Testimonies

Christine Moulaison

Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada
Saved: December 15, 1975

How God Made Me a Christian

Born and brought up in a Roman Catholic home, I was taught in all their ways from childhood. From a very young age, I would confess my sins, firmly believing they were forgiven upon confession. Oftentimes my burden of sins would get so big, that after confession, feeling that my sins were gone, I would hope to die immediately before I sinned again. But this was short-lived, as it was only minutes before I sinned again either in thought or action.

At Easter time, during the reading of the passion of Christ and all his suffering and then finally his death, I would think, "But why did he let them kill him? Why didn't he get out of there?" Being God, he could have. But I had no answer. Many times my thoughts would be, "What will I tell God when I meet him with all my sins?"

As a teenager, my burden of sin was very great and very heavy upon me. I did not know where I was going to be in eternity and the folks in whom I confided were as perplexed as I was. "Where is the answer? Who has the answer? What religion is right?" I asked, yet I never doubted that the Roman Catholic Church was the right way. Only, I could find no peace.

After I married, it was the same. Then I thought of the Bible. Even though I had never looked inside one, I knew it would be right. The word of God would have the answer for me, the answer to my questions. Where am I going: to heaven? To hell? How can I know? If I am headed for heaven, fine. But if I am headed for hell, is there anything I can do about it? And all this time, I was becoming more and more religious.

Finally, in November of 1975, I voiced my desire to have a Bible, to read for myself the Word of God. My husband promised to get me one for Christmas.

On December 8, two men whom my husband knew came to our door, talked to us about the Lord Jesus Christ, and said they knew for sure that they were going to heaven and that according to Scripture. They left us a Gospel of John booklet, showed us a verse or two from the Bible, and were gone. One of the verses was "Verily, verily, I say unto you. He that heareth my word and believeth on Him that sent me, hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life", John 5:24. I thought of how happy those people must be who know for sure where they would spend eternity.

Exactly a week later, on December 15, late at night, I sat and read another small booklet which I had obtained, "God's Way of Salvation". I understood from that booklet that even though salvation was free for me and could not be earned in any way, it certainly had cost God very much. He had given His only beloved Son to die for sin on the cross of Calvary. Still, I was puzzled as to how to obtain this salvation. Then, I thought of the things in which I was trusting to get me to heaven: My religion, I thrust it out. Religion could not help me. My baptism I threw it aside. Baptism could not give me peace. My good life, doing the best I could. I cast it away. Even my goodness could not take away my burden of sin. My prayers, I put them away. Prayers were "my" doing also, and that was no answer. My church. Even my church which I depended on so much, could not get me one bit closer to heaven; (Isaiah 64:6 states that all our rightousnesses are as filthy rags), I had nothing!

Then and there, I knew for certain that if I died right there, I would be in hell; I knew that God was right, and I was wrong. I had sinned and sin must be punished, sin had to be paid for. I would have to suffer for my for my sins. Oh, the reality of those few moments. I was going to hell, and I deserved it. I was all wrong and God was absolutely right. "The wages of sin is death." Romans 6:23.

I went to my bedroom knowing I was one breath away from hell. My sins, the greatness of my sins, my burden of sins, even greater than ever. I was overcome by the immensity of my sins. THEN, I understood for the very first time in my entire life, as in my mind I saw the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross in agony and blood; It was my sins that had put Him there. He was dying for me. Paying for my sins as He hung on that cross, taking my place. I simply rested on that fact, trusted totally in His finished work at Calvary. I knew that because He died, paid for my sins in full, I was free. My burden fell away. There was nothing for me to do. He had done it all.

I Peter 3:18 states, "For Christ hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit." There, alone in my bedroom, on December 16, 1975, I became a child of God, a Christian. John 1:12 says, "But as many as received Him, to them gave he the privilege to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name." I finally had peace with God. My sins were gone, the Lord Jesus Christ had dealt with them fully on the cross of Calvary, had been buried, and had risen again the third day according to the Scripture. I knew that when death came, I would be in Heaven for certain.

A long time has passed since that day, yet He grows sweeter to me with the passing of time. I will never forget that moment when He saved my soul from hell, and saved me to bring glory to himself for eternity. John 8:36, "If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed." My heart's desire and prayer to God for you is that you might be saved.