“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
2 Corinthians 5:17
God raises us from death to life. That’s how every Christian becomes a Christian. Yet the details of our conversions are as different as each of us. God writes many unique stories in His one big story of saving people for Himself. We’re telling these stories on Sunday mornings.
This past week, we heard from one church member, Justin. Here is his salvation story:
At the time I was born, my parents had been Christians for a number of years, so there’s not a moment I can remember where God was not present in our family. I’m very thankful for that. As a little kid, when I was around 4 years old, I first prayed for Jesus to forgive my sins, and growing up, I was a classic good, obedient kid.
Fast-forward to high school, I was experiencing an ever-growing inward questioning and doubting, which I now know is normal, especially for that age. At the time, I didn’t know that, and I slowly became a wreck over it. I was trying so hard to prove to God and myself that I was okay and that I loved him, but ultimately, the gospel was not making sense to me. I would grasp it for a time, but then lose it shortly after. I knew that Jesus covered my sin and took away my guilt by dying on the cross, but I didn’t understand how any of that worked, and I still felt guilty because I knew my heart wasn’t in the right place. By the time I was around 18 years old, I told myself that one day I would probably become an atheist. I didn’t feel “strong enough” to walk away from my faith at the time, but I thought one day I would be.
God had other plans.
By His grace, I didn’t completely give up. I struggled, wrestled, and prayed hard for God to reveal himself. And one night I listened to an old sermon online from my pastor where he walked us through John 15. This is the passage where Jesus calls himself the “true vine,” and says that we are the branches, and if we abide in him, we will bear fruit. I read it, and re-read it, and re-read it, and realized that all Jesus was saying I had to do was to be in him. And I thought “I can do that.” What good news this is! I don’t have to struggle to bear fruit.
It really was like a switch flipped, and the clouds parted, and for the first time, I felt so secure and safe in Jesus and my salvation, and I knew that I could hold onto it and that it wasn’t going to slip through my fingers again. And really, I’ve been holding onto that truth for dear life ever since.
God has done a lot of good in my life since that moment. I wish I could talk about all of it. But I will say, if you’re doubting and questioning and struggling and things aren’t yet making sense, on one hand, be like me and keep wrestling through it, keep praying, don’t sweep it under the rug. God is the one who will be faithful. But on the other hand, don’t be like me because I never told a soul I was going through any of this, and that was really lonely. Talk to someone you can trust. Let them carry the burden with you.
You will see, like I did, that God is good. God is faithful.
Amen! May God write more salvation stories among us.
If you would like to share your story in an upcoming service, please contact the church office.
