1

,,.

TI-IE S,CIENCE 0 F CON\7ERSION

BY REV. H. M. SYDENSTRICKER., . PH .. D.,

WEST POINT,

MISSISSIPPI
.'

1.

THE CASE STATED

The penetration

of scientific i11vestigation into the erstwhile unknown regio11s of things is one of the wonders of the
age. All departments of creation are yielding up their secrets
to the searching eye of science.
.
The causes of things are being sought after, not only in
the natural world, but in all realms as well, so that things may
be brought more certainly and directly under the human will.
The unseen operations by which powerful results are produced
are forced to yield and tell their secrets. New powers are
discovered in all realms of investigation and subdued as never
before to the service of man. Practically everything is
reduced to science, and men are learning the how and tl1e
wberef ore of things physical, mental and spiritual. The better
these things are understood, the more completely are we the
masters of the world for whOse subjection man was commissioned.

Now our inquiry is whether the conversi 'on of the human

souls -the divinely wrought new birth lies within the range
of scientific investigation. Can the operations of the Divine
forces and the divinely appointed means for the conversion of
a s,oul be ma,de to yield. to s:cientific research, so that we can
produce results with the same degree of certainty as does .the
chemist in his laboratory?
-Do the laws of cause and effect
operate in the spiritual realm as in the natural world, and can
we apply spiritual means and causes with the same degree of
certainty as in physical things ? Can we get out of the rea lm

'

65

The &cien~e of ~onversion

of the uncertain and the vague in worki11g with hu1nan souls

and operate with absolt1te assurance of adequate and satisfactory nesults ?
.
,
In this greatest of all woiks, and wliich is practically committ ,ed to man, has God leit us to absolute uncentainties as to
results? Is it not true that if the divinely ordained m ,eans be
properly used the results can be obtained with the same scientific certainty as in other thin.gs, and results also whieh are in
no sense spurious but' the actual effect of efficient and properly
app lied eauses ? Are not the p,10,mis,es of God absolute, and
do not many ,incidents in the work and ,hist,ory of tli,e Church
demonstrate t1iat tne conversion of souls was the . direct result
of God-appointed and mall-applied means thereto, operated by:
purely scientific methods, althougl11the workers had no thought
of science in their work? Are we not b0und to obey
's
laws in all scientifi~ operations in the physical world, and must
we not scientifically Obey His laws in tl1e higher realm of His
domain?
2. THE Cl\SlE DIAGNOSED

A careful diagnosis of t:he case under consideration may

help us towards a scientific answer to our investigation.
'Eo
know the patient, and especially to know precisely the nature
of the disease, is of printe i1nportance in the successful treatment of it. Otherwise, all treat1nent is mere gue~s-work.
Our subject in this inquiry is a degenerate human soul.
:Degenerate me~1ing an in'hetent u.n1ighteousnessana an innate
corruption that has affected every fiber and facul~y of the
human soul. This total depravity does not mean that man is
actually and practically as mean as he is capable of being, but
it means that the total man is depraved in all of his parts, and
that he is born.. in that condition.
.
'rhis native degeneracy is of a twofold nature: First, it is a
legal
condemnation
Clescending
to
every
hu~an
seul

froffl
a
.
.
,
Justly condemned ancestry who represented and stood for tile
whole race in the government of (iod under tl1e covenant of

..

,.

66

'

works first m,ade with man. Se,c,ond, it is a co,mplete n1or,al

corruption of the whole soul so that all the facu]ties of the
. soul ar ,e aff,ected in such a ,vay as- to make the,m incapable
of right action, so that every imagination of tl1e heart is only
evil continually.
This 1no,rally degenerate n1a11, in the adult
stage, is also guilty of manifold actual sins, confirming bis
condemnat i,on ,and making his moral . n,atu.re all the 1nore
. depraved. In addition to this already depraved condition, this
degenera te man has no desire for a better life; his perverted
natural tast .e refuses it, and he i,s even unwilling to c,o,nsider
anything better. He actually loves his depraved condition
and re,vels in the things th ,at develop still more the , ba,,ser
principles in him. Moreover, his intellect is so blunted that
he is incapable of apprehending spiritual truth s and his eyes
are so stigma tized that he cannot see the light.
Such the ,n is 'the character of the unconve1ted man,, the
subject now under consideration. And it is very evident, tl1at
while we may be able with the aid of Divine revelation and
human observation and experience to diagnose tl1e case correctly, the remedy is found in a higher real1n, thougl1 it may be
applied in part through human agencies ..
3.

