[but set an example for the believers] … in conduct…
Summary: What we say and what we do are both important. What is best is when the two match up.
So far, the whole passage we are looking at reads:
“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct…”
Speech and conduct are an interesting pair. You may have heard it said about someone that they “say one thing and do another.” That is often a textbook definition of hypocrisy. It can also be an indication of other failings, like forgetfulness or simply not caring.
What we do matters.
In fact, this may be one of the most consequential concepts in the Bible. An AI analysis of the New Testament generated the following:*
How we conduct ourselves tells a story about what we believe in our hearts.
This is not about judging other people’s hearts; it is instead a way of measuring our own faithfulness to God.
Someone who loves God above all else will try to please God (Matthew 22:37-38). If I want to please God, what I do will reflect that. Because God wants me to love others as I love myself (Matthew 22:39), I will be careful that what I say and do sets a good and godly example for others.
Why should we go to the effort to try to please God? As Paul writes in another letter, “Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?” (Romans 6:1).
Jesus tells the story of a man who had two sons (Matthew 21:28-32). He tells each son to go out and work in the father’s vineyard. The first son says, “No,” but ends up going and doing what his father asked. The second one says, “Yes,” but does not go.
In one sense, both of the sons qualify as hypocrites. Yet in God’s eyes, they are not the same. Jesus’ follow-up question is simple. He asks, “Which of the two did what his father wanted?” (Matthew 21:31).
In this example, what we do is more important than what we say.
Application: Live your faith in what you do.
Food for Thought: What is something we do every day that reflects our faith to others?
*ChatGPT response to the prompt: “How much of the New Testament has to do with the relationship between what we say and what we do?” May 27, 2026.
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