Foundations of Faith: What Does It Mean to Be a Christian?Sample

A Life of Purpose

You owed a debt that you could never pay. Scripture says that “…the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), meaning you were going to have to pay for your sins with your life. The Good News is that “[Jesus] personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed (1 Peter 2:24).

Jesus paid the price of a debt that you could never pay yourself — your sin debt.

Have you been in financial debt and had someone pay off all that you owed? If so, that was probably a huge relief and a huge weight lifted off your shoulders! If not, can you just imagine how it would feel to open up your financial statements and see $0.00 when you owed much more before?

This is exactly what Jesus did for you when you decided to make Him the Lord and Savior of your life. You were once walking a path of destruction, but then Jesus stopped you in your tracks and changed your direction. God is writing a beautiful story in your life! Don’t hold back — tell everyone about this unbelievable gift that God has so graciously given to you.

God’s story in your life is powerful — it tells of strength that only comes from Him, of your sin-nature redeemed by the Lord, and what it looks like to set aside idols and selfish ways to focus on making Jesus the Lord of your life. Others will see a change in you because of the work of Christ in your life and wonder what’s changed. This story is sometimes referred to as your testimony and believers sometimes use their testimony to share about Jesus with others.

Throughout Scripture, there are numerous stories of people encountering God and sharing their stories with others — causing them to have their lives changed forever through the Gospel of Jesus! The woman at the well in John 4 has a life-altering experience with Jesus and runs back to tell her village about it. Check out what happens next in verses 39-42:

"Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, 'He told me everything I ever did!' When they came out to see him, they begged him to stay in their village. So he stayed for two days, long enough for many more to hear his message and believe. Then they said to the woman, 'Now we believe, not just because of what you told us, but because we have heard him ourselves. Now we know that he is indeed the Savior of the world.'"

Just like the woman at the well, you are living proof that the Gospel of Jesus Christ changes lives, so use the story that God is writing in you to help draw others closer to Him.