First let’s ask what’s a testimony. By definition, a Christian testimony is a personal account of how an individual encountered God, understood sin and salvation, and made the decision to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior.
In my case, it started when I was in college where I got invited to a dance group. It was there that they shared what salvation is. At first, I actually mocked it because I found it too easy when they said that you just need to believe in order to get “saved”.
It’s because I had a religious mindset back then. In fact, I was part of COLC(Congregation of Our Lady of Carmel) and our motto was “To Jesus through Mary”. Mostly, those who were part of this, were considering becoming a nun. I was really religious to the point where I try to pray the rosary everyday and call “going to church” a Sunday obligation.
My turning point was when a guest pastor in one of the services shared about the Cross of Christ. He asked this question that made me ponder. “If there’s any other way we can go to God, why did Jesus has to die?” It was then that I realized that I can never be good enough for heaven. We all fall short.
“..for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,..” - Romans 3:23
Jesus has to die because He is the only one who is perfect. He is the only one qualified to pay for the penalty for my sins.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” - Romans 6:23
You see from this verse that death is required to pay for one’s sin. I must die but Jesus took it for me.
This is all by GRACE. You only need to believe.
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” - Ephesians 2:8-9
This is the gift of God. This means that it’s not about how good we are but how good He is. You see if it’s from good works, then when can you say you’re good enough for God.
When I understood this, I never looked back again. Well, it doesn’t mean I’m perfect. I still fail but when I do I just go back to God.
If you want to receive that gift as well, I wanna invite you to recite this prayer with me.
“Dear God, thank you for loving me. Thank you for sending your son, Jesus Christ, to die for me on the cross to redeem me of my sins. Thank you for your forgiveness. I embrace You into my life from this day forward. Help me to live for You for the rest of my life. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.”
This is not some form of magic but if you have prayed this prayer with me, you are now “saved”.
“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. “ - Romans 10:9-10
In a nutshell, this is what being saved means.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” - John 3:16
*If you want to have a conversation with me with regards to this, just message me for a call or meet-up. Unlike other Christians, my testimony is not like "I did bad things then I encountered Christ and I stopped doing bad". Mine was really more on my religiosity which is actually pride at the root of it. I thought that by following all these rules, by trying to be good, I can earn God's approval and allow me a seat in heaven. But when I encountered Christ, it changed my whole mindset. I found true freedom in Christ that I don't need to perform, I only need to believe that Jesus indeed is Lord of all.
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