Reformation and Conversion

“These four themes from early Protestant thought–the denial of the possibility of preparation for the reception of grace, the insistence on the church as the context in which genuine repentance takes place, the description of conversion as a continuous and lifelong process, and the warning that there is no conversion which does not exact a price from the penitent–are certainly not the only themes which need to be considered by the church in the present as it ponders its own evangelistic mission… But they are insights which cannot be lightly set aside. As Calvin observed, when we deal with repentance and the forgiveness of sins, we are dealing with ‘the sum of the gospel.’“