“And such were some of you” I Corinthians 6:9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
I think it’s good to reflect now-and-then on our salvation experience in Yeshua. Those of us who have been saved through the shed blood of Yeshua upon the cross are living examples of the grace of God. We are testimonies to the life changing power of the Holy Spirit who now lives within each one of us who are redeemed.
When I was born-again in 1973 it was incredible. The change that occurred was unbelievable. My (unsaved) mom said I wasn’t her same son as previously. It was that evident.
Having come from a somewhat different background than most in the church, I was asked to give my testimony a lot. Basically they wanted me to share (as the church folk termed it) my "hippie" experiences. It was an honor for me to talk about what Yeshua had begun to do in me. And, thankfully, that testimony was used of God.
However, after awhile, I started to wonder why I was set forth as an example of salvation while others weren’t. It came down to the fact that their salvation didn’t have the WOW factor like mine. That bothered me. Aren’t all salvation experiences incredible? Every salvation is a miracle. It just seemed that testimonies like mine were more — marketable.
I understand that but ….
Sure those in our verses for this week are incredible trophies to the the grace of God. But, I want us to realize that everybody’s salvation is a trophy to the grace of God and needs to be magnified as well.
People like the Apostle Paul and the Woman At The Well do definitely stand out. Yes, those testimonies needed to be shared. Paul referred to his salvation experience when appropriate. The Woman shared her testimony freely with all that would listen. Both had powerful testimonies. Both had great impact.
But what about someone like Timothy who: “from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” Not too glamorous? “I trow not” :-) His salvation was just as incredible as Paul’s — and Paul wrote this verse about Timothy. Maybe Timothy’s salvation was in some aspects even more incredible than Paul’s?
Can you imagine the haunting memories that didn’t plague Timothy like Paul’s memories did him? Yes, the glamorous salvation is … glamorous. But, I personally would much rather have had the testimony of Timothy over mine any day. I can guarantee you that many of Timothy’s memories were much more pleasant than some of mine.
BUT …
This is why, thankfully, I view the change my salvation brought like — a new well springing from a completely new source. I am changed because of my salvation … a change that is still ongoing to this day. All those who are saved are in the process of becoming more conformable to Messiah each-and-every day. Consequently, and gratefully, my children and grandchildren started drinking from a much cleaner well in their youth than I did. Praise Jehovah!
So, let’s keep offering the Well of Living Water (Yeshua) to those all around us. How? By living in accordance to the new creatures we are in Messiah.
“Therefore if any man be in Messiah, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” II Corinthians 5:17
Brethren … that’s our message.