"Preach the gospel at all times. Use words if
necessary"? - is a famous dictum attributed to Francis of Assisi.
According to those who know the relevant history well—the Franciscans—Francis
never uttered these words.
But more important, this dictum represents a significant error.
It's simply impossible to preach the gospel without words. The gospel is
inherently verbal, and preaching the gospel is inherently verbal behaviour.
Those who insist that the gospel can in fact be
"preached" without words, sometimes call this an
"incarnational" approach to evangelism. But the
belief that we can "preach the gospel" with our actions alone
represents muddled thinking. However important our actions may be (and they are
very important indeed), and whatever else we may be doing in terms of social
action, if the gospel is to be communicated at all, it must be put into words.
Few would deny that the holistic mission of the church is the best
possible platform for our verbal witness, and that our generation will be more
inclined to give us a hearing if we walk the talk. But let us not forget that
the church has been messy from the beginning, falling far short of living out
the Great Commandment. Yet despite our failures, the gospel itself remains marvellously
potent, the very "power of God unto salvation" to those who believe. The gospel's inherent power does not
fluctuate with the strengths or weaknesses of its messengers. This
truth is humbling, but also immensely liberating. In the end, my inability to
answer objections, my lack of training or experience, even failures in my own
faithfulness in living it out do not nullify the gospel's power. Its potency is
due to the working of God's Spirit. Even when we are at our best, the gospel is
powerful in spite of us, not because of us. Thanks be to God.
In 1 Corinthians 1:21, Paul says, "For since, in the wisdom
of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the
folly of what we preach to save those who believe." Paul is referring here
to what we have been calling the verbal witness of the gospel. This is God's
chosen modus operandi, Paul says, "so that no human being might
boast in the presence of God" (v. 29).
In Romans 10:14,15,17 Paul emphatically
says, ‘... how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how
shall they hear without preaching? And how shall they preach unless they are
sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace and bring
glad tidings of good things!" ... faith comes from hearing, and hearing by
the Word of God.’
The gospel of Jesus Christ is a verbal thing, and communicating it
requires putting it into words. This verbal witness is scarcely the whole of
our calling, but neither is it dispensable. Nothing can replace it. Let us
celebrate the reality that the power of the gospel resides not in us but in the
Spirit's application of the message we proclaim, the message that declares a
crucified Lord and Saviour.
