GIVING A PERSONAL TESTIMONY
By Timothy Glover
The Bible records several accounts of people who tell their experience of salvation. When Paul gave his defense in Acts 22, he spoke of his conversion to Christ. And, when he was before Agrippa, he spoke of his conversion (Acts 26; cf. 1 Tim. 1:12-14; Phil. 3:7-10).
However, there is a difference in giving Paul’s account of conversion through the guidance of the Holy Spirit who chose to reveal it and our personal experience. The experiences of Paul as an apostle sets a precedent for our practice. We may refer to these examples in learning God’s will and can be agreed on the experiences that are recorded in it. No experience recorded conflicts with any teaching found anywhere in the Bible. In fact, the experiences are in harmony with what is taught.
When we give our view of our religious experience, we often find it to contradict New Testament teaching. Some may appeal to their infancy when their parents had them sprinkled. (Where’s the scripture for that practice?) Some may say that the Holy Spirit came into their heart after intense prayer and filled them with inner peace. If this experience is proof of salvation, where is the scripture that teaches such? Another may tell of their near death experience and how they prayed with a preacher “who told them that God would heal and save them if they will just believe. (scripture ?????)
All these are different and many more could be sited as examples of personal salvation. Yet, emotions can be deceitful and are not the basis for our confidence. It is a by-product of obeying objective truth (Acts 8:39). We cannot measure subjective feelings and they are different with each person. But, God’s word can be measured and remains constant. Rom. 8:16 teaches that the Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. The Holy Spirit’s work is in revealing the truth. This truth produces faith (Rom. 10:17), sanctifies (Jn. 17:17) and frees us from sin (Jn. 8:32). When I do what the spirit requires through the Word, the Spirit gives me confidence and assurance that I’m God’s child. Read Acts 2:37-38, Acts 8:5-12, Acts 8:26-39, 16:3--34. These are personal experiences upon which we may rely.
