Saint's Past - Sinner's Future

Nº 247

weekly devotions to refresh your soul by Dr. Dan Bolin - April 25, 2023

Beware of harking back to what you once were when God wants you to be something you have never been. - Oswald Chambers

St Augustine was one of Christianity’s greatest theologians. As a young scholar and orator, he migrated from North Africa to Milan, Italy, where he met St. Ambrose, a distinguished theologian and gifted orator. Ambrose shared the gospel with Augustine and after reading his Bible and wrestling with the truth, Augustine recognized his sin and his need of salvation. He trusted Christ, his life transformed, and was baptized on Easter, AD 387.

One of his many memorable quotes is, “There is no saint without a past, no sinner without a future.”

Augustine had a past. As a student, his love affair with an unnamed woman produced a son, Adeodatus. Augustine had a future. He became a renowned bishop, fought heresy, wrote extensively, shaped the thinking of many theologians, and has influenced Christianity for almost 1,700 years.

The passage that triggered his conversion was, “Let us behave decently. . . not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 13:13-14a)

Your past and future may not be as dramatic as Augustine’s, but we all have issues to abandon and a relationship to deepen with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Dan Bolin

Author & President

Refueling in Flight Ministries, Inc.