The quote is generally attributed to St. Francis of Assisi. "Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words if necessary." Mind you, Francis never said such a thing. It doesn't show up in any of his writings or in quotes from any of his disciples. He does say we Christians (actually, friars) should "preach by their deeds." So, what about it? Should we only "use words if necessary"? This isn't a St. Francis quote, but is the idea correct?
The idea, on the face of it, is nonsense. The "Gospel" refers to the "good news" about Christ. No amount of godly living will impart that information. In Paul's 2nd letter to the church at Thessalonica, he warns about God's retribution to "those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus" (2 Thess 1:8). If the Gospel is expressed in living a certain way, how does someone "obey" that? And, in Scripture, "preach" always means "to herald, to proclaim, to publish." The word, in fact, was generally used in reference to a public crier. Imagine that being performed in lifestyle only.
However, in another sense, the idea works. That is, "preaching" is using words to proclaim something. Thus using words is always necessary. And we know that, don't we? No, our problem, indeed, is that too often we forget that our actions must line up with our words. So the reminder that we should illustrate following Christ while we preach it is a good thing. Living the faith will never replace speaking the Gospel, but a failure to live it can be a loud noise to obscure the Gospel, can't it?
4 comments:
The sentiment may have had a good intention, but this "quote" has become a battlecry for not evangelizing.
David,
You hit the nail on the head. I think Peter talks about Christians behaving in such a way that the rest of the culture cannot say anything negative about you. I'd certainly hope that I could behave in a way that would be noticed and commented on to open the door to sharing my faith. But the notion that it can be done through action only is usually an excuse.
The saying you wrote about today always struck me as being “off” biblically, since I know that the NT books are full of instructions regarding both preaching the Gospel and demonstrating fruit of the Spirit. Living a godly life before others is certainly a strong witness (Matt. 5:16), but no matter how bright one’s light shines, others need the saving faith that comes by hearing the word of God (Rom. 10:17)--which will then produce that godly life in them. It is said that “actions speak louder than words,” and when those words are God’s “Gospel of peace,” they will create a new heart and produce real evidence of it.
I agree with David and Craig that this saying can be used to justify a neglect of personal evangelism. Also, it might feed--or even stem from--the improper notion that one’s good works are earning him/her salvation and are therefore all-important. To me, the saying creates a false dichotomy by emphasizing one crucial aspect of the Christian life over another, when both should be present.
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