Testimony | Pastor Yingsong Kaping
“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:1-10)
“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked.”
Thinking back to being a nine-year-old, mindlessly drawing cartoons in the pews of the church, the Gospel of Jesus Christ became so real to me one Sunday. God woke me up through the power of the Holy Spirit (John 14:26) and the realization that I was “dead in my sins” hit hard. If this was true, I was running a hopeless hell-bound race. “But God, being rich in mercy” opened the eyes of my heart (Ephesians 1:18) to see the great love with which he loved me and showed me the promise of eternal salvation freely offered to us only through His Son, Jesus Christ (John 3:16, John 14:6). So I surrendered my life to Christ, was baptized, and everything was perfect. Not quite...
“We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus.”
Two decades later, and yes, I am more in love with Jesus than ever before. The treasure of the Gospel and the relationship I have with Jesus is the most precious thing in the world to me. Nothing in my life is more glorious, more beautiful, or more important. Yet still, I battle daily with my flesh and sin (Matt. 26:41). Every step of the way since surrendering my life to Christ, my heart and desires have always been prone to wander from God (Jeremiah 17:9 ). I idolized playing soccer professionally and music in my teen years and into college. I wanted God’s love and grace coupled with worldly success without actually following Christ with my whole heart. I was stubborn. Every step of the way, God was so good by using His Word (the Bible) and God-fearing people in my life to remind, encourage, correct, rebuke, and point me back to Himself. It was God’s loving-kindness and tenderness through those things that drew me to repentance and sparked a true transformation in my heart over many years (Romans 2:4). In fact, the more I grow in love with Christ, the more I realize there is a lot in me I do not like. What I mean is this: If we are His “workmanship,” I can be confident that He is always at work in my life, fastening and shaping me into the image of Christ, removing sin in my life, for my good and His ultimate glory (Romans 8:28-29). This is powerful because it means that God is actively working in my life to make me more like Himself, alive and righteous in Christ, and less like my former condition, physically living but spiritually dead and destined for hell.
“For by grace you have been saved…not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
I am becoming more aware that believing and trusting in Jesus is so much more than receiving a ticket to heaven and escaping hell. This is the most unique thing about Christianity. I have a relationship with the God of the universe who is King of kings and Lord of lords, only through grace in Christ Jesus. I did not work for it. I did not earn it. I do not deserve it. I am God's son because He first loved me (1 John 4:19). How wonderful is that? Jesus suffered and died in my place so that I would be set free from the bondage of sin, free to live for His glory “not by [my] own doing” but as a result of God’s free gift of faith through grace in Jesus. This is so special because when I enter heaven, I will not boast that “I chose Christ.” Instead, God the Father will proudly proclaim “I chose you! Welcome home!” And I will boast in Christ alone. This is my testimony. My hope and prayer are that those who read my story will come to know Jesus as I do through the Good News of the Gospel!