“We only rise in our lives to the degree to which the Gospel has been communicated in some way to us.” Have you ever been both encouraged and convicted at the same time? That’s what this statement has done for me. There is a responsibility to those who claim to follow Jesus to communicate who he is to those around them. I wonder, have we diluted “witnessing” down to be ineffective? We are kind to our neighbors and call that witnessing. Is it a step? Yes. But if all we communicate is kindness, then the understanding of the gospel will only be a thing that is kind. It is so much more than that. Understanding depravity opens the door to understanding that we need so much more than just kindness. To pursue holiness in our lives is to be more than just kind. Sin, whether it be intentional, habitual, or a surprise, is a barrier to living out the holiness we have been invited into. Sin attempts to pollute the gospel we are communicating. When we seek to live out holiness in every area of our lives, it communities a full gospel to those around us. A constant cleansing of sin, or perhaps better said a refining the image of God we are made in, is a key element to communicating a clear message of what the gospel is, and how it changes our lives.
I have certainly followed the train of thought that my spirit was good and my body was evil. Understanding that being made in the image of God, therefore being made in the image of good, changes that perspective. There is freedom in knowing that my flesh was made to model the perfect creator. There is also responsibility with this however, for it falls to me, a being of free will, to try my best to align my actions and behaviors with that of the one who created me in his perfect image. This sounds impossible. And it is without the grace that is also offered to me. God not only created me, but he also created ways for me to understand my depravity. He even provided examples of what must be done to be cleansed from it. And finally he executed that model to final perfection through the power of Jesus’ life death and resurection.