It signifies the action of the Holy Spirit upon us by which we are moved to respond to Jesus Christ in faith. It also includes the continuing work of the Holy Spirit within us purifying us of discord and contumacy, remolding us in the image of Christ. This work of purification is accomplished as we repent and cling to Christ anew. Again, conversion is both personal and social. While it basically connotes a change in our relationship with God, it indicates at the same time an alternation in our attitudes toward our fellow human beings.
Conversion is a spiritual event with far reaching social implications.
It entails accepting Christ not only as Savior from sin but also as Lord of all of life. Finally, conversion must be seen as the beginning of our ascent to Christian perfection. What is needed is not a second conversion by which such perfection is secured but the continuing and maintaining of a conversion that is never completed in this life. Evangelical theology in the tradition of the Reformation contends that we can make progress toward perfection, but we can never attain it as a realized goal. We cannot be converted through our own power, but we can repent and turn to Christ through the power of his Spirit.