Living out the Gospel

With Tongue or Foot?

Have you ever heard the phrase “Preach the gospel at all times, use words if necessary”? It is a saying often attributed to St. Francis of Assissi, a man who in his youth sought out life’s pleasures as he desired not thinking of the distance between man and God.

There were times throughout his brief life that Francis would contemplate deeply after sicknesses and grow closer and closer to others who were also suffering from either poverty, leprosy, and other ailments.

I often was frustrated with those who would intend on others to live a life by rules, regulations, and ideals without living up to their own measure. After becoming frustrated with others, I became frustrated with myself for not even being able to live up to my standards.

My words which I declared from my mouth were not backed up by the walk I lived and my lies became known to others which eroded my testimony of who I thought I was.

This was the frustration St. Francis of Assissi felt too as he looked out into the world and wondered why others who had plenty were not helping those who were struggling. He set out to live a life in poverty to aid those who were in need. His actions backed up what his heart believed.

St. Francis most definitely walked the walk he believed and sought out those that needed help.

While the saying to “Preach the gospel, use words if necessary” bring up the idea that Francis only worked out his life through almsgiving and begging, this is not the entire truth. This was the period in Francis’ life where he discovered his calling and spent the next 14 years preaching as well as helping others.

Lodyzhenskii, M. V.. 2011. Light Invisible : Satisfying the Thirst for Happiness. Jordanville: Holy Trinity Publications. Accessed January 23, 2022. ProQuest Ebook Central.

East Vs. West

Early Christianity was divided too over whether the faith was more spiritual or more grounded in action. The early divide gave us the Eastern Greek orthodox church and the Western Catholic Church.

We often think of only one method of working out God’s will in our lives. Wars have been fought and friends have been lost over this division in understanding how to become closer with God.

One says that you must do more in order to show how much you love God back for what He has done for you.

The other says that closeness is in isolation away from the world and maintaining separateness in a life of prayer and devotion only yields a holy spiritual walk with God.

When we are able to see that our perspectives must change depending on the situation at hand we are then able to both speak the truth and live the truth.

Where is my Zeal?

Paul’s words to the Romans encourages them to live out their faith. His words encourage them to embrace their zeal for God in a way that flows from their hearts to their mouths and is visible in their daily lives.

Romans 10:1 NASB95

Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation.

Romans 10:2 NASB95

For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge.

Romans 10:3 NASB95

For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.

Paul’s referencing the Israelite’s inability to maintain their own righteousness apart from God acknowledges in us all the methods we strive to attain righteousness without submission.

Unless we truly understand that God’s righteousness is unattainable through human methods, we will never fully understand it.

We must embrace that God bestows His righteousness upon those who would believe that He has done so through His son.

Romans 10:4 NASB95

For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

Romans 10:5 NASB95

For Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is based on law shall live by that righteousness.

Whatever your faith lies in, you must continually live out that faith to obtain your righteousness according to the Mosaic law. The sacrifices were endless until the time of Christ. The righteousness the people received was often forgotten about by the Israelites and therefore they also forgot how to maintain their relationship with God.

We often set up our own methods of setting rules and regulations for ourselves in order to make us feel right with the world. We do a good deed to make up for a bad one and we believe the scales of justice have been set right by our own hands.

This law we set for ourselves pales in comparison with what God has for us. Christ has fulfilled that law and surpasses it with the gift of grace.

Romans 10:6 NASB95

But the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down),

How would a mortal ascend into heaven to grab God and bring Him down to earth?

Philippians 3:9 NASB95

and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,

In comparing Romans 10:6 and Paul’s words in Philippians 3:9, one can see the common emphasis that righteousness is not achieved by human hands but is only achieved through faith in God.

Ortlund, Dane C.. Zeal Without Knowledge : The Concept of Zeal in Romans 10, Galatians 1, and Philippians 3. London: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2014. Accessed January 23, 2022. ProQuest Ebook Central.

Romans 10:7 NASB95

or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).”

In the same manner, who would be the one to rescue Christ from the dead other than God? There is no human capable of doing these things and therefore, the logical conclusion is that only God can accomplish these miracles.

Romans 10:8 NASB95

But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching,

We emphasize that the Word, Logos, Jesus Christ Himself is near you and is preparing your heart to hear His words. They may be spoken through another but they are His words to you and bestow His righteousness upon you if you receive them and believe them.

Romans 10:9 NASB95

that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;

Two actions are included in exercising your faith for salvation. Think about it in your heart soul and mind. Understand that the knowledge of who Jesus is yields a confession of the mouth that you believe He is Lord.

Romans 10:10 NASB95

for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

This is the salvation that Paul speaks of. He is wanting the people of Rome to recognize that righteousness and salvation are two different things. Receiving righteousness is the right standing in front of God. You are able to be seen by God as His child now because of Christ and that has gained you salvation as well.

Romans 10:11 NASB95

For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.”

Quoting Isaiah, Paul reminds his readers that it does not say that only the Israelites that believe in Him will not be disappointed but that Whoever, everyone, anyone who is capable of believing in Jesus will not be disappointed.

Romans 10:12 NASB95

For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him;

Romans 10:13 NASB95

for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

God is a good Father who has worked all things out for His glory through His Son. By doing so, He has given you a gift that offers a just verdict for your life where you were on the outside looking in. Where you desired to belong to a family, belief in Jesus Christ brings you in from the winter storm and warms you eternally.

Methods of Sharing

One of my wife’s favorite songs is Love God Love People by Danny Gokey. It is a summarization of the two laws Jesus said were most important. It sums up the ten commandments in both the vertical worship and the horizontal visible outpouring of belief in action with your neighbor.

Your ultimate method of love for others is to share with them who Jesus is. If your righteousness has been made evident for you in your life and you have withheld sharing that with others, where is your love for them?

Paul’s words that profession of your faith results in salvation along with righteousness.

Some people begin with the head knowledge and their heart fears the actions which will follow with submission and commitment, paralyzing the person into a longing relationship; loving God from a distance until it is too late for them to utter their belief.

Some of you may go around and not share your belief with others and instead pity them for not knowing what you know.

How will that person ever understand unless it is explained to them?

St. Francis of Assissi both preached the good news and lived a life embracing the righteousness given to him as the gift that comes with that good news.

Churches must not become blind to both God and His children

The divide between Eastern thinking and Western thinking has been going on for millennia. If we believe we have in our limited time figured it out since 1954 in this church, we have only existed as a church for a limited amount of time compared to the long division in thinking.

We must embrace the ability to think critically of ourselves and realize where our zeal lies. Does it lie with the quest for knowledge of God without love for His children. Or do we encourage others to only show their love through their actions without developing the spiritual nurturing they need for individual growth?

This relationship is both individual and communal. We live, love, and learn together as well as on our own.

Churches today must understand there are many perspectives and God acknowledges each perspective as it becomes aware of who He is, yet it only His perspective which ultimately matters and the church must pray that it speaks His will, His grace, His justice, and His Son, Jesus Christ.