THE

P'R0 POSITION

DIVINE

In view of this apparently hop~les s case, ,vhat is the Divine

proposition regarding it? What does the Divine plan contemplate? It is quite evident that the ultimate goal of the Divine
proposition is to get rid of sin. But to get rid of the sin we
mu st get rid of the sinner, otherwise sin remains.
In getting rid of the sinner two , things are possible, either
by judgment to destroy the sin11er and with him also the Sin,
or by Divine grace to convert the sin11erand thus remove .the
sin. Both methods are used in the Divine government, but
conversion is what now concerns us. The Divine proposition
is not to destroy the sinner, but to save him by making out of
him a totally new man to tran sfo:t"mhim from a child of sin

'

67

The Scie1ice of Coiiversi.on

into a real child of God~ Not merely a son of God, but an

actually born child, so that by birth he becomes an heir of God
and a joint-heir with Christ to a heavenly inheritan~e.
That the Divine power is sufficient f o,r s,uch an achievement
is not to be questioned for a 1noment. But does the work fall
witl1in the range of scientific investigation and are the methods
to be used strictly scientific? Is the Divine method in applying
complete salvation to this awfully degenerate soul really scientific? Is it supposable that God is less scientific in this the
Yer}r gr ,eatest 0 all His works . than He is in the lesser tl1ings
in His gover .nment? Does I-Ie wo,rk by one set of laws in
the natural world, and by different laws, or no laws at all, in
tl1e higher spiritual realm?
But j'f God is s,cientific if the conversion of the human
soul is accomplished by scien,tific methods i't fol!ows that the
Work is best done when done by God's meth ods, if indeed it
can be done at all in any oth ,er way. And if Go,d's method is
s,cientific, l1as He a,dequately revealed to us, Hi .s metl1od so that
it can be certainly and successfully
used
b.
Y
us
as
His
,
workers?
.
And if this reve 'lation is mad,e to us we dare not depart from
God's method, whatever o,ther metl1ods may be sugg,ested. For,
if we depart ,from tl1e methods ,God has given and b,y which
God Hiinself works, ou,r ,;v,ork will be a failure entirely 01 the
resuJts will be inadequate and spurious.

4.

THE

I\1EANS DISC 0VERED

1

God's proposition being stated and His metl1ods bei11g

scientific, we must next discover the 1neans by \vhich the ,vork
is to be accomplished. Let it bre remembered that in all things
pertaining to man in both te1nporal and spiritual matters God
Wot"k by means, and ust.1ally through human agencies.
'
Bttt in the work of converting the human soul it is evident
that the means .are twofoldr First~ those means applied direct

168

on the part of
to , the soul from within ; and second, those
means applied from without through the senses by human
agencies and instrumentalities. It is a fact, however. that even
the means used directly on the part of God are at lea st in. part
applied through human agencies; so that the conversion . of
adult souls, so far as we are able to see, is ordinarily through
human inst1umentali,ties.
Hence the means by whicl1 the l1uman soul is converted, or
born . into the family of' God, are :
( 1) The Divi11e Spirit, wl1ich is the alone Divine Agent,
and without wl1ich no soul, of infant or a,dult, can ever p,a ss
from spiritual death to spiritual life. This Divine Spirit
operates how and where He pleases and with or without means
.
and ,agencies.
. (2) The Word of God, which is the sword of the Spirit,
reaching and quickening men's souls through
the
reasoning
.
and emotional faculties_ The Word is effectual 0 nly as .accompanied by the quickening power of the Spirit, while at the
same time it may be variously applied externally.

( 3) The benign influence of Christians, demonstrating

the reality and power and blessedness o,f the new life ,in tb.e
sottl of the conve .rted man.

( 4) Real prayer, by which the regenerate .soul brings the

: unregenerate to the very feet of the Divine Saviour and
insistently implore s the Divine grace.

: This faith is an absolute confidence in the ability of God and

in His purpose to acco,mplish tI1e work thro ,ugh the means then
being used, whenever the conditions thereto ar~ complied
witl1. There can be no true faitl1 when the available means are
not used a'n d the kno w11 condit ,ions not complied with .

5.,

MEANS APPLIED

THE

Here is where the scienc e of conversion is es,pec,ially mani""'

fe~t. Everything in nature must be done in
's way, and
1

69

The Scie1ice of Conversion

'

