When the glory of the Lord is revealed to us, it is necessary to give a testimony of faith to glorify his name. So that everyone who hears the message can perceive the power of God and feel the need to seek his presence.
Testimony of Christian faith
The testimony of a Christian lies in transmitting the message of Jesus, that is his true testimony of faith. So for all those who consider themselves to be Christians, sharing faith in Jesus with others is an unavoidable matter and must be done from the heart.
Transmitting our own testimony or experience in Christ Jesus is an opportunity to share our faith with others. Testifying in this way the redemptive and transforming work of God in each of our lives.
It also represents a way of being able to appreciate how faith acts in the people who embrace it and welcome it in their hearts. Each one of those lives becomes a true testimony of how God has a plan to fulfill his purpose in them.
In order to be true witnesses of the faith, it is essential to follow the principles of the gospel. We must be based on the light of the scriptures, when giving testimony of faith in Christ, doing it both in word and deed.
Christian witness will always be the participation of the family of faith, the church of Jesus Christ in the search for new believers. The texts of the biblical New Testament reproduce the central focus of the testimony of Christian faith.
These biblical texts therefore need to be interpreted faithful to the faith of the gospel and the grace of unmerited salvation through Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The same should be done with the eschatological theme of the Bible about the final judgment.
The final judgment contemplated in the apocalypse of the Bible cannot be uprooted from the Christian faith. It is also a theme on which the hope of justice and the love of God depends.
The testimony of Jesus Christ
The testimony of Jesus Christ represents the manifestation of God's purpose to reveal his glory to his church. A purpose that starts from the book of Genesis through prophecies that announced the messiah, the Son of God.
So Jesus Christ is the spirit of prophecy revelation of God's wonderful and perfect purpose manifested to his church. It is therefore Jesus, the Son of God, the Word made flesh, who was crucified, then resurrected, the foundation and testimony of the Christian faith.
Jesus was manifested as the Son of God, as the full revelation of God the Father. In Jesus Christ, God manifests himself in a definitive way, expressed in the greatest love.
Presenting itself in the true and purest essence, love. This reflected in the total delivery of the Son of him Jesus for the salvation of the world. Know this purpose of God by entering the article, messianic prophecies: Purpose, fulfillment and more.
Learn in it, how God in the voice of his prophets throughout the Old Testament of the Bible proclaimed various prophecies about the messiah, which announced the Savior, the Lord Jesus.
The emptying or Kenosis of Jesus
The term kénosis comes from the Greek κένωσις which indicates the action of the verb to empty. Associating with terms such as annihilation, emptying, stripping, detachment or detachment.
It is therefore the kenosis of Jesus, the voluntary renunciation of his divine character. In order to experience human suffering firsthand, the apostle Paul tells us that the Lord Jesus:
Philippians 2:6-7 (NKJV 2015): 6 Existing in the form of God, the did not consider being equal to God as something to cling to; 7 but he emptied himself (ekenosen), taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men;
Jesus Christ understood and manifested the love of God, in the delivery, in the disinterested stripping or emptying of his divine essence. Jesus is the personification of God who gives himself to give life and fill humanity with love.
An overabundance of love by giving oneself to the last, so that through his death others may have life. Every Christian has this testimony or message from God as a life guide, the scriptures reveal:
Revelation 19:10 (PDT): I knelt at the angel’s feet to worship him, but he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a servant just like you and your brothers who are still testifying about Jesus. Worship God! Those who testify about Jesus have the spirit of prophecy.".
bear witness to Jesus
The testimony of Christian faith or the testimony of Jesus is by revelation from God. The Lord reveals to man his will through his Holy Spirit:
Deuteronomy 29:29 (ESV): -There are things that we do not know: these belong to the Lord our God; but there are things that have been revealed to us and to our children so that we always fulfill them: all the commandments of this law-.
God chose men to manifest his will, using the influence of the Holy Spirit to inspire them and put it in writing in the Bible. Similarly, the Holy Spirit influences the mind of man and enables him to correctly understand the scriptures inspired by God.
1 Corinthians 2:14 (NIV): Those who do not have the Spirit of God do not accept spiritual teachings, because they consider them nonsense. And they can't understand them either, because they don't have the Spirit of God.
Thus, the natural mind of man cannot understand the scriptures, because they can only be spiritually discerned by revelation from God. That is why Paul prays for us, his brothers so that we can give testimony of faith:
Ephesians 1:17-18 (PDT): 17 I pray that God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, give you the Spirit, source of wisdom, who will reveal to you the truth of God so that you understand it and come to know him better. 18 I ask may God open their minds to see and know what he has prepared for the people he has called. Then they will be able to partake of the rich and abundant blessings that he has promised to his holy people.
God's call
The fact of only frequently attending a Christian church or congregation does not guarantee salvation, because it is individual and not by congregation. Since, in addition to being saved by Jesus Christ, there is also a personal call from God for each Christian.
