"Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. And I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities. Acts 26:9-11

While our testimonies are not a chance to revel in our past sinful life styles, it is important that we acknowledge that coming to Christ includes acknowledging that before we trusted in Christ, we were lost in sin and deserving of God’s judgment.

Again, we do not need to have been notorious sinners. It is a wonderful testimony when a person does not remember a day when one did not know of and believe in Jesus. This is the encouraging testimony of one who has been raised in a Christian home and has not gone off into the world to follow a lifestyle of sin. But even in these testimonies, one must acknowledge that there was a time when he or she was born again and came to understand that he or she needed a Savior.

Paul had been a great sinner. He had been a persecutor of Christ’s people, His Church. Thankfully not all people are as radical in their sin! But why is our sinfulness (to whatever degree) important to acknowledge? A testimony like Paul’s helps those who think they are too sinful to understand that no one is too sinful to be saved. Conversely, the testimony of one who was not a radical sinner encourages those who don’t think they are so bad that they need Christ because “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” and are therefore in need of Christ the Savior.