A Good Post on The Relationship Between Declaration and Demonstration

J.R. Vassar writes:

"...as we call people to radical generosity, we must show how the gospel propels us to that kind of living. Jesus, although he was rich, for our sake became poor, so that we through his poverty might become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9). When the Gospel takes root in our lives, it becomes the story that shapes, informs, motivates and defines the decisions and direction of our lives. So, just like Christ, we gladly become poor, giving sacrificially of our lives to enrich the lives of others. Just as our Savior poured himself out to rescue and enrich our lives, so we would pour out our lives to rescue and enrich the lives of others – not just friends and family, but even those who are far from us. And we can do this without fear or regret because we are confident that a God who loves us with that kind of reckless affection won't leave us alone or withhold good from us. 

When gospel loving people express this radical generosity and are asked about it by a watching world, their explanation will be that the Gospel has moved their hearts to live like that. People will hear that in the Gospel they can be transformed into joyful, generous people, and Christ is exalted. But, if all we do is give people common sense reasons for and practical steps toward generosity, then their explanations will sound something like, "Well, I have so much and others have so little that I feel like I should share my resources," or "I find that I am a happier person when I exercise generosity." That answer only exalts the individual as a virtuous and happy person and creates a law that others need to keep if they are to be virtuous and happy. There is no gospel explanation in that answer and Christ is not exalted and the inquirer is not given hope. Christ may have been assumed in the answer, but he was not proclaimed.

We could say the same thing about purity in our singleness, covenant faithfulness in our marriages, integrity in our work life...All these things are the fruits of the gospel being worked out in our lives. When the gospel motivates this kind of life, it also explains this kind of life. Only then will the watching world be given the hope of the gospel and not the burden of law. A simple thought, but for me a helpful one.