The Door and Brian McLaren
Brian McLaren was interviewed by The Wittenburg Door and he was asked, “…how do we reclaim the term “Christian evangelical” so it can have a positive connotation again?”
To which he responded
“I think we need to go back to what Jesus said, “Let your light shine before humanity and they’ll see your good works and glorify God the Father.” We need to invest more of our energy in the doing of good works and less in this “culture wars” rhetoric because our world is in crisis, and we need a whole lot more good works about now, and a whole lot less talk.”
What are some actions you are taking to let your light shine before humanity?
August 16th, 2007 at 1:20 am
I would put forth that the world needs a whole lot more of Jesus Christ and a whole lot less of my good works. Outside of Jesus Christ I have no good works – why focus on the good people can do instead of the source of that goodness? It is too easy for my flesh to attempt good works and fail.
We should not focus on works, but rather on living a life that is resting in the finished, accomplished work of Christ, a life that has its source in Heaven, a life that is hidden with Christ in God.
Until we find our life, our very life itself – not help with it, but it’s headwaters, the source, the wellspring of life – in Christ; until our focus is on our beautiful Savior and our position in Him and not ourselves – not until then can we hope to be able to call anything we do good.
It is at this point, at the point of accepting by faith that which is positionally true, that we are seated in Heaven in Christ, that we are dead to sin, and alive unto God, that this living faith produces the works that James remarks about – the works that are evidence that we don’t have a dead faith. Any other works are dead works, just like any other faith is a dead faith.
So, preach the Glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ, and live a life in obedience to the Holy Spirit and the Holy Scriptures – these are the works that will shine, the works that will point sinners to Jesus Christ. After all it is only Jesus Christ who can save sinners out of this hopeless, sinful world – the world that is on its way to destruction. (Matt 7:13)