God's way is always scientific, and all things are best done
when we adhere most closely to God's ~me ,thods. The conversion of tl1e human soul is no excep tion to this rule. We can .
convert men most success ully when we adhere strictly to the
Divine science of the worl{. Our f ailttres are no doubt largely
due to our not complying with God's ways of doing the wo rk.
We adhere strictly to God's la,v s in growing our crops.
1'11e Seed is first placed where the do r1nant lif e powers a1e
aroused and the seed caused to germinate. Af te1wards follow
the 'blade, the stalk and the mature fruit. No l1uma11power
01 ,visdom can cl1ange this law of germination and .g1owth. So
tl1e human soul being spiritually dea ,d is incapable of doing
a11ything toward s an awakening to a new life; , and being als,o
unable even to will to do su ,ch a thing, it is quite evident that
the very first th ing essen tial is the direct applicati on of the lifegivi11g power of the Divine Spirit to the dormant soul. Thi s
life~giving touch prepares th e soul for the effectual applic:ition
of all the othe r appo,int ed means by which the soul is brought
into the realities and fullness of the new life~ But o,rdin arily, if not always, the applicatio n 0 . the life-giving ,Spirit
tl1rough httma n agencies is in answer to prayer somehow and
so111ewl1e
1e. May it not be true that every soul born into the
l .ingdom of God is in ansvver to the sttp plication of some
earne t Christian whos e heart is as large las humanity ai1d
Wl1os1e prayer touches every lost sot1l of man.
I-Ie11ce prayer is scientifically the first means and the
p1ime f 01..ce to be applied by the tru e Chr :istian in pr oducing
the conve1sion of a human sou l. It is perfectly certain that
nothing can be effectively done until the Spirit is applied,
and the Spiri t is ordinarily given in a11swer to prayer - tl1at
i , the quickening Spirit tl1at arouses the soul and prepares it
f 01 tl1e effectual application of other divinely appo .inted
niean . We question wl1ether the Spirit is ever given without prayer where prayer is available, as in all otl1er things
human agencies are required when available.

70

The Fundamenta ,ls

Sec-0nd to the Spirit's work, and along with it, is the ap

. plication of the Word by which th e soul of the hearer is
reached through the intellect, the reasoning f acuities being
ar ,ous ,ed, and through them the appeal of the G ospel is farced
into the newly awakened con science. Here all the _?Owersof
elo,quence and reason and per:sua sion come into full play and
are mad e effectual in turning the eyes of the awak ened soul
to the cros s .
Next, the awakened soul now becomes co-o,perative with
the Divine Spirit, and with the W 01d and wit'h ot,her external
means, and the result is belief in the Word on the part of
the aroused soul, and through the receivin ,g of the word
there follows an actual, , per so,nal, livi ,ng faith . in the Christ
set forth . in the Gosp ,el, fo llowed b,y outward confession,
ob,edience and Chri ,sti,an service.

. Hence the scientific order of the application of the means

for the conversion . of a soul is : The prayer of the Church
and the Chri stian worl<:
er for the applicatio ,n of the quickening
Spirit on the part of Go,d. T he preaching of the Word and
the us e o,f other ex te r nal , means. The r espons ,iv e and CrOP
operative and receptive act of the sinner, no ,w made willing
by the Spirit ' of God. And th ,e whol,,ly personal act of fai ,th
in Christ on the part of the 'sinner by which he actually
receives by his o,wn volition the Saviour as set befo ,re hifl1,
confesses Him and become,s obedi en't to H im as his Lord ,an1
d
1

M,aste,r.,

6.

'T H E C'ONDI'TIONS
IMPOS ED

1
. In al l sci,entific ope1ation1s the re are condit ions that mu,st
be complied with, otherwi se th e re sttlt s ar e ei.tl1er spurious ,
or disa strous. T,hi,s account s f 01 the vast number of spur,ious
conver sions and lapses in the ch ttr cl1es. Un scrup ulous and
igno,rant men seeking after a display of nu m ber s use all
sorts of device s in all sorts of way s to prod t.1ce ap par ,ent conversion s!. Just as well migh ,t the che ,mi st go into his labo,ratory
a11dthrow together any and all sor ,ts of chemicals and expect
1

'

..

71

The Science of Co1iversion

correct and scientific r esults. Correct results might accidentally follow, but the almost inevitable results would be
poisons a11d explosions. Is not the same true in the un-
scriptural and unscientific methods used by many who pose
as expert conversionists in so many of the pseudo revivals
now so much in vo gu.e ?
The conditions imposed f 01 tl1e true conversion of souls
are both philosophic and scientific, and at the same time
supr emely gracious and benevolent, ever looking to the
highest good of all concerned, both to the soul that is being
save,d and the worker through who-m the results are accomplished.
.
These conditions are imposed by God Himself. Hence He
'becomes responsible for tl1e results when the conditions are
real_ly fulfilled on our p,art. The results may not alway s
he as we may calculate or desi1e, but they . wilt alway 's correspond to the Il1-ean.s as used.
These conditio ns ar e twofold. On . the p art of tl1e. Chtis,tian worker in applying God's . means for the salvation of
men in God's ways. The danger here is in applying all
sorts of human means in any way whatever so as to obtain
apparent results. Often we blame God directly or indirectly
for the poverty and chara ,cter of the results, when as a tnatter
of fact we have nev,er complied with God's conditions, which
are always natural, reasonable and scientific.
Second, ,on the part of tl1e sinner thes,e conditio11s apply,
because although he is spiritually dead, he is. intellectually
alive and morally a free agent, and hence respo nsible for l1is
conduct, including his unbelief and his r eje ,ction of Christ as
his Saviour. He is respons ,ible for the opportunities placed
before hitn, and consequently he is responsible for the conditions God has imposed for tl1e salvation of his sot1l. No
man, in any Gospel land at lea st, can truthfully and consciintiously claim that he has fully met God's conditions for
his salvation and that God has rejected him , or that the results
1

