Proof (noun): Evidence sufficient to establish a thing as true, or to produce belief in its truth.

Many struggle with a serious mental obstacle: “I’m just not sure God is willing to save me.” As an authoritative answer, consider three episodes in the lives of three examples from the Bible.

Exhibit #1 — MOSES: “He Struck Down the Egyptian and Hid Him in the Sand” (Exo 2:11-15)

• He was forty years old at this point in his life (Exo 2:11; Acts 7:23).
• He demonstrated an awareness of the seriousness of his actions (Exo 2:12).
• He “supposed that his brothers would understand,” but he was wrong (Exo 2:13-14; Acts 7:25).
• He fled for his life and hid, far away from Egypt, for the next 40 years (Exo 2:15; Acts 7:29).

Exhibit #2 — DAVID: “Set Uriah in the forefront…that he may be struck down” (2 Sam 11)

• He was an established king, soldier, and poet at this point in his life (2 Sam 11:1).
• He demonstrated an awareness of the seriousness of his actions (2 Sam 11:2-13).
• He supposed that he could hide his sin, but he was wrong (2 Sam 11:14-12:7).
• The ripple effect of his actions affected his family for generations to come (2 Sam 12:8-14).

Exhibit #3 — SAUL: “Ravaging the Church” (Acts 7:54-8:3)

• He was “a young man” at this point in his life (Acts 7:58), with an elite education (Acts 22:3).
• He demonstrated an awareness of the seriousness of his actions (Acts 22:4-5).
• He wrongly believed that he was in harmony with God’s will (Acts 26:9-11; 1 Tim 1:13).
• As long as he lived, he never forgot his “former life” (Gal 1:13; 1 Tim 1:15).

Here’s where the proof comes into play. Moses could personally tell you what it was like to bury a human body in sand. David knew what it was to send a guaranteed death certificate. Saul was intimately acquainted with raging fury against innocent men and women.