A New Life
God in His sovereignty decided to place me in a family of christians who would teach me about the Bible from a very young age. Because of this, I was born completely sinless and perfect!
Just kidding! I have never really questioned the validity and authority of scripture, but I am far from sinless and perfect.
It wasn't until I was almost nine years old when my family went to see the Nativity movie and something just... clicked. I can't fully explain it, but I believe God used that movie to help me understand my sinful nature and how holy and perfect He was. I knew I was unworthy of His grace and that I desperately needed it. I went home and cried out to God. I repented from my sins and surrendered my life to Him.
God is perfect. He HATES sin. If you were on trial for murder and you tried to convince the judge to let you go by telling him about all of your good accomplishments to better humanity, the judge would not care. You can't reason with God that you are "good enough" because crimes have to be paid for. If the judge just let you go, he wouldn't be a good judge. You might be thinking "I've never murdered anyone, I've never done anything that bad", but according to scripture, just one sin will condemn a person to hell, ( 1 Cor. 6:9-11) and if you judged yourself by the Ten Commandments, I'm gonna go out on a limb and say you would fail just like me. God, by His nature, can't just let sin go but He has provided a way of redemption.
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16
If you have ever been to a Vacation Bible School or known a christian, you've probably heard this verse. Jesus, the sinless son of God, came to earth, lived a perfect life, and payed for the sins of the world. He took every single sin that I have ever committed and will ever commit and paid for it through crucifixion on the cross. God's wrath towards my sin has been satisfied by placing it on His son. Not only that, I am also now identified with christ! When God looks at me, He doesn't see sin, He sees His perfect son and has adopted me as His daughter. I am forever His and nothing could EVER separate me from His love (Romans 8:38-39).
Wow, how cool!?!
I used to think that my testimony was boring and generic, but the older I get the more I realize how miraculous it is. It doesn't matter where you come from or how much more or less sinful you are compared to the general population. Nobody deserves God's grace and everybody deserves an eternity in Hell. The older I get the more I notice how sinful I am. Life after becoming a christian is definitely not all sunshine and roses. I still sin, but by His grace I am hating it more and more. That's what a true understanding of the gospel will give you. Not a harness that keeps you away from all sin, but a hatred for it after realizing the grossness of it and how much God detests it.
I believe that the God of the Bible is the only true God, that His word has no mistakes, that He is perfect and just and loving. I believe that God is sovereign, that salvation is forever, and that God is ultimately for God, and that that is a good thing. My beliefs are influenced by my parents, but they are my own. I do not blindly believe the Bible. Faith is not mindless. I would love to go more in-depth into the authenticity of scripture, but this is already a lengthy post, so I will leave with you a video that to me, is undeniable proof that the Bible is truth. If you have any questions about God or the Bible, please reach out to me, a local christian pastor, or search some of my favorites - John McArthur, Paul Washer, Todd Friel, and Voddie Baucham (featured in the video below).
