Romans 10
There
is a popular story that goes around about St. Francis of Assisi. Francis was known for his acts of charity and
kindness. It is said that on one occasion he stated, “Preach the gospel. Use
words if necessary.” In short, let your deeds show your faith and your words are
unnecessary.
This is an appealing idea. Wouldn’t it
be great if Christians were known for their wonderful powerful loving behavior?
Wouldn’t it be awesome to have people flocking to the church because of the good
things we do? However, that is not how God’s plan. (Nor is there evidence that Francis ever made the
aforementioned comment.)
St. Paul says, “Faith comes by hearing,
and hearing by the word of Christ.” This would tell us that it is necessary to
use words to proclaim the Gospel. Indeed, we are to proclaim the word of Christ
– the message of His life, death, resurrection, ascension, and promised
return.
Now, please don’t misunderstand me. I am
in no way saying that the things we do don’t matter. Often our actions can be a
stumbling block to those who do not believe. If that stumbling block is because
they reject the truth of God’s Word, they stand in their judgment and there is
not much we can do about that, except to pray for them. If the stumbling block
is because of our behavior; that should drive us to confession, repentance, and
forgiveness.
Alternatively, our action can draw
people’s attention in a positive way. People often like it when they can do
good in the world. However, if they are drawn to Christianity because we do
good deeds the question becomes: Are they drawn to Christ or to the deeds? We
are perfectly capable of offering a Christ-less Christianity, which is utterly
useless and void of salvation.
We
do well to remember that God did not send just any person to save us. He sent
the Second Person of the Trinity, whom John identifies as, “The Word.” Jesus is
the Word-Become-Flesh. We speak of Him that others may believe in Him. We
repeat His message, and do not make up our own. We proclaim Christ crucified
and risen for our forgiveness, for that is our home, as well as the message of
the Word.
Lord, help me speak of You using Your Word
so others may believe in You. Amen.
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