“Dusty Bibles” by Josiah Queen
By Debbie Waltz
After over four decades as a Christian, it’s tempting to settle into a spiritual routine. Because of fulfilling his earthly mission, Jesus ultimately sacrificed himself on the cross, which would serve as atonement for the sins of every person. It’s finished, right? Though that’s all accurate, we could miss out on God’s blessings. Since He’s always trying to change us from the inside out!
In our church’s study of Hebrews, we’ve been exploring how Jesus surpasses the traditions of the Old Testament. We studied how Jesus, as our high priest, established a new covenant, superseding the old one. Through faith we are not only cleansed of our sins, but also experience a new life in Jesus Christ.
It seems straightforward, doesn’t it? But do we truly comprehend the situation?
We were dead. Ephesians 2 says, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts..” (2-3) Thankfully it doesn’t end there. God in his mercy transforms our lives to give glory to Him.
How exactly does He do this?
- God awakens our dead soul. Through faith, he awakens our conscience to acknowledge the need for a Savior. It also means having a clear conscience before God. This doesn’t mean we don’t sin, just that we are continuously trying to please God and going to him when we fall short ( 1 John 1:9 )
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God redefines our lives, bringing dead works eternal value. We have a renewed sense of purpose, knowing that our lives have eternal value in God’s kingdom. We were created to serve him (Ephesians 2:10)
- God reawakens our worship. We no longer live but Christ lives within us. Therefore we should always have joy in our lives recognizing, what Jesus has done for us and what that means long-term. We get to spend our lives with him in heaven.
Sadly, Christians often forget this and spend their lives going through the motions without truly living in the reality of their faith. Josiah Queen’s song touches on the sad reality of this and encourages us to come back to what really matters