¹⁶ However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” ¹⁷ So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

Personal testimony—might I be permitted to share personal evidence that faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ? During my college days I began to read the Bible in an effort to be well rounded in my education. Having taken a course on comparative religions taught by a “Christian atheist” (defined as one who self-identifies as a follower of the teachings of Christ, but believes there is no God), I embarked to seek the truth. After wading through Genesis (after all, one should always begin reading a book at chapter one, right?) and Exodus, then bogging down in the tedium of Leviticus (as I thought of it then), boredom led me to abandon my efforts. It was just too much work to follow the Bible’s teaching.

A number of years passed, and a co-worker shared her testimony with me. I successfully out-argued her each time we debated religion and spirituality (by that I mean I always got the last word in the logical debate). I was able (in my mind) to successfully refute what she had to say about faith in Christ and the Bible. That is, until she bought and gave me a copy of the New Testament. In essence she was saying, “I can’t out-argue you. But I challenge you to go to the source and read it for yourself.” My initial thought was that I had read it before (I deceived myself, for reading only the first three “books” of the Bible did not constitute having read the Bible).

However, I took up the challenge to be open minded enough to at least read the primary source of the Christian faith, and to read the whole thing, “even if it killed me.” Truth be known, my underlying motive was to gather fodder to prove my acquaintance wrong, to find errors and contradictions in the Bible. I began at the Gospel According to Matthew, refreshing in my memory faint recollections of stories I had learned in my childhood parochial school. But as I read, my heart unexpectedly began to burn inside of me. The word on the page became alive; my heart was convicted. The truth seared through my conscience. I was a sinner, lost and deserving God’s judgment. But in the Word I also discovered God’s love in the person and sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. He wanted to forgive me – that was a transfixing truth. I would be a fool for again turning my back on the Word. Through the Word, I came to believe that Jesus died for me. Through the Word, I was saved. Yes, faith came by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

Lord, thank You eternally for the Bible that taught me about Your love for me.