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Faithfulness

I am to do good to all people. I must be faithful to God’s goal to love my neighbor. I must devote myself to service. In particular, I need to go out of my for those who are following Jesus. They deserve my special attention.

Sharing blessings involves much more than teaching the Word and giving of our material substance. It also involves doing good “unto all people”. There are those in this world who do evil; in fact, there are those who return evil for good. Most of the people in the world return good for good and evil for evil. But the disciple of Jesus is supposed to return good for evil and to do this in a spirit of love. Actually, the disciple’s good works are a spiritual sacrifice that he gives to the Master.

We are to “do good unto all people.” This is how we let our light shine and glorify our Father in heaven. It is not only by words that we witness to the lost, but also by our works. In fact, our works pave the way for our verbal witness; they win us the right to be heard. It is not a question of asking, “Does this person deserve my good works?” Did we deserve what God did for us in the Messiah? Nor should we be like the defensive lawyer who tried to argue, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus made it very clear that the question is not “Who is my neighbor?” but “To whom can I be a neighbor?”

As we “do good unto all people,” we must give priority to “the household of faith,” the fellowship of believers. This does not mean that the local church should become an exclusive clique with the members isolated from the world around them and doing nothing to help the lost. Rather, it is a matter of balance. Certainly, the believers in Paul’s day would have greater needs than would the outsiders, since many of the believers suffered for their faith. Furthermore, a man always cares for his own family before he cares for the neighborhood.

We must remember, however, that we share with other disciples so that all of us might be able to share with a needy world. The disciple in the household of faith is a receiver that he might become a transmitter. As we abound in love for one another, we overflow in love for all men.

This is how it was meant to be.

  • Galatians 6:10 —So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.
  • 3 John 5 —Beloved, you are acting faithfully in whatever you accomplish for the brethren, and especially when they are strangers;
  • Romans 16:1–2 —I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea; that you receive her in the Master in a manner worthy of the saints, and that you help her in whatever matter she may have need of you; for she herself has also been a helper of many, and of myself as well.
  • 1 Peter 4:10 —As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

Sources:

Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 724). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.