Do you remember the old song Somebody Touched Me? When I was younger my church would sing the chorus with the days of the week and people would stand on the day that the Lord “touched” them. Most everyone stood at some time, that is, except for a few people who were not clapping and always seemed to question things.
The thing was, I couldn’t remember what day God touched me. Of course, not wanting to leave the ignorant out there was a chorus for me too. It went like this, “I don’t know what day it was, but somebody touched me.” So, I stood on that verse.
The sad part is that while everyone is talking about being touched by the Lord, it is silent about the gospel of salvation. Yet, that is the point of the standing isn’t it?
Consequently, there I was not knowing what “day it was”, not know who the person was that touched me, not knowing how it feels to be touched by the Lord, and not knowing how to be saved. I was ignorant of the gospel, but I stood anyway.
Being raised in a Christian environment, I was surrounded by the phrases and books of the Bible. Praising the Lord, singing to the Lord, loving the Lord, and honoring the name of Jesus were not new to me. Yet, I had no idea about salvation.
I had been emotionally touched by Jesus’ bloody death, touched again by the stories of Israelites and missionaries who stood against all odds for God – what commitment! I had been touched by the kindness of people and the joy of singing and eating with friends. Though God had not touched me in a physical way, the religion of God had touched me.
It was true that I had been touched, but I was going to hell without hearing and understanding the gospel of Christ which was the only thing that could deliver me from death.
It wasn’t until later that I was first exposed to the gospel, and years after that I understood its simplicity. I still don’t know what day it was that God saved me, but now I know the gospel of salvation that Christ took my place, paid for my sins with his death blood, and defeated death so that I could live in resurrection with him.
There was not a magic moment to my salvation. Neither was there a special day that I marked on my calendar that was my salvation “anniversary”. This is how it is for many in American Churchianity. They are exposed to a religious system for years without hearing or trusting the gospel. If they are able to hear the gospel, it is a slow process that must dispel religious confusion until finally what’s left is the pure gospel of Christ.
For those who have never heard the Bible, gospel presentations start from the ground up and the gospel is quickly believed. For those stuck in a religious system, gospel ministry takes more time to cut away the dead branches of wrong beliefs, ignorant songs, and confusion.
Salvation is not a touch from God, a feeling of warmth about religion, or a day of the week. Salvation was provided for all of us two thousand years ago with the death and resurrection of Christ. If you are still confused by the gospel after years in religion, now is the time to set things straight.
Article Index Published: June 18, 2011
Last Modified: January 26, 2017