I was thinking about language, as I am wont to do, and the word “testament” occurred to me. The Latin word testis means “a witness,” and testari means “to testify” or “to bear witness.” That’s why testament can also carry the idea of proof—something that shows a thing is true. We still use it that way: “His actions are a testament to his character.”
Over time, “testament” also came to mean a will—or, in the Bible’s framing, a covenant: something formally declared, confirmed, and binding. In that sense, a testament is a witnessed covenant. That gives us the Old Testament: God’s covenant with human beings, recorded in the Law and the Prophets, and confirmed by what He did and what He promised. And it gives us the New Testament: a new covenant from God to us—declared by Christ Himself: “This cup is the new covenant in My blood” (Luke 22:20).
That idea isn’t just theological to me—it’s personal. Here’s my question: Is my life a witness to His goodness, His grace, His power? Can people look at my life and say, “There—God at work, right there”? Maybe I show patience where I used to be angry. Maybe a situation turns so clearly that anyone watching can say, “Only God could have done that.” Maybe I learn, little by little, to die to myself for the sake of others, the way He calls me to. If so, my life becomes a sort of “new testament”—a fresh testimony to God’s promises and power. I want my life to point to the goodness of God.
I am so convinced of the testimony of God in my life that I can't fathom any other answer to the big questions. My hope is that I'm able to reveal that testimony in other people.
ReplyDeleteJust yesterday I heard this song play in my “around-the-house background music” rotation: Amy Grant’s “Every Heartbeat.” The lyrics to the song (which she co-wrote) in part are thus:
ReplyDeleteHear me speak what's on my mind
Let me give this testimony
Reaffirm that you will find
That you are my one and only
No exception to this rule
I'm simple but I'm no fool
I've got a witness happy to say
Every hour, every day
Every heartbeat bears your name
Loud and clear, they stake my claim
My red blood runs true blue
And every heartbeat belongs to you
Every heartbeat bears your name
Loud and clear, they stake my claim
Ask anyone and they'll tell you, it's true
That every heartbeat belongs to you
Grant’s personal Christian testimony aside, I like this declaration of devotion when directed to the Lord. People will freely testify of undying love and heartfelt emotion towards the special people in their lives, but too few have that same strong passion and commitment to living and dying for Christ--the Lover of our souls. (May even such secular songs lead hearers to praise the Lord!) My husband and I have been stalling getting our official “last will and testament” drawn up, but my testimony for all my days remaining before that document becomes relevant would witness to God’s presence and power in my life. May I “always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you …” (1 Pet. 3:15).