Being a Christian and bearer of testimony of faith means having access to God's special gifts. Mainly to the gift of the spirit of prophecy, with which we can have the privilege of participating in the proclamation to the world, of the special message of God that is the testimony of Jesus.
Learn more about this special gift from God by reading the article, gift of prophecy: What is it and how to develop it? In addition to knowing what is the word that bases it and some of the characteristics of this special capacity conferred by God through the Holy Spirit of God.
Testimony of faith and the grace of God
As could be seen above, enjoying only the grace of God, of salvation through his son Jesus Christ, does not manifest a true and complete testimony of faith. Some Christians consider that believing in Christ, leading a prosperous and peaceful family life, is enough to win or know God.
With the salvation of the human being through grace, the Lord fulfills a first stage of the redemptive work of God's purpose. A stage where the human being begins to enjoy the blessings of God, such as eternal life, protection and provision of him.
But, from there, man needs to begin to be perfected in faith. God's grace, love and mercy are not enough to perfect man.
Because it is necessary for the human being to reveal the corrupt nature that exists within him. And in order to perfect or get rid of his old nature, it is necessary that experiences or tests happen to him with which the spiritual part of man is strengthened over the carnal, that is why Paul tells us in:
Philippians 1:6 (NIV): God started the good work in you, and I'm sure He will perfect it until the day that Jesus Christ returns..
Through these experiences, man begins to know God even better, of his love and mercy. The Holy Spirit of God is transforming the inner being of man, perfecting it in love and faith.
So grace is only part of God's redemptive work. As Christians we cannot settle for just enjoying grace, we must yearn in our hearts to be able to know Jesus Christ, our God, even more.
We must be perfected by God in faith
Only by living through trials, tribulations, facing problems or any adverse situation is that we can come to know and experience true joy and the love of God. Experiencing these experiences we can be perfected by God in faith, living in the spirit, read Romans 8.
Romans 8:14-17 (PDT): 14 The children of God allow themselves to be guided by the Spirit of God. 15 The Spirit you have now received does not make you fearful slaves. On the contrary, the Spirit they have received makes them sons. Through the Spirit we can shout: – Dear father! – 16 The Spirit Himself speaks to our spirit and assures it that we are children of God. 17 For being children of God we will receive the blessings that God has for his people. God will give us all that he has given to Christ, but we also have to suffer with him to share his glory.
Stop being religious to have true faith
So, just enjoying the grace of the Lord we cannot be perfected by God. To think that it is enough to enjoy grace is a very simple or vulgar testimony of Christian faith.
Even though you read the Bible daily, pray to God and feel joy and peace of mind in good times, it is not enough to know God. It is not possible to speak of the knowledge of God, if that same joy and spiritual peace has not been experienced in situations of tribulation or adversity.
It is necessary for the word of God to become alive in our lives in order to experience its true essence. Otherwise, what is drunk and eaten from the word of God will only be religiosity.
And, what can be received from God with this level or type of faith? The person who is religious will not be able to be perfected by God, won for the Lord and much less please God.
Testimony of faith, through obedience
The first quality that the Lord uses to perfect us in Him is obedience. To the extent that we feed on God with his word and we strive to obey him diligently, the Lord is doing his transforming work in us.
Because only with such a level of faith, is that the character of people can be transformed. Letting ourselves be guided and molded by the Holy Spirit, whether through sweet or bitter moments, always confident that everything obeys the purpose that God has for us:
Romans 8:28 (NLT): And we know that God causes all things to work together for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose for them..
If we are obedient and diligent with the things of God, we can get to know and be intimate with the Lord. Let us learn from Abraham that with his obedience to the Lord he manifested a faith that was reckoned to him as righteousness and enabled him to become a friend of God:
James 2:23 (PDT): This is how what the Scripture says was fulfilled: –Abraham believed GodWho took Abraham's faith into account as if I had done something very good and approved it-. For that reason, Abraham was called "friend of God".
If we are not content with merely living in grace and enjoying the blessings, but rather strive to go the extra mile, we will become better Christians. Jesus tells us this in his teachings during the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:38-48.
Matthew 5:41 (NASB): And whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two.
These teachings of Jesus point out or demarcate in a great way what the true Christian character and morals should be. Let us therefore aspire to seek more of the Lord and yearn to be approved by God, because all this translates into what it means to consciously obey God.
Testimony of faith and “Belief in God”
Many times as Christians we have the concept that belief in God is based on the fact that He as almighty is at our service. Just to give us everything good that exists under the sun.
But, with this concept of belief, it is intended to think that God must meet all our demands in prayer. So that there are no conflicts or complaints on the part of the believer towards God, perhaps rebuking his written word when he says:
Jeremiah 29:12 (NIV): When you ask me for something in prayer, I will listen to you.
This type of belief sets aside God's judgment because He is good and kind. And nothing more true than this, God is good and very good.
The thing about this belief is that these people believe that the goodness of the Lord is independent of whether the believer is obedient or disobedient. They believe that God is obligated to fulfill everything they ask of him, regardless of how they have behaved in his eyes.
