Do our actions speak louder than words? Is it our walk and not our talk that really counts? This idea is prevalent across the entire demographic of the church. So is it true?
It is clear to me that the Bible places a great deal of importance on the spoken word. Beginning with the account of creation in Genesis, where God spoke everything into existence, the Bible tells us that words matter. Words are important. Very important.
We need to understand what New Testament writers are referring to when they refer to the word of God. For example, the popular verse "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12) What is meant by 'the word of God'? A little exploration reveals that the phrase 'word of God', as used here and elsewhere, is not referring to the canon of scripture (indeed scripture was not yet canonized) but to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For example, Peter writes in his first epistle "...since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God... And this word is the good news that was preached to you." (1 Peter 1:23-25)
The living and active Word is the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel is 'good news' - an announcement of the redemption of mankind. The gospel cannot be represented by our actions, as it is not something we act out (though we do, hopefully, live it out). The gospel is words. Just as God spoke everything into existence, salvation comes by no other means than through that which God has given us to speak - the gospel. You see, no one can truly come to faith without the gospel because "...faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." (Romans 10:17) The word 'of' here could just as easily be translated 'about'. So what we do is of little consequence in producing faith, as faith comes by hearing words about Christ.
Jesus was an example to us, but not primarily an example. Jesus came to be a savior. He came to live a life of perfect law-keeping and to die on the cross. We can hold him up all we want as an example, but when we fail to tell people of what he accomplished we are withholding from them the truth that is supposed to set them free. By grace we live a life that pleases God, not by trying to follow an example. It is the gospel alone that is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who beleives (Romans 1:16).
We so need to stop thinking that we are the gospel. We are not The Word. Jesus was The Word - the logos. We are sinners saved by grace through the hearing of the word about Christ. To lead people to believe otherwise is to endanger their souls. When we say that our actions speak louder than words, we are saying that we are a replacement for The Word. Even if actions do speak louder than words, the word of God (the gospel of Jesus Christ) speaks louder than both.
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