What is the testimony of S. Michael Houdmann?
Let’s jump straight to the good stuff.
When I was a teenager, my uncle stayed with my family for a week or so. He was a pastor and I thought having a pastor staying at our house was … well, less than ideal. I had been raised in a Christian family, but I had little interest in anything religious or spiritual. As a typical teenage boy, I found other things far more interesting.
Whenever my uncle would try to talk to me about my relationship with God, or lack thereof, I would attempt to distract him with questions. I don’t remember many of the questions I asked him, but I do remember asking him about the antichrist and the end times. I was surprised when he patiently answered all my questions.
Somehow the conversation progressed to what is required to get a person in heaven. I was of the mindset that good people go to heaven, that if your good deeds outweighed your bad deeds, you’re in. My uncle showed me from the Bible that is not how it works. I remember vigorously arguing with him about this, but as he explained the gospel to me, my heart was softened and my eyes were opened.
He explained that all have sinned (Romans 3:23; Ecclesiastes 7:20; 1 John 1:8), including me. If our eternal destiny was determined by weighing our good deeds against our bad deeds, all of us would come up short (Isaiah 64:6; Jeremiah 17:9). Because of our sin, we all deserve to spend eternity separated from God (Romans 6:23; Matthew 25:46).
But, God loves us (John 3:16; Romans 5:8). Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, died on the cross to pay the full penalty for our sins (1 Corinthians 15:3; 1 John 2:2). Jesus took the punishment that we deserve so we could be forgiven (2 Corinthians 5:21). To receive God’s forgiveness, all we must do is receive Jesus as our Savior, accepting by faith that His death is the payment for our sins, and trusting His resurrection as the guarantee of our own eventual resurrection and acceptance into eternal life (Romans 10:9-10; Ephesians 2:8-9).
That day, with the help of my uncle, I came to truly understand the saving gospel of Jesus Christ. I am not certain if I truly placed my faith in Christ that day, or if it was a few months later after I heard the gospel explained again by a youth pastor. Whatever the case, my life began to dramatically change, and so began the journey of being conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 12:1-2); a journey I am still on.
Looking back, it is ironic that questions were such a key aspect of my testimony. At GotQuestions.org, we have heard the same story numerous times. People come to us and ask all kinds of side questions, some genuine, some definitely not. We strive to answer them all, respectfully, lovingly, and biblically. Oftentimes our willingness to do that has resulted in people asking us the truly important questions, the same gospel-focused questions I eventually asked my uncle.
“Today is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). You can trust in Jesus Christ and be saved, right here, right now. If God has opened your eyes to your need of Him and is drawing you towards Him, accept Jesus as your Savior, and you will be saved (Acts 16:31).
If you have received Jesus Christ as your Savior because of what you have read here today, please click on the “I have received Christ today” button below.
If you have questions or simply don’t understand the gospel, please let us know here.
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What is the testimony of S. Michael Houdmann?