What Christ has done for others, He will do for you.
(Those who read this are invited to share your testimony in the comment section.)
PERSONAL TESTIMONY OF JANET SMITH
Here is what He did for me:
I grew up in a rural setting in north Alabama. We were not poor by the standards of our community, but probably were by world standards. My parents owned their home and a few acres of land. My dad worked at a blue-collar job and my mom worked in sales. I had only one sister, so we had everything we needed. We went to church on Sunday – a Methodist church. We stood each Sunday and repeated the Apostle’s Creed. I had a head knowledge that Jesus saves, yet I had no idea how. I believed, as much a I understood, which wasn’t very much. At age seven I joined the church and was confirmed as a church member and received baptism. As far as the world knew, I was heaven bound.
When I reached my early teen years, I began to be convicted in my heart that I probably was not heaven bound and that something was missing in my life. I really wasn’t certain what, but I knew it had to do with my personal commitment and that I had never actually repented of sin in my life. (The truth is I had not trusted Christ when I joined our local church. I just joined because it was a good thing to do) I kept this to myself. My theology pretty much consisted of the notion that I needed to be good, go to church, and my good deeds needed to outweigh my bad. One problem with this idea, I was never quite sure how I stood at any given moment. For that matter, I wasn’t sure what deeds counted as ‘good’ and which were actually ‘bad’ in God’s eyes. At a young age, I realized that doing good deeds might not qualify unless the motivation of the heart was pure and up-right before a holy God. Truthfully, I did not know the true gospel or Christ, although I was regular in attendance at all meetings of our church.
About that time, I read the book, Gone With the Wind. I had received a Bible that my mom gave me as a gift and I remember worrying that should I die, God might take offense at the notion that I had taken time to read a lengthy book like Gone With the Wind and not read the Bible, so I decided to read the Bible from Genesis through Revelation.
One Saturday morning, I was home alone and I was reading the book of John in Chapter three. On this particular day, I had the same experience* that WF White (see below) had with the words jumping off the page at me. When I read John 3:3 “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God”, I knew that this wasn’t optional and that good deeds, bad deeds had nothing to do with what the Lord was telling me. I knew and believed John 3:16, but I also knew that I had not been born again. I spoke to the Lord and my prayer was very simple. I really don’t remember much about my prayer, but I vividly recall that I believed God. I believed that God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son, Jesus, and that if I trusted Him, I would be saved. I realized my good deeds would not save me. I knew I was a sinner who needed to be born again and I did express to the Lord that I did not understand, yet I did believe. I placed my trust in the truth that Christ had revealed to me from His word that morning and at that moment, He did so much!
My life was transformed!
I didn’t learn everything instantly, but God began to open my understanding and reveal to me His gospel. I was later required to go down and confess my new faith publicly. I later received believer’s baptism. I know that the Lord saved me that Saturday morning and I know that I have been born again and sealed by His Holy Spirit. This was the beginning of a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. I began to notice the opening of the scriptures. As I heard and understood the gospel my understanding increased.
The Holy Spirit has led me throughout my life!
As I have grown older, I have never ceased to be awed by God’s amazing grace and how He reaches down and picks up lost sinners. Millions of others have been saved by grace as well.
The things we all have in common are:
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All have been filled and sealed by God’s Holy Spirit.
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All know the Shepherd, Jesus Christ. We recognize His voice and follow Him.
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All have a personal testimony.
Here is where the personal testimony of WF White*can be found. Seeing this testimony reminded me that the most powerful witness for Christ is our own testimony. Jesus said to His disciples:
“It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:7-8
Those with Jesus that day didn’t physically go to the ends of the earth, but their words have taken the message and they reach out through others. We who receive the Holy Spirit today must continue to witness.
I find personal testimonies very encouraging. Here are a few that have lived out their testimony:
Franklin Graham on You-tube.
Perhaps you would like to share your testimony in the comment section.
