There seems to be no end to the wisdom of J. C. Ryle, evidence of how saturated his life was with the Word of God. Here is a quote of his I read this week: “The Gospel which we possess was not given us only to be admired, talked of, professed—but practiced! The Gospel was not meant merely to reside in our intellect, memories, and tongues—but to be seen in our lives.” Today, we love to talk and express our opinions.
From everyday conversations, to the workplace, to the dreaded social media, it’s easy to talk about what we believe if we possess the boldness to do so. Far more important than our words, though, are our actions. The good news of Jesus is not something to be hidden (Matthew 5:14–16), but something to be shared with the entire world (Matthew 28:19–20; Mark 16:15). Are you practicing the Gospel?
Practicing the gospel means living the life Jesus would live if He were in our body. Everywhere Jesus went, He preached and demonstrated the gospel. He showed not only His love for people but modeled what it meant for us to love as He does. Remember when He taught the way to fulfill the commandments was to obey God and to love others (Matthew 22:37–40)? That’s what practicing the gospel looks like on a day-to-day basis.
We can’t just tell people how to be saved. We must show them what a life surrendered to Jesus looks like. Paul said we are the hands and feet of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27), and that means living out the gospel is an active event. Hands and feet create and move. They do things. This is our call in practicing the gospel. Don’t just throw out a few comments online or create pretty pictures with scripture verses on them. Those are fine, but it means nothing until you live what you believe.
Practicing the gospel means not just telling someone you love them, but showing them. Loving people might mean speaking the truth when it is uncomfortable and unpopular. There is nothing less loving than letting someone live their life in sin. That life will send them straight to Hell (Romans 6:23; James 1:14–15). We do not love anyone we are comfortable sending to Hell. Love seeks to rescue and redeem, not coddle and affirm. Speak the words Jesus spoke and light the way in the darkness (John 8:12; Matthew 5:16). That is what love looks like in action.
Practicing the gospel is the call for every disciple of Jesus. We are not content to learn about Him; we are compelled to live like Him. Everywhere we go, our goal is to bring the love of Jesus into that environment. We are His ambassadors, commissioned to make His Name known throughout the earth (2 Corinthians 5:20). There’s no such thing as a wallflower disciple, and this has nothing to do with your personality. You don’t factor into this equation because you no longer live, only Christ in you (Galatians 2:19-20). To practice the gospel is to practice obedience, and to practice obedience is to walk just as Jesus walked (1 John 2:6). This is our mission. If we live out that mission, we will see the world change. Are you practicing the gospel in your life?