How My View of Conversion Has Changed

I grew up in the Southern Baptist tradition, where salvation was understood as a one-time event. You were “saved” when you made a profession of faith and were baptized. This moment marked the beginning of your Christian life, and conversion was considered complete. You might grow in your faith after that, but the actual moment of salvation was seen as something that had already happened, never needing to be repeated.

I can still remember the pressure that came with this understanding. Many church services ended with an altar call, urging people to “get right with God” before it was too late. If someone had doubts about their salvation, the advice was usually to reflect on whether they had truly meant their profession of faith the first time. Some, fearing that they had not been sincere enough, would respond to another altar call and repeat the process—seeking the assurance that they had really been saved. While salvation was taught as a one-time event, it was not uncommon for believers to wrestle with uncertainty, wondering if their initial conversion had been genuine.

As I got older, I became a five-point Calvinist after reading the works of Charles Spurgeon. This reinforced my belief in a one-time conversion, but with a stronger emphasis on God’s sovereignty. In this view, man is completely depraved—utterly incapable of seeking God on his own. It is God who awakens him from spiritual death, drawing him to salvation apart from any human effort. This perspective removed some of the anxiety I had felt before, because if my salvation was entirely God’s work, then it could not be undone by my own weakness. However, it also reinforced the idea that conversion was a singular, completed moment in time, rather than an ongoing process.

Now, as a Catholic, I see conversion differently. I no longer believe it happens in a single moment or that it is limited to the initial profession of faith. Instead, I understand conversion as a lifelong journey. It is not just about being saved once—it is about continually being drawn deeper into Christ. This view aligns with both Scripture and Church history.

Following Christ is a daily decision. The once-for-all sacrifice of Christ is applied to our lives as we continually return to Him. This was the understanding of the early Church. We receive adoption as children of God through baptism, forgiveness of sins through confession, and communion with Jesus and His grace through the Eucharist. Conversion is not a one-time event, but a continual process of turning away from sin and toward Christ.

Some argue that this perspective promotes a works-based salvation, but that is a misunderstanding. Unless one considers it “work” to rest in Christ’s finished work, this is not about earning salvation. Rather, it is about remaining connected to Christ and the power of His Cross. When we fall, we should run to Him for forgiveness, just as the Prodigal Son returned to his father. But our goal is to strive for holiness, not out of fear of hell, but out of a desire to remain in communion with Him.

The idea of an ongoing conversion is not a denial of God’s grace—it is an embrace of it. Every day, we are invited to deepen our relationship with Christ, to surrender more fully, and to receive the grace He offers us through the sacraments. Through the Eucharist, He nourishes us. Through confession, He cleanses us. Through prayer and acts of love, He draws us closer to His heart.

True conversion is not a single event—it is a lifelong return to Christ. It is the daily pursuit of His presence, the ongoing surrender to His grace, and the longing to remain united with Him. I once thought conversion was something that happened once and was finished. Now I see that it is something that happens every day.

And that, I believe, is the beauty of the Christian life. It is not a one-time decision, but an ongoing invitation—one that Christ extends to us anew every morning.