Jlue's Weblog - A Christian Perspective 
BAPTISM AN OUTWARD SIGN OF AN INWARD GRACE? BY STEVE FINNELL
The proponents of salvation by faith alone state that water baptism is an outward sign of an inward grace. Is this a correct doctrine? Yes. The problem is in the explanation of that statement. Faith only advocates say that water baptism is simply a symbolic reenactment of forgiveness that occurred at the moment a person believed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, Lord and Savior. The Scriptures do not teach that as a fact.
DOES THE BIBLE TEACH THAT BAPTISM IS AN OUTWARD SIGN OF AN INWARD GRACE? YES.
Romans 6:3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?
Men are baptized into Christ Jesus. Men do not believe only into Jesus. Men are baptized into His death, they do not believe into His death.
Romans 6:4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father,so we too might walk in newness of life.
We are buried with Christ in baptism so we can walk in newness of life. We walk in newness of life after water baptism, not the moment we believe.
Romans 6:5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection.
We are united with Christ in baptism. We are not united with Christ the very minute we believe. Water baptism symbolizes the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.
Romans 6:6-7 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body, of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; 7 for he who has died is free from sin.
You are baptized in water so the body of sin might be done away with and be free from sin. If men become believers in Christ and then wait one year before being baptized, they are spending that year not having their old self crucified with Christ. They spend a year not being free from sin.
Galatians 3:26-27 For you are sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
They were clothed with Christ when they were baptized into Him.They were not clothed with Christ the moment they had faith.
Colossians 2:12 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
You are raised up in baptism, in the faith of the working God. Men are raised up by a combination of faith and baptism. Men are not raised by “faith only” nor are they raised before they are baptized.
Colossians 2:12-13…..When you were dead in your transgression and uncircumcision of you flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,
When are men dead in their transgressions? They are dead before they have faith and are baptized in water.
Acts 2:38 Peter said to them, “Repent and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Peter had already preached Jesus as Lord and Christ. Peter had already preached the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. They were still in their sins. They were not saved the minute they believed. They needed to repent and be baptized in order to have their sins forgiven and to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Faith, confession, and repentance precede water baptism. Water baptism is the point of forgiveness of sins.
Water baptism is not an empty symbolic rite demonstrating what happen the very moment men believe.
WATER BAPTISM IS THE POINT OF FORGIVENESS FROM SIN.
WATER BAPTISM IS A BAPTISM INTO CHRIST.
WATER BAPTISM IS WHEN MEN ARE CLOTHED WITH CHRIST.
WATER BAPTISM IS WHEN MEN ARE RAISED TO WALK IN NEWNESS OF LIFE.
WATER BAPTISM IS WHEN OUR TRANSGRESSIONS ARE FORGIVEN.
WATER BAPTISM IS WHEN WE ARE FREED FROM THE CHAINS OF SIN.
WATER BAPTISM IS WHEN WE ARE SYMBOLICALLY CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST AND PROMISED RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD.
YES, WATER BAPTISM IS AN OUTWARD SIGN OF AN INWARD GRACE! THAT GRACE OCCURS DURING BAPTISM NOT PRIOR TO IT.
YOU ARE INVITED TO FOLLOW MY BLOG. http://steve-finnell.blogspot.com
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Steve,
I know there are people who teach that we must be baptized in order to have our sins forgiven. There is truth in this statement, but one must understand that the baptism, like salvation, is of God. Salvation is by grace, through faith. It is the work of Christ Jesus on Calvary. We believe and receive. You quoted:
Acts 2:38 Peter said to them, “Repent and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Consider, these verses and Acts 2:38 meaning “because of”:
Acts 2:38 Peter said to them, “Repent and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for (because of) the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
There is a baptism that is involved in our salvation, but it isn’t water baptism done to man by man, it is the baptism of the Holy Spirit when we repent of our sin, believe in our heart and confess with our mouth.
John the Baptist told his followers:
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