“Preach the gospel, if necessary, use words”. Some of us might be familiar with this quote. I have seen it in several different places. The quote is attributed to Augustine of Hippo. I don’t know how much that is true, but every time I have seen the wrote, it has been attributed to Augustine.

The message that the author of the quote is trying to convey is that as believers, our life gives testimony to the gospel, so we should live in such a way that people come to Christ. On the surface, every sounds ok, but when we look at closely, we find that the quote is really unbiblical.  How so?

For someone to claim to be a Christian, they have to believe certain Truths about the Word of God and about Jesus Christ. No one becomes saved without an understand of these facts. What facts about the gospel? They have to believe they are sinners in need of a Savior. They also have to believe that Jesus is the only way to the Father, they have to believe that without Christ, one is lost for all eternity. No one comes to this knowledge just by watching the life of another.

Every time the gospel is proclaimed in the Bible, it is communicated with words. Here are some scriptures that emphasize the point:

I Corinthians 15:3-4  – For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures
1 Corinthians 1:21 – 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.
Acts 17:2-3 – And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ
Romans 10:14 – How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?

To believe that a person can be saved from their sins without hearing the gospel is to have a low view of the scriptures. To believe this is to deny the sufficiency and power of the scriptures. It is to attribute the salvation of souls to human effort instead of the miraculous work of the Holy Spirit.

You might be saying, I understand we have to share the gospel, but does that mean our lifestyle don’t play a role?  Of course it does! Our lifestyle gives evidence that we are in Christ. It tells the unbelieving world that we are separate from the World and live to glorify God. Giving testimony is not the same as coming to saving faith. Salvation is of the Lord; Psalms 3:8 – Salvation belongs to the LORD; your blessing be on your people! Selah.  He is the one that opens blind eyes and converts sinners, and He does it through the preaching of the word.

After Paul’s conversion, no one lived a godlier life than he did. If lifestyle is what saves people, then everyone who ever came across the apostle would have become saved immediately. I am not implying that we don’t live right – all true believers desire to obey God and His word, so enabled by the Holy Spirit, will live God pleasing lives that will be a witness to the world.

To believe that a person can be saved from their sins without hearing the gospel is to have a low view of the scriptures. To believe this is to deny the sufficiency and power of the scriptures. It is to attribute the salvation of souls to human effort instead of the miraculous work of the Holy Spirit.

We must never downplay nor sidestep the Word of God in salvation.  It is the Spirit of God, working through the Word of God that is the means by which the sinner comes to salvation.

Soli Seo Gloria!