I watched an interview with a missionary couple as they promoted their work among Muslims. The couple was proud of their service which they said, and I quote:
We have never once opened a Bible, or talked about Jesus. We just give people food and show them love
The host interviewing the couple simply gushed with praise for this novel approach to missions–an approach focused on doing good deeds, but did not dare to offend or corrupt those good works with an agenda of offering salvation in Jesus Christ alone. As I watched, I was left wondering, at what point did some Christians determine that genuine compassion was demonstrated by fulfilling the physical needs of the poor while ignoring their spiritual need for salvation from sin?
Christ made it clear that He did not come to instigate an external social revolution, as many Jews of His days thought the Messiah would do. Jesus told Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting, that I might not be delivered up to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm” (John 18:36). Christ’s mission was “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10), and that is the mission of His church. When Christianity becomes closely identified with a social movement, the message of the gospel is in danger of being lost. — John MacArthur
We live in an age when compassion for the poor is in vogue among both saint and sinner alike. Many mega-church pastors are jumping on the bandwagon of joining forces for populist compassion, but this will not serve the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
- “From where will I, the doer of good, find purpose?”
- “From where will the woman freed from poverty derive her meaning?”
- “To whom will the recipient of my good works give thanks?”
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When a person needs washing inside and out, I think washing the outside is better than no washing at all. Though I agree that the washing on the inside is of utmost importance, some folks are afraid to get that dirty.
Hey Bro,
You know I have addressed some of this in my post “When Kingdoms Collide.” I would like to add that this is sort of a mixed bag. I of course understand where you are coming from. On the one hand I would praise these works… as would Jesus, I’m pretty sure.
However, Christ didn’t simply leave it at that. He eventually got around to speaking of the Kingdom to come. The social gospel is not gospel at all when it omits the new heaven and earth and “thy kingdom come.”
At the same time, I would fault some mainline evangelicals for their neglect of “feeding” the hungry (meeting physical needs) and only slamming them with “going to heaven” when they die. Both are lame presentations of the Kingdom Christ proclaimed.
Love you bro.
Katie, David,
I think you are both right on the balance points you offer.
Maybe another way to say it might be
“If Faith without Works is Dead;
Then Works without Faith are Fleeting”
Oh, I should mention to both of you, Katie and David, that your comments reminded me of something. I added a related link to the bottom of my post. Please see point #2 “God Talk is Expressed in our Acts of Compassion” of my post, “One Year With Karl Barth: God Talk”
Barth has some very salient quotes that give context to why we do good works and what makes them powerful agents for change.
I would love to know what you both think about Barth’s view on works of compassion.
I am with you on this Joe. It is a hard truth but the truth nonetheless. The doing of works is much easier than being transformed such that His life is expressed and draws men. It reminds me or Peter and John who, having neither silver or gold, did have something to give – the life of Christ. And of Jesus, who walked through a host of the infirm at the pool of Bethesda and yet only healed one man. I think we need a kingdom definition of compassion – not an emotional one.