Personal experience alone does not prove the gospel, but it does give credibility to our witness about the gospel.
The power of the gospel is confirmed through changed lives
Your personal experience with God is important to share with others, but it’s not the gospel itself. Many Christians make the mistake of thinking that telling others how God has radically changed them is all they need to do to witness to others. But this leaves out the objective content of the Bible. To truly believe in Christ means you need to know and trust in the Person and work of Jesus Christ. Nonetheless, testifying about your personal experience with God underscores the power of God unto salvation. So, how has God changed you?
Joy and peace should certainly characterize the lives of Jesus’ disciples. A real Christian who has no joy is a contradiction. How can someone who has received God’s free grace not be eternally grateful for receiving the most important blessing anyone can have? God’s grace is free and it’s forever! We could not earn it and we could not deserve it. How blessed are we, whose sins the Lord will not count against us?
But what personal experience does not prove by itself, the empty tomb does prove. When someone believes the reliability of the eye-witness account of Jesus’ resurrection, they should also realize that Jesus’ truth claims have been authenticated by God. And Jesus claimed that God would come and dwell with His followers.
Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” (John 14:23)
So, we know that it is indeed possible to have such a personal relationship with God. Therefore, it’s further confirmation of the gospel of Jesus Christ when we can affirm that what Jesus said would happen actually happened to us personally.
Tests of the reality of our relationship with Christ:
Christians need only to answer the question of whether this feeling they have experienced is the same thing as what Jesus had said would happen. Here are some of the tests to consider:
- Joy and Peace. As I already mentioned, there should be a sense of joy in our heart and a sense of peace toward God. The Bible tells us that the Spirit testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. (Romans 8:16) We have a sense that we belong to God, and our strong desire is to live our lives to love, serve, and please Him.
- Our new affections. If we love God, our affections should have changed. We should love what He loves. Do you love God’s Word and His people? Are you eager to gather together with other Christians to worship God?
- Humble attitude. We should walk humbly with our God. His goodness and favor toward us is always more than we deserve. In this life, we’ll never be perfect. So, our remaining sin should keep us humble and continually grateful for His grace.
- Obedient. We should always be endeavoring to obey God to demonstrate our love for Him. Are you endeavoring to do everything the Lord has commanded you to do and to refrain from everything He forbids. And when you sin, are you acknowledging it, asking for His forgiveness, and committing to turn away from it.
- Endurance through trials. Have you withstood the fiery trials of life with your faith intact? This is further evidence that the faith you claim to have is the real thing, not something you’ve mustered up for yourself. According to Romans 2:8-9, faith is a gift of God; It’s not something we can conjure up for ourselves.
If the above characteristics describe you, then your claim to have a personal relationship with God is indeed true. What else could it be? And your testimony to others about having God in your heart is “icing on the cake” as you witness to others. They can’t deny it. The promise has become the reality!
Is your life missing joy and peace?
Jesus Christ came to give you abundant life. If you’re missing the peace and joy that comes from having a personal relationship with Him, He’s imploring you to “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).
Ask yourself two very important questions. First, are you sure that you’ll go to heaven when you die? Secondly, are you certain why God should let you into heaven? If you don’t know for sure, you can settle that matter today. Visit my post, How to Begin Your Life Over Again and you’ll know where and how you’ll spend eternity.
And for crystal clear YouTube presentations of the gospel message from several trusted sources, click here.
