by Pastor Patrick Cho

What is your testimony? Many times in our Christian walk we are given opportunities to represent our faith by sharing the gospel with others. It is always exciting when the Lord opens a door and presents an occasion to talk to someone about Jesus. But what is your testimony? When asked to share your testimony, is it basically just the story of your life? What does it mean to have a testimony or to serve as a witness? In a court of law, a witness is someone who takes the stand because they saw some event or possess knowledge or expertise in a particular area so that they can bear testimony concerning it. They can offer details and explanation about what happened at the scene of a crime. Translating this idea to your experience with the gospel, what is your testimony? What are you a witness of? As a Christian, you are a witness of the saving power of God through Christ in your life. You testify that through repentance from sin and faith in the Savior, God forgives your sin, removes your guilt, satisfies His wrath, changes your heart, grants you new life, and fills you with His Spirit. Your testimony is that salvation is necessary because sin is real and God hates sin.

In the early church, the testimony that the believers shared was very specific. They testified as witnesses that God raised Jesus from the dead (cf. Acts 2:32; 3:15; 5:30-32; 10:39-41; 13:30-31). It is interesting that this would be the primary aspect of their testimony. They certainly could have focused their testimony on Jesus’ proclamation of forgiveness from sins. They could have centralized their message on the amazing works Jesus performed to prove He was the Son of God. Certainly they did testify of these things, but their central message was the He came back from the dead. Why? Because this certainly verified and validated everything that Jesus said and did. If anyone had any question about who Jesus was – was He really God or was He just a good teacher – those questions would be removed if they understood He came back from the dead exactly as He said He would.

We as believers living today are not physical witnesses of the resurrection of Christ. We walk by faith, and not by sight (cf. John 20:25-29). But does this mean that the central focus of our testimony is any different? No! Our testimony remains that our hope in life rests on the truth that Jesus Christ rose from the dead. He paid the penalty for sins on the cross, and He proclaimed victory over the curse of sin by coming back from the grave. He beat sin and death. If He did not come back from the dead, then death wins. This is still our testimony as believers. It must still be central to our presentation of the gospel. In Christ, we have died to ourselves because we identify with the cross. The only reason we can have new life in Christ is because we identify also with His resurrection.

This weekend is Resurrection Sunday. It is a great opportunity to take some time this week to meditate on the implications of Christ’s resurrection. But this week should also motivate you, if you are indeed in Christ, to proclaim His death and resurrection and the forgiveness of sins and the renewed life that comes to those who trust in Him. It is unfortunate that the typical “testimony” that people share today make no mention of the resurrection. We explain that Jesus went to the cross to pay for sin, but we neglect the importance of explaining His resurrection. Let us take time this week to draw attention to the glorious truth that Jesus came back from the dead.