Last night, after Jude and I had prayed and I had told him a funny story, he told me that some “dumb people†might not believe in God and instead believe that “He is an altelegende.â€
First, I set Jude straight that it’s not because we are smarter than others that we believe in God, have repented of our sins and are trusting in Jesus alone for salvation. But rather, it’s because of God’s grace that we even saw the light. This little chat was made easier since I had just listened to a sermon that mentioned that those who are saved should not be full of pride. After all, we are saved not because of anything that we have done, but because of what He has done for us. (Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found. Was blind but now I see.)
After straightening Jude out on that, I then quizzed him down on what an “altelegende†is. A what? Huh? I didn’t understand. I figured he couldn’t pronounce the word he was trying to use. Then he described the word for me and it was clear that he was trying to say that some people would say that God is an old legend. Then it clicked with me “Alte Legende†means “old legend†in German. I suppose I should have thought of that sooner. Jude sometimes uses German words/pronunciations. For example, he calls “ninjas†“nin yasâ€, which is the German pronunciation. And, I’ve learned not to bother correcting him on that one.