Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.
Summary: Paul’s direct instruction about how we ought to conduct ourselves is the foundation for a lifetime of study and practice.
Finally — Paul provides us with a straightforward sentence!
“Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of ________ (fill in the blank).”
The nice thing about this sentence is that it works for anything you want to use it for. If you are a landscaper, you can tell your employees, “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of being a landscaper.” Of course, based on the landscapers I have known, that can leave a lot of room for interpretation.
Or what about the IRS employees?
If the boss said, “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the IRS,” would you know what that means? If you wanted to use your position in the IRS to audit the landscaper who overcharged you, would that be “worthy” of the IRS?
I don’t mean to pick on landscapers or the IRS, but you get the point. All you need to know to comply with this sentence is to be able to answer the question, “Worthy of what?”
In our case, the question is, “What does it mean to be ‘worthy’ of the gospel of Christ?”
If this question seems a bit ironic, it is. The whole point of the Gospel is that we are not worthy! (Romans 3:23). So what does Paul mean, exactly?
There are many possible answers to this question, but the first point to make is to clarify what Paul is not talking about. He is not suggesting we should try to be worthy of God’s love because we are perfect in any way, because we are not perfect and never will be (Ephesians 2:8-9). Instead, Paul is reminding us to show appreciation for the gift of eternal life given to us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
How do we do that?
The answer begins with humility. If we recognize the gift God has given us through his Son, Jesus, we will want to love and honor him above all else (Matthew 22: 37-38).
The second part of the answer has to do with how we treat other people. If we want to honor our Lord Jesus, we obey his command to love others as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:39).
If we do these two things and make them the centerpieces of our lives, then we will be conducting ourselves as people worthy of the Gospel.
Application: Stay close to Jesus in the Word and in prayer.
Food for Thought: Why is it difficult for one person to gauge how well another person is conducting their life?
Why is it difficult for one person to gauge how well another person is conducting their life?
Well, appearances can be deceiving, and perceptions can be misleading. That means what is presented may not necessarily be true, and what we think about it may be weighed against our own agenda. We do not know what is in the heart of another, and I would also say, we have to learn to recognize what is in our own heart. Paul’s imperative requires us to trust in the Lord, and lean not into our own understanding. Read His Word, pray, call on the Holy Spirit to shine light on our thoughts and desires, and to lead our actions. Then we will know that our conduct is worthy of the gospel of Christ, and we will see Christ in others (or not).
So to answer the question, I would say that the “gauge” is not necessarily the “achievement” or “result” of one’s life, from a human standpoint, but the impact that the Spirit of Christ has through one’s life.
Psalm 139:23-24
Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting!
1 Samuel 16:7
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
Thank you, Chris!
I like these words:
“We do not know what is in the heart of another, and I would also say, we have to learn to recognize what is in our own heart.”
That sums up a great deal of what the Bible is all about. 🙂
The simple answer is that it is hard for me to gauge someone else because I can’t see their heart – their motives and intentions. I can only see some outward actions – those actions they want me to see. But God sees all and we are accountable to Him (Hebrews 4: 13).
We don’t need to be too concerned about how someone sees us, really only how Christ sees us matters. While we definitely want to be a good testimony and let our light shine to earn a good reputation to glorify Christ, the ultimate goal is Christ. That He is glorified and that we please Him.
Thank you, Rich!
I like how you turned this around: We shouldn’t worry about how others see us, only about how Christ sees us.
In reality, of course, that is one of our battlegrounds between the “flesh” and the “spirit.” The flesh is concerned about what others think, the Spirit is concerned about what God thinks.