. The F u11dat1ie1itals

72

.,

have not been adequat e and sci entific:. On tl1e other hand, no
Christian wor ker ha ,s a right to the God-promised results
u11til he has met the God-imp ose d conditions. A partial use
.of means , used in an indiffetent way for only a limited time,
is not scientific and is n.o~ meeting God's con ditions. Tqis
i true not only in the work of acttial soul-saving, but . in 'the
Christian life as we,11.
.
1

7.

THE RESULTS OBTAINED

.The re ,sults obt ,ained in the conv ersion of a 11,t1man soul

aie equally scientific with the means used thereto.
The primary result is a neV\r 1nan. Not an old man macte
over, but ,a n.ew man,, pos.sessed of a new . life and endowed
with new an d enlarged possibilities.
A .man with ,a ne,v
vision both of this life and of th,e etern ,al future. A 1nan
inspired with a ne,v l1ope,, the flukes . of which are strttck
into the very thro ,ne o,f Go,d and wh.ich is a positive and
inaliena .b'le tit 'le to an inheritance in l1eaven,. A man With
a positive perso11al faith in Chris,t.. A f aitl1 that mak,es
Cl1rist 'hi,s personal possession with all tl1at. Cl1rist is and ,all
that
He
has
and
all
that
I-Ie
has
done.
A
man
whose
whole
,,.
'
l,ife is, reve .rsed fro1n the s,ervice ,0 f sin and self to the kind
and willing serv ice of ,Christ as his new Master.
That such a man is the scientific 1e,sult o,f the means that '
, have 'been app,lied goes withottt argt1ment. It ,is only in har mony with the great laws of God that g overn His kingdom
fro .m the com.bination of the most minute chemi
cal
atoms
.
to the swi11gof the sp,heres in His boundless universe,
F irst of all, life prodt1ces lif e o,f its own kind. Hence
the life-giving touch of the D~vine Spirit impart s life of its
own kind to tl1e d,01mant sottl a,n d it become-s 'the living son
of God,,, T .his result is as, manife ,stly scient,ific as can be
found in all nature. The immortal soul already exists endowed with all tl1e po,ssibilities of a finite being, but the
eternal life is the scientific res ult of the life-giving touch
1

73

Tlie se1:eticeof Conversion

of tl1.e Spirit of God~ It is in fact i1npossible 'that the result

be otherwise.

Another result is the effect produc ed upon the will of th e

convert. His will i,s renewed and is now in. h,armony with
tl1e Divine will, a11d t,hi s i.s produced by the action of the

Divine wil,l upon th e will of the sinner. Here again the

Divine begets its likeness in the changed will of the conve1ted soul. A natural and sci,entific result.
Again, through the enlightening and persuading power of
the G~spel t~e sjnner 2s le,d to see the error of his way and
the condition of his soul, and repentance of sins and faith
in Christ are . t he result. The man is outwardly con ,verted
and his whol1e life and service revers 1,
ed. r11es,e are again
'the scient ,ific results of the 1nea11s used accor ding to t:he
Divi~e order of things. That the se results do not always
follow the preaching of the Word may be largely due to
tl1e fact that the means , ha,re been used amiss for the mere
grat .ification of the lust of 'the worker, or tha 't other n,ecessary means have been neglected, especially prayer. And the
reason wl1y so, many conversions are not genuine is due to
the fact that the.y are merely exte1nal conversions, th e result
,of ex citing r,ant c,all ed prea ching the G.ospel, while pray er
for the i11ternal wo ,rk of the Spirit l1as been totally ignored.
In tl1e whole process of conversion it is a fundamental
principle that like begets l~ke, and means produce results
according to, pu.r ,ely s,cientific laws,, a,n,d if the results ar e
not scien tific they are spu,rious, ,external and temporary. A
beautiful and pointed illust1ation is found in the conversion
of tl1e congregation at the house of Cornelius. The means
we1~eu,sed . th .ott.gh . unwittingly on thie part of men ,in the
scie11tific order.
Prayer, the Holy Spirit, the preached
Word; and the resu.lts were conversion, confession and Christian service.
1

'