Testimony and Gospel

Testimony
I grew up in a Christian home. We went to church every Sunday. My mom played the organ at church. I lived what I thought was a pretty good life, thinking I had never done anything really bad. When I was 14, I saw a movie on TV called Brian's Song and saw a man die a painful death. After watching it, I wondered what would happen to me when I died. I sought out a friend at church who was a couple of years older than me. My friend explained to me that there was nothing I could do to get eternal life. He told me that no amount of good works or good deeds are possible to merit God's love. My sins (even if I had just one sin) separates me from God. Jesus lived a perfect life. And took My sins to the cross when He died. He paid the penalty for all sins. My response is to trust in Him and not myself. So, on August 10, 1982, in the parking lot of Wendy's, I trusted in Christ as my Savior. Immediately I saw a change in me. I thought all of my problems would go away. I was wrong. They were still there, but God helped me through them. I now know for certain that when I die I will go to heaven.

Gospel
My chief aim in life is to glorify God in everything I do and everything I say. I live my life by Ephesians 2:10 which states, "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." As the verse states, I am His workmanship. I am created in Christ Jesus for good works. God prepared these good works for me before hand. He wants me to walk in them. All that I'm doing with that verse is breaking it apart. I'm not weaving any church or seminary thought or teacher, but just reading the Word of God as it states.

Ephesians 2:10 follows Ephesians 2:8-9. The workmanship I perform is a response to God's grace in Ephesians 2:8-9. The workmanship does not precede grace. It's a response to God loving me, not a condition I am doing to merit his love. As Ephesians 2:8-9 states, "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." Again, to re-iterate those words. My salvation is by grace. Grace is receiving something you don't deserve. If a homeless man asks you for food and you give it, you have been gracious. The homeless man hasn't earned it nor can do anything to pay it back, when you give the homeless man food you have been gracious. In the same way Ephesians 2:8 states, "For by grace you have been saved." God is giving us riches at Christ's expense.

Romans 3:23 tells us "all have sinned." This is significant because sin separates us from God. Isaiah 59:2 states, "Your iniquities (sin) have made a separation between you and your God." When God sent Jesus (as you stated in John 3:16) to this earth, God was making Jesus the mediator between God and man. 2 Corinthian 5:19, "God was in Christ, reconciling the world into himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them." Galatians 3:13 states, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree."