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“The Only Way To Be Someone”
Categories: Christian character, discipleship, Midweek FR articlesThe initial tweet: “Jesus calls us to *be* different people, not just to *do* different things.” The response: “And yet, sometimes the only way to be someone is to do something.”
As a Bible teacher, I have often spoken about the importance of being transformed people, of having hearts and minds that are changed to our very core, and of fully being Christians—not just doing Christian things. And I don’t regret any of that, because it’s all Biblically accurate. But I find, as I look across the landscape of Christian teaching, that sometimes, I and others have taught strongly on the concepts of being, and perhaps too weakly on the ideas of doing. As the Twitter conversation above says, “Sometimes, the only way to be someone is to do something.”
The reality is that God calls his people to do a lot, and the great test of our faith is not always whether we mentally or emotionally approve of them and really “open our hearts to his truth.” The test comes down to whether or not we actually do what he’s told us to do. The lives of Abel, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, David, Samuel, and Daniel were characterized by the things they did or did not do when they followed God’s instructions. And our lives ought to be the same.
So, do we simply do what God calls us to do? Do we behave as husbands and wives like God has told us to? Do we control our words and give thanks to him always? Do we give to the poor? Do we pray? Do we refrain from gluttony and drunkenness as he has said we must? Do we turn our eyes from things that tempt us, including envy, lust, and greed? Do we control our anger? Do we forgive others who have repented toward us? Do we attend assemblies with his people to worship him and edify others?
All of those questions are based on verbs—action words. And they just compel us to ask whether we have the faith to do what God has called us to do.
“But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” (Jas. 2:18)
- Dan Lankford, minister
