A Pilgrimage Of Faith, J.B. Toews, 1993

entance is not merely a condition for biblical conversion and faith. It is a continuous demand in the judgment of sin in the life of the believer (1 John 1:8-9). This view of repentance and conver- sion is firmly embedded in our history and our Confession of Faith. It must continue to be central in our message and em- bedded in our daily practice in this era of modernity. An excellent biblical exposition of conversion in contem- porary literature is the appropriately tided book, Conversion: Doorway to Disciplesbip edited by Henry j. Schmidt. The au- thors of the essays are all Mennonite Brethren.1* They, like previous Mennonite Brethren, understand that salvation is not a "spiritual deal" by which God balances a moralistic ledger. It is not a mere provision of God to meet a human predica- ment- It is the gracious reconciliation of the individual to fel- lowship with God. Salvation is basically relational Forgive- ness is not a commodity, not a tonic for a psychological or emotional need. It is a new relationship in which God ac- cepts us on the condition of repentance and faith. Conver- sion is always a surrender, a response of human sinners to the redemptive mercy of God in which the center of authority in one's life passes from self to Christ. This act of surrender is the supreme expression of human freedom to "be." Hu- 303 A FELGRIMAGE OF FAITH mankind does not do so in order to satisfy a moral drive and have a good conscience, but rather to acknowledge lostness as sinful creatures before a holy God.16 It expresses humani- ty's volitional capitulation before God. The actual experience of conversion may vary. For some it is a crisis experience, an immediate about-face; for others it is a long, slow process of understanding and response* In any case it will be a conscious decision of the will. The result will always be a new creature. <4If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (2 Con 5:17). Biblical Discipleship Three passages from the Synoptic Gospels express the essential conditions of biblical discipleship as described by Je- sus: "Then said Jesus to his disciples, If any man will come af- ter me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and fol- low me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it" (Mt. 16:24-25; Mk, 8:34-35; Lk. 9:23-24). The condition is two-fold-self-denial and crossbearing. The meaning of these conditions is given in Luke and Matthew: "If any man come to