A Baptism Testimony: Susan Alexander

It's been a little while since I posted one of these, but I never tire of celebrating the effect of the Gospel in the lives of those in my church. Here is the testimony shared by a young lady named Susan Alexander when she was baptized on a recent Sunday morning:

I prayed the sinner's prayer when I was about 4 years old. Though my remembrance of the event is pretty dim I believe that the prayer was a genuine and heartfelt one. But the understanding of a 4 year old is limited and I thought being a Christian consisted of obeying my parents, sharing with my siblings and going to church on Sundays.

As I grew older and entered my early teens the scope of my understanding of the gospel widened. I found that the gospel applied to my whole life, not just the small parts that I wanted it to. I was faced with the choice of whether I wanted my life to be for Christ or myself. I tried being the good kid, saying all the right things, doing what I was supposed to, but found that nothing that I did made me feel any better. I tried to convince myself that my works could somehow affect my standing before God, but the harder I tried to be good the worse it became.

Then in my 6th grade year through various circumstances I was confronted with the harsh reality of my sin, and I was forced to make a decision. One morning I read Ephesians 2:1-10 and God used those verses to forever impact my life. All my guilt and condemnation washed away as I read those words; "For it is by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not you own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."

God opened my blind eyes to see that nothing I could ever do, say or think could add or take away from Christ's death on the cross. Christ's act of suffering on my behalf paid for all my sins completely. I repented of my sin and placed my trust in Christ's finished work.

I still have my bouts with condemnation, but by God's grace He brings me back to that place where I find eternal rest and peace, the foot of the cross. I may not have a specific date where I can point to as the day I came to faith in Christ, but I have over 22 years to point to as evidence of God's abundant grace in my life. Praise the Lord!