PROVO, Utah — Is there a formula to convert or change people?
That’s the question that Gregory Johnson, a principal with Seminaries and Institutes of Religion, asked listeners at Brigham Young University’s Education Week 2023. Listeners proposed elements for the formula, like desire, a change of heart, faith and a personal encounter with the divine.
These pieces, said Johnson, “play a big part, but maybe bigger with some and not as big with others. But Christ has to be a part of every conversion. ... Jesus is the formula.”
On Thursday, Aug. 24, among the classes of Education Week, Johnson taught a lecture called “Conversion: The Process of Becoming Like Christ.”
Converted unto the Lord
“To convert something is to change something,” he said. The two are synonymous with each other, and Johnson often writes the word “change” whenever he sees “convert” in the scriptures.
The result of this change can be found in 3 Nephi 28:23: “They were converted unto the Lord, and were united unto the church of Christ, and thus the people of that generation were blessed, according to the word of Jesus.”
Saints are therefore converted to the Lord and united with His Church, not merely converted to His Church. Johnson asked, “Where is our anchor? Who are we anchored to? If it’s to the Church, if it’s to family, that’s awesome; but when family falters, so do we.”
He shared the story of Paul, an older gentleman he taught on his mission. He accepted the invitation to read the Book of Mormon and developed a love for the gospel of Jesus Christ. But before baptism, Johnson and his companion invited Paul to stop drinking coffee.
He was at first a little shocked by the request, but he was willing to trust in God’s commandments, saying, “I’ll change. I’ll quit. I’ll do it. I’ll convert — because it’s true. ... I know that Christ lives.”
‘He’s the reason for the change’
Johnson shared Mosiah 5:1-7 to explain the cause and result of true conversion to the Lord. In these verses, King Benjamin’s people recognize the Spirit “has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually” (verse 2).
This change leads to them being “willing to enter into a covenant with our God to do his will, and to be obedient to his commandments in all things that he shall command us” (verse 5). Through their covenants, they “are born of [Christ] and have become his sons and his daughters” (verse 7).
“When we feel heaven,” said Johnson, “when the Spirit touches us, change happens.” He explained where access to heaven comes from: “Covenants are a part of that change.”
He shared a video from the Church about three people with three different challenges: a man who went to prison and cared only about himself, a model who felt alone in a new city, and a wealthy businessman obsessed with money.
Yet despite the variety in circumstances, each one had to realize something was missing in life and take steps to find their Redeemer.
Change can be difficult for several reasons, like how personal it is or how it requires giving up some habits. Johnson testified, though, that it’s possible through the Savior. “He’s the reason for the change.”
The Savior’s guidance to the top
As a teenager, Johnson and his dad hiked Mount Timpanogos with young men in their ward. The group came across a drop-off next to the trail and decided to keep moving forward.
The dad, petrified with fear of heights, stuck close to the wall of the mountain to help him up and sang “Come, Come, Ye Saints” on repeat. Johnson turned back to ask if his dad was OK, but his dad told him to turn back around and keep moving forward.
The group eventually made it to the top, and Johnson’s dad called him over to talk. “Do you know how I made it to the top?” the dad asked. “There was a little triangle on your backpack I focused on the entire time — except that moment you turned around, and I physically thought I was going to die.”
Christ, explained Johnson to his audience of Education Week listeners, is the triangle. He’s the One “that we can’t take our eyes off for a moment if we want to make it to the top.”
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