Last Sunday night I sat in the front pew at church and watched as a number of young men and women stood in the waters of baptism and recited their testimonies. One thing I love about Grace Church is that you can be sure the Word of God plays a large role in every testimony. You will hear quotes that clearly outline the Gospel, that salvation is by faith alone and not by works, the supremacy and centrality of Christ and His redemptive work on the cross. While these testimonies are almost always powerful and moving in their honesty, they are also deep doctrinally and hence, a real pleasure for those who have come to love the word of God.
But sitting in that pew made me realize something that made me very uncomfortable. As I sat and enjoyed the testimonies, and the doctrinal solidity of the words being declared on the speaker overhead, I became very aware of the way these young believers were treating the Word. It was quite obvious that those few, simple and almost rudimentary quotes of Scripture were there precious treasure. You could hear it in their voice. I can still recall listening to a young girl, who was raised in a Catholic home attribute her point of conversion to her reading of the convicting words of Ephesians 2:8. As she quoted them, they were spoken like they were really precious… really holy. And in that moment, I saw her faith, fully exposed. She really believed that what she had read and quoted was the Word of God. It was her treasure.
I have lost that. That feeling of being captivated, of being blessed by the privilege of hearing, reading, understanding the Holy Scriptures. I have been walking with the Lord now for more than 7 years and know most of the key verses by heart. John 3:16, Eph 2:8, Rom 3:10-11 and 23-26… they are like worn tools which have been used many times and have become very familiar in my hands. But perhaps they are now too familiar; they have lost their mystery and their power. Well, actually, it is I who have lost my reverence, and my belief.
It was a devastating moment for me to realize that those words which were powerful enough to raise new life and convert enemies into sons, today are no longer enough to captivate me. Those same words which I once treasured in my heart and whispered to myself as I fell asleep are now “rudimentary”, “simple”, “basic.” Now I gloss over them in my Bible. I can feel it, my grip has grown loose on this old treasure.
You see, those verses that I now so easily quote and so quickly dismiss are the roots of my faith. And from what I’ve learned from nature, you can’t outgrow your roots. The moment you separate from them, you will certainly perish.
So I guess it’s time to dust off those verses and love them again.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Eph 2:8 NAS95S)
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