance and deep sorrow for one's sins. The word "meek" indicates a humility and teachability before God. Taken together, these verses certainly show that a true follower of Jesus Christ will be humbly sensitive to God's will and quickly willing to repent when sin or self-will is pointed out.
Are you like this?
It would be wrong to do so, but I could name dozens of leading ministers, administrators and teachers in God's Work in years past who were very definitely not willing to take correction—not willing to humble themselves and submit to God's will or to take correction based on His word. When I tried to explain to one leading minister why his son—a known fornicator— should not be appointed to an important position, he yelled at me: "You don't understand the relationships of fathers and sons!"
Later, this man had to take a lesser position and a smaller office for a while. He exclaimed: "I can't take this anymore!" A very few years later, he surreptitiously joined in an effort to overthrow Mr. Herbert Armstrong and cause a split in the very Work of God.
Another leading minister, who always tried to keep others away from Mr. Armstrong so he could control him, told me later on: "You've got to learn how to manage Mr. Armstrong!" Of course, I did not follow that advice. Rather, I prayed that God would "manage" Mr. Armstrong—and that I would continue to give him straightforward advice even though it might not always have been popular in every case.
Through much experience, I found that if people like this—even ordained ministers—will not take correction or heed instruction—then it usually turns out that they will leave God's Church within a few years and also leave much of the Truth that they had themselves taught and preached!
God reveals to us the kind of attitude He wants in Isaiah 57:15: "For thus says the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: 'I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.'" The word "contrite" has to do with deep, heartfelt repentance—a willingness to acknowledge wrong and to take correction! This basic attitude of total surrender to God, of being willing to admit it and to repent when one is wrong—this is the key attitude of which I am speaking. Although keeping God's commandments and showing love to fellow man is the way of life that must be followed—this "key" attitude of self-abnegation and a willingness to take correction is something which "separates the men from the boys," so to speak, when it comes to truly discerning the depth of a person's conversion.
Notice Isaiah 66:1–2: "Thus says the Lord: 'Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest? For all those things My hand has made, and all those things exist,' says the Lord. 'But on this one will I look: on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word.'" Again, Scripture points out this attitude of properly fearing—giving deep respect to—the great God, and shows us that He wants us to be "contrite" and constantly subjecting ourselves to correction, to instruction and to His chastening when necessary.
The Apostle Paul was inspired to show us that this same attitude must be involved in our study of God's word: "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16–17). If a person will not take "reproof" from God's word, then—even though he may presently be a Sabbath keeper—he will probably "go off" sooner or later because of his lack of humility and willingness to take correction. Then, as I have found in most cases, he will often drop the Sabbath keeping, the whole understanding of keeping God's commandments and many of the other truths he may have learned.
In Psalm 51, we read of David's repentance after his sin with Bathsheba. Notice the totality of David's confession and repentance! No excuses here! For David said: "Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight—that You may be found just when You speak, and blameless when You judge" (Psalm 51:2–4).
Though David was a man of great drive and great passion, he acknowledged it when he was wrong! He made no excuses! And so, because of this and because of his wholehearted love and obedience toward his Creator in the vast majority of cases, God called David "a man after My own heart" (Acts 13:22).
Yet David's predecessor as King of Israel, King Saul, became proud, stubborn and would not take correction! This was a very important thing to God, for our Creator tells us in His word: "For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king" (1 Samuel 15:23). Soon after this inspired statement, Samuel said to Saul: "The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today, and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you" (v. 28). God would not put up with Saul's stubbornness and unwillingness to take correction! But, again, He kept David in office even in spite of his sins because he was willing to acknowledge his sin and take correction!
Ask yourself: "When I am corrected, do I usually argue, justify myself, and try to explain it away, or do I show myself willing to repent and to change? Do I constantly challenge the one who gives me the correction, and perhaps get my feelings hurt? Or do I sincerely seek to be sensitive to God's will, to God's speaking through this other person who may be trying to help me, and try to be willing to take correction even when it hurts?"
Speaking to many who had been in God's Church from the beginning in the area of Palestine—including some of the "old timers"—Paul warned them: "And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: 'My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.' If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?" (Hebrews 12:5–7). Then, in verse 11, Paul summarized: "Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it."
This entire attitude—of total surrender to God, and of being willing to take correction and even submit to "chastening" from God—is one of the most vital issues of Christian development imaginable! For God is now "testing" His people (James 1:2–3). He tells us in 1 Peter 4:17: "For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?" God wants to know and know that He knows that we will always submit to Him "even when it hurts!" So He is working with us, fashioning and molding us, and seeing if we will wholeheartedly respond to Him through His direct teaching and through correction from His true ministers and servants who are teaching the Truth.
How well do you take correction? How well do you measure up in this key area, which so plainly signals the attitude of total conversion?