Salvation Stories: Sojourn’s Josh Albright

We will celebrate another Baptism Sunday on January 15. If you would like to take this important step in identifying with Christ and His bride, email baptism@sojournchurch.com by Monday, January 9.

I grew up in a Christian home with loving parents. My father was a Southern Baptist minister, which means I was in church or at a church function eight days a week. Unfortunately, my home growing up could also be considered legalistic. Doing the right thing and looking the part seemed to be more important than admitting imperfections.

Because my life was engulfed by “church”, I was corralled into saying a version of the sinner’s prayer at the age of seven and was baptized. With no true understanding of the gospel, I dove into a life of good-works, trying to improve my position before God. Feeling defeated and overwhelmed by my failures I began to doubt by salvation.

At the age of 15, I did the only thing I knew to do that would give me an assurance of salvation, I repeated the sinner’s prayer and was rebaptized. Again, not understanding the gospel, I started round two of trying to earn my salvation through good works. When I moved out of my parent’s house to attend college, for the first time in my life I felt free to live the life of who I really was inside, a sinner. I proceeded to satisfy my youthful desires in women, drugs and the abuse of alcohol.

While in college I met a man who was a part of a college ministry called Campus Outreach. He asked me if I would be interested in hanging out once a week. What I didn’t know was that he was going to share the gospel with me every week for an entire year. Believing that I was already a Christian, just backslidden, I became annoyed by our discussions.

One day, frustrated from our conversation, I went home mentally spent, sat on the end of my bed and cried out to God for truth. I didn’t care anymore if I was right or if he was right, I just wanted truth. I picked up my bible and began to read a bible I’ve never read before. God began to allow me to see the truth of the gospel on every page. At the age of 21, God, not me, redeemed me from my sin and adopted me as His son. I would still consider myself a sinner, but a sinner with hope.

“having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might.” Ephesians 1:18-19