“But as for me, may I never boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” (Galatians 6:14)
That God loves us in spite of our sin is the Gospel truth; but this truth can only be shared by words, since good deeds are easily taken to show the opposite -- that we love God. Faith is not understood when it is only demonstrated by life. The more sanctified a life without the verbal witness, the greater the danger of the Christian's goodness getting in the way. Should a person by the grace of God become easier to live with, he doesn't need to call attention to it: it will speak for itself. He can instead seek to balance the reverse effect of the good image by occasionally speaking of the unfavorable realities within, those parts that are still changing. In this way, his external behavior by contrast can point to the power of God, rather than to the effort of man. As John the Baptist said about Jesus, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30) When we decrease, He can increase, but not until.
-- Adapted from “Buried Alive” [1968] by Paul G. Johnson
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