Christ himself taught something very similar when he said, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). And, “(I pray) that they may all be one… so that the world may believe that you have sent me” (John 17:21). In other words, Jesus is teaching us that the world around us will make conclusions about whether or not He was truly from God based on how we treat one another.
Many of us who are parents have learned the hard way that our children are at least as tuned in to what we do as to what we say. Whether it’s the way that we drive, or spend our money or disagree with one another, they learn from what we do. I believe that living in a way that’s congruent with what we believe has never been more important than it is now, in the midst of our postmodern culture. In a culture that has largely given up on the idea of any kind of truth or the possibility of true heroes or role models, our only hope of being able to communicate the hope of the gospel is by communicating it with our lives.
The sad thing is that often times we don’t do a great job of representing Christ to the world. Remember though, that this is not a surprise to Christ! He chose us knowing our weakness. He is at work in us everyday forgiving and, “transforming us into his image, from one degree of glory to another” (2 Cor. 3:18).
Nathaniel Thompson
Assistant Pastor Trinity Church
12th Grade Apologetics Teacher