When Words Become Testimony
Faith in Jesus is not just affirmation of truth, but the testimony of tasting and knowing Him personally.
Devotional Credit: In Christ by E. Stanley Jones
Photo Credit: Unsplash
E. Stanley Jones points us to a beautiful truth about the difference between affirmation and testimony. Affirmation can say “that” is true, but testimony says “this” is real in me. Affirmation acknowledges that Jesus lived in history, but testimony declares that the Jesus of history is alive in me today. Christianity does not stop at affirming facts about Jesus, it becomes the living testimony of His presence within.
Jones reminds us that the apostles spoke not only of historical truth but of personal experience. On the day of Pentecost Peter declared, “this is that,” meaning the promises of God spoken in Scripture had now become their lived reality through the Spirit. The Word had become flesh, not only in Jesus’ incarnation, but now in the ongoing lives of His followers. This is the union of history and experience. Both matter, but together they produce the highest certainty, for what is historically affirmed is now personally known.
The letter of 1 John illustrates this, as the apostle repeatedly speaks of “this.” Christianity is not abstract but concrete, filled with “this” — the lived testimony of union with Jesus. Historical reality becomes experiential reality. They are not separated, but dovetail together in Him. This is why Jones insists that our preaching must not be abstract affirmations but living testimony.
This message reassures us that faith in Jesus is not built on empty affirmations but on Spirit-empowered testimony. History confirms that Jesus walked this earth, died, and rose again. Experience confirms that He lives within us now, expressing His life through us. Affirmation and testimony are not two different things, but two sides of the same reality — Christ alive in His people.
Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
My child, I have not called you to merely affirm truths about Me. I have called you to testify to what is real in you because of My indwelling presence. History bears witness to what I have done, and your life bears witness to what I am doing in you now.
You are no longer bound to futility, for in Me you live with purpose. I have joined historical reality with experiential reality, so that you may live with certainty. What was spoken by prophets, what was fulfilled in Jesus, is now alive in you by My Spirit.
Do not be content with words alone. Let your life be the testimony that I am in you and you in Me. As you abide in Me, affirmation turns into testimony. The world will not only hear that Jesus is Lord, they will see that reality lived out in you.
Scripture References: Ephesians 4:17, Acts 2:16, 1 John 1:1-3, Philippians 2:13, Colossians 1:27, Romans 6:4, Galatians 2:20, 2 Corinthians 3:2-3, John 15:5, 2 Peter 1:16.
Real-Life Analogy
Imagine tasting honey for the first time. Someone can describe it to you, affirming that it is sweet and rich. You can read about it, even see others enjoy it. But when you finally taste it yourself, you no longer simply affirm that it is sweet, you testify from experience that it is sweet. In the same way, Christianity is not only hearing and affirming truths about Jesus, but living in Him so that those truths become your daily testimony.
Today, when I am faced with opportunities to speak or act, I can say within my heart, “Lord, I trust You to make Your life my testimony in this moment.” In that trust, my words and actions shift from theory to reality, from “that” to “this.”
Prayer of Confidence
Lord, I thank You that my faith is not built on abstract affirmations but on living testimony. What was spoken in history has become reality in me through union with Jesus. I rejoice that my life is not futile, but filled with purpose and certainty because You live within me. Today I walk confidently, knowing that in You, affirmation and testimony meet as one glorious reality.