However, it is also written in the word of God:
Psalm 34:15 (NIV): The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and your ears, attentive to your prayers;
Proverbs 10:17 (RVC): Accepting correction leads to life; to cast off rebuke is to lose the way.
These types of believers think that because of God's kind nature, He cannot also show His wisdom and righteous character. They even have the audacity to try to manipulate God, throwing in his face what they have offered him or his time of service.
That said, it is worth reflecting on how our testimony of faith is with these questions:
- Do you always believe God this way?
- How do you believe God?
- When you can't get anything from God then you run away from Him?
- No matter what happens, are you still loyal to God?
Testimony of faith: It is understanding the will of God
To please, know and be approved by God, it is good to first thank him for everything and value his blessings. As well as seeking to understand the will of God in order to manifest a genuine testimony of faith and what salvation in Christ Jesus represents.
Our true stature in Christ is revealed in the way we handle events in our lives and those around us. To be able to give testimony of faith when unavoidable incidents occur, such as situations of illness, accidents, losses, economic or financial situations, etc.
It is necessary to be well grounded in faith, so that when these things happen, we do not panic, nor make any complaint against God. Facing all these situations with confidence allows us to experience the glory of God and our faith becomes stronger and stronger.
When we live our lives going through all kinds of situations, we should focus our thoughts on the victory and success of our faith in the Lord in fulfilling God's will.
In the Bible we find a tremendous example of someone who, despite having lost everything he had in life, remained firm in believing God. That character is Job, when reading about this man in the Bible, we must confront ourselves with the questions:
- What about your belief in God?
- Have you really offered your life to God?
Because if we suffered the same trials as Job, how many of us who follow God today could stand and continue to trust Him without falling?
Accepting the will of God shows having obtained the true understanding and knowledge, as well as reflecting our stature in Christ Jesus.
How do you measure a true testimony of faith?
Our experiences shape our understanding of God, both in His love and His righteous character. They also measure our way of believing in God—that is, our testimony of faith.
To believe in God is to see to it that the sick are healed, to seek to liberate the captives, to yearn for more of God's grace, peace and joy. Long for us, then, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, so that the Lord shows us an even more excellent way:
1 Corinthians 12:31 (KJV): Seek therefore the best gifts. But I show you a much better way.
For this we invite you to enter and read the article, Holy Spirit Gifts: What are they and how to use them? All of them are eternal gifts that God gives us to cope with earthly life.
What is it to really believe in God?
To believe in God is to accept and assimilate his word as the truth for our lives. Knowing God and his word is the way to achieve and revive a genuine love for the Lord.
That is to say, believing in God is the way in which a follower or disciple of the Lord obeys, loves, and serves Him. This is the true goal or end of believing in God. Only in this way can one achieve the knowledge of the fullness and beauty of God.
Recognize how worthy the Lord Jesus Christ is through reverence, adoration and honor for his work of salvation, redemption and improvement as new creatures in Him. This is the minimum that a person must have in their faith, believing in God is also:
- Change from life in the flesh to life in the spirit of loving God.
- Go from living a life within the natural to live it with the knowledge that we are children of God.
- It is leaving the field of action of the evil one or of darkness, to live in light, under the care and protection of God.
- It is the ability to obey God and not the flesh.
- Allow the Lord to win all our hearts.
- It is allowing the Lord to perfect us and free us from our corrupt nature.
- Let his power and his glory manifest in us and that we can do his will.
- It is being able to fulfill God's plan or purpose and thereby being able to bear witness to our faith in the Lord while confronting the schemes of the evil one.
- Having faith in God is being able to experience signs and wonders from the Lord, not for personal benefit, but to seek to glorify God.
Testimony of faith is doing everything by the word of God
The testimony of Christian faith is to do everything for the sake of God's word and not for the pursuit of peace or some other personal benefit. To do so, one must believe and hope in the confidence that everything in God's word will be fulfilled in His time and according to His perfect plan for humanity.
It is having faith and keeping hope against hope, it is knowing God in the same magnitude as Peter knew him. This apostle is one of the testimonies we have, Peter believed God, followed him and obeyed until death.
This is what mainly needs to be achieved in order to give a genuine testimony of faith. Because if it is the case to come to utter a complaint about the words of God.
Or that the person comes to feel deceived by the words of God or feel bad for the will of God in him. Then that person's faith or trust in God is too small or insignificant.
This type of believer usually complains about everything that happens to him in his life. If he doesn't do well in business he complains, thinking that he doesn't have God's protection.
If a situation of illness occurs in his family, he complains. Instead of seeing this situation as an opportunity for the Lord to be glorified and to manifest his power in the family, let us remember the passage of Lazarus' illness:
John 11:4 (ESV): Jesus, hearing it, said: "This sickness will not end in death, but It must serve to show the glory of God, and also the glory of the Son of God.
Complaining leads to disbelief
When the believer does not stop complaining about everything that happens, it is that he is not eating and drinking the word of God as he should. Because of this the believer can become negative and if he does not stop complaining he can end up in disbelief.
