Have you ever shared your salvation testimony with someone or with a group of people? If you have not, I’m tempted to ask: why have you not? Any person born by God’s Spirit has a personal salvation testimony. This means, you know what you were like, then something happened, and now you are different because you are trusting Jesus Christ for eternal pardon and eternal salvation. Something happened to you, and what happened is personal to you. That is your salvation testimony. Generally, it could be divided into three sections: before, what happened and the present. Each stage might have a number of “incidents”, but it still breaks down into before, what happened and present.
Please read this passage:
Ex 13:8 On that day tell your son, ‘I do this because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ 9 This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that the law of the LORD is to be on your lips. For the LORD brought you out of Egypt with his mighty hand.
For the larger context, please read through Exodus 12:14-20, 12:43-49 and 13:1-16. The context starts in chapter 12 with the institution of one of the seven Feasts of the Lord. It was known as the Passover in memory of the Lord passing over every home in Egypt, killing the first born human and animal, yet passing over every Israelite home because the pascal lamb’s blood had been smeared over the door frames of their houses. Thus, there was death in every home throughout all Egypt. It could have been very different, but the stubborn, hard heart of Pharaoh only relented once his family was touched with death! He gave in, and in this way the Israelites’ salvation from the bondage and slavery of Egypt was achieved by God Himself. This day of release was known as the Passover and needed to be remembered annually in honour of the Lord’s deliverance of His people from bondage.
This is where the testimony of the Jewish father came in as he told his son of the LORD’s mercy … “what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.” Then, notice that the remembrance of this event would be for them “like a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that the law of the LORD is to be on your lips.” This means that Passover would affect the hand, eye and lips of the worshipper.
The real fulfilment of this event is found in the Cross of Calvary where the Lord Jesus, God the Son, who had taken on human flesh, died substitutionally as the True Pascal Lamb. Upon Him and His sacrifice the whole structure of the Gospel rests … as does the hope of all God’s people, past, present and future. Anyone who repents and believes will also be saved and enjoy the merits of Jesus and the benefits of the Cross. You will recall that Jesus died on the Friday and rose again on the Sunday. According to the language used, that was three days … Friday (He died), Saturday (He was dead) and Sunday (He rose).
Jesus passed over the “Passover Festival” (Friday night and Saturday) and rose on the first day of the week, inaugurating a new covenant and a new day of worship. The old order was now obsolete.
Heb 8:13 By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.
Like the Jewish father giving a testimony to his son about God’s salvation from the terrible Egyptian bondage, the Christian needs to be able to provide a testimony about God’s salvation through the blood-stained Cross of the Lord Jesus that delivers one from the consequences of sin and the eternal bondage of damnation. You need to be crystal clear in your mind about the reality of your salvation. You need to have thought through your testimony so that you may express it clearly.
1 Pet 3:15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.
Now look at Exodus 13:9:
Ex 13:9 This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that the law of the LORD is to be on your lips.
This verse speaks of the relationship between the Law of God and the hand, eye (forehead) and lips. For us in the New Covenant, there is a relationship between the Gospel and the hand, eye and lips.
Our hand (our deed) needs to be used for the glory of God out of thanksgiving for the Cross. We need to ensure that whatever we do, we do according to the Will of God.
Our eyes need to be used for the glory of God. Remember that the eye influences the mind and the mind instructs the will. So, how we make use of the eyes is very important, as failure here will result in a multitude of sins (consider jealousy, covetousness, lust, competition, anger, rage, etc.).
Our mouth, used for gossip, swearing, etc. will blow our testimony and spiritual credentials. As Colossians 3:16 says:
Col 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
Dear God, thank You that Your salvation affects all of me. Help me to be a living testimony to Your glory. Amen.