December 20

‘If sympathy is all that human beings need, then the Cross of Christ is a farce, there is no need for it.’ - Oswals Chambers
   We should always be keeping Christ’s sacrifice at the forefront of our witness to others. There is no other path to come to know God, but to come through Christ. This is true not only in our testimony, but also in our actions. We should be putting ourselves out for others because of a desire to do so for God’s good purposes. To act, even with good intent, without Christ as our impetus is to usurp God’s will for our own purposes.
   In acting in faith with Christ as witnesses to Christ, we begin in others a process of the identification and forgiveness of their sins. We cannot absolve others of their sin by our own means. Thus, failing to make Christ the focus of our witness deprives the observer of the opportunity for absolution and conviction of their sins.
OC describes witnessing without Christ as ‘amiable religiosity’. It is the giving of ourselves and our witness out of religious duty to fulfill a need in us as givers. This is false. We are not called to appease ourselves through action and witness, but to help others to know Christ by our example.
   Only the Cross can lead to salvation through redemption.