The Pre-Conversion Position

Introduction: You know that I often give the tenants of the Gospel. I usually say Jesus lived the life that we could not and would live, died the death that we deserve, and rose again that we may have eternal life through Him. The purpose of those principles is for us to see ourselves through those truths in relation to God.

We are sinners and cannot save ourselves

God became a man in the person of Jesus Christ and lived a perfectly obedient life making Himself a sinless, suitable sacrifice for sinful humanity, being affirmed, verified, and vindicated by the resurrection from the dead.

And, by faith we repent and put our absolute trust in this work of Jesus Christ.

This is the truth of the Gospel and throughout scriptures we see this in the lives of the characters in the Bible. Today I want to look at a conversion experience from the Old Testament. Look with me in 2 Kings 5:1-19

2 Kings 5:1–19 NKJV

1 Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but a leper. 2 And the Syrians had gone out on raids, and had brought back captive a young girl from the land of Israel. She waited on Naaman’s wife. 3 Then she said to her mistress, “If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! For he would heal him of his leprosy.” 4 And Naaman went in and told his master, saying, “Thus and thus said the girl who is from the land of Israel.” 5 Then the king of Syria said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So he departed and took with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing. 6 Then he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which said, Now be advised, when this letter comes to you, that I have sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may heal him of his leprosy. 7 And it happened, when the king of Israel read the letter, that he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and make alive, that this man sends a man to me to heal him of his leprosy? Therefore please consider, and see how he seeks a quarrel with me.” 8 So it was, when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Please let him come to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.” 9 Then Naaman went with his horses and chariot, and he stood at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.” 11 But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, “Indeed, I said to myself, ‘He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.’ 12 Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. 13 And his servants came near and spoke to him, and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” 14 So he went down and dipped seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. 15 And he returned to the man of God, he and all his aides, and came and stood before him; and he said, “Indeed, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel; now therefore, please take a gift from your servant.” 16 But he said, “As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, I will receive nothing.” And he urged him to take it, but he refused. 17 So Naaman said, “Then, if not, please let your servant be given two mule-loads of earth; for your servant will no longer offer either burnt offering or sacrifice to other gods, but to the Lord. 18 Yet in this thing may the Lord pardon your servant: when my master goes into the temple of Rimmon to worship there, and he leans on my hand, and I bow down in the temple of Rimmon—when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the Lord please pardon your servant in this thing.” 19 Then he said to him, “Go in peace.” So he departed from him a short distance.

First, I want us to note that we have just witnessed a conversion in the Old Testament. Naaman a gentile pagan comes to God.

You may say, how is that possible when Jesus had not come, died, or rose again? We must realize that everyone who is saved is saved the same way whether before the incarnation or after.

I love the way Ryrie put it: “The basis of salvation in every age is the death [and resurrection] of Christ; the requirement for salvation in every age is faith; the object of faith in every age is God.”

What is he saying? The terms of salvation for all ages was the provision of God through the death and resurrection of Jesus. We look back, they looked forward.

Faith is the requirement of every age Hebrews 11:6

Hebrews 11:6 NKJV

6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

That faith is not in self, but rather God. The idea is we turn to God in faith.

So, let’s take note of a few things from the experience of Naaman that I believe stands true today. I want to look at two categories here: His position and the process.

Pre-Conversion Position

The first 2 verses in 2 Kings 5:1-2 alerts us that Naaman is the chief of the enemies of God.

2 Kings 5:1–2 NKJV

1 Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but a leper. 2 And the Syrians had gone out on raids, and had brought back captive a young girl from the land of Israel. She waited on Naaman’s wife.

The Enemies of God

As we read through 1 and 2 Kings and 1 and 2 Chronicles we see that Syria is an enemy to Israel. The next two chapters tell of a siege by Syria that created a famine in Israel that led to inflated grocery prices and women eating their children.

Naaman is the commander of their armies. He is the epitome of an enemy of Israel and God.

This may be a shocking statement for some of us, but regardless of how good of a person we think we are, without Christ we are enemies to God.

Listen, we don’t just align with the enemies of God; we are in fact enemies ourselves. Listen to Romans 5:10

Romans 5:10 NKJV

10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

James says it another way in James 4:4

James 4:4 NKJV

4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

Now, this designation should send terror into our souls. We have all had enemies, that is part of life here, but to be set in opposition to God is terrifying. Who can stand against Him.

You may say I don’t have a problem with God. I didn’t start a war with God. Maybe not but you identify with a world that did. As I think about this I think of Achan in Joshua 7. He took of the things dedicated to destruction. By doing so he identified with the enemies of God rather than the people of God. He had rather give himself to things destined to pass away than to give Himself to God.

There is a war and neutrality is not an option. We are either clearly with God or not. We are by nature the children of wrath.

The Evidence of a Growing Disease.

Not only was Naaman chief among the enemies of God, he was a leper. Notice how the narrative describes Naaman.

First, the name Naaman means pleasantness which indicates that he was pleasant to be around.

He was a powerful man. One of the highest ranking official in the Syrian government.

Naaman was also a man of renown. The king loved and admired him and the people of Syria honored him.

He was an accomplished man – he had seen numerous victories and the spoils of war.

Fifth, Naaman was a strong man – mighty man of valor; a force to be reckoned with.

He was obviously a wealthy man – the story tells us of several servants.

If we were summarizing Naaman today, we would say he is a good, respectable man. I love the way scripture put things. After all of the accolades of Naaman 2 Kings 5:1 ends with “but a leper.”

Leprosy is often associated with sin. Miriam is afflicted with leprosy for speaking against Moses. Here, Ghehazi because of his greed is afflicted with Naaman’s leprosy. Uzziah, the proud King goes into the temple to offer incense against the priests’ advice and is afflicted with leprosy.

It is also associated with the sin nature because it was a secluding, contagious disease that literally ate away at the person. It was a grievous, wasting disease.

The story reminds us that we all have a disease that is causing us to waste away, and that is a sin nature.

We can’t cure it.

The powers to be cannot cure it.

Silver and Gold cannot cure it.

Only God can cure it by tasting death and triumphing over death through His resurrection.

Closing

How did Jesus do this? Jesus secured the terms of peace for those who believe while they were still sinners.

Listen to Romans 5:6-11

Romans 5:6–11 NKJV

6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

Jesus has moved those who come to God by faith from the battleground to holy ground. He alone has secured our peace by absorbing God’s wrath.

Not only has Jesus made Rebels into Sons, He has healed the disease that ravished us and separated us from the presence of God.

Listen to 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

2 Corinthians 5:17–21 NKJV

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Only Jesus can change us from the inside out. Take out the heart of stone and give us a heart of flesh.

I love 2 Kings 5:9

2 Kings 5:9 NKJV

9 Then Naaman went with his horses and chariot, and he stood at the door of Elisha’s house.

He was at the door and he almost left because it wasn’t going the way he thought it should or the way he pictured in his mind.

Pride nearly won the day, but his servant cared enough to tell him the truth.

How often have you stood at the door?