The Easiest Thing for a Christian to Do (and Maybe Salve His/Her Conscience)
I would like to say that this post will be short and sweet. I do intend for it to be short, but I am afraid that some who read it will think that it is not too sweet.
I wish that I could tell you the name of the person to blame for this if that, indeed, is your opinion. It might take some of the heat off of me. Unfortunately, I have no idea where I got this idea, but it has stuck with me for many years.
Before I let you in on the secret, let me make some observations and/or clear up some possible misunderstandings. First, I am a very strong believer in the “body concept” of the church as presented in Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12. Among other things, those passages teach that each member of the body of Christ (the church) has a function to perform and is important. Contrary to what some may think (and may seem to practice), there should be no impression given that there are “classes” of Christians similar to what some perceive as classes in various societies.
Second, I understand that the New Testament teaches that those who preach and teach can and should be supported financially. This is apparent as one reads both the teaching and the practice of those men who did this work during the time that the New Testament was being written.
Thirdly (and here is where I begin to get myself in some hot water), I’m not sure that I find the word “proxy” in my New Testament. I also find it difficult to justify this practice as I read the New Testament.
In case you don’t know what I have in mind, I found the following meaning/explanation for the word “proxy” in one of the online dictionaries I consulted:
“If you do something by proxy, you arrange for someone else to do it for you.” (collinsdictionary.com)
So, with all of that said, my nomination for the easiest thing for a Christian to do (and probably feel really good about it) is…
writing a check!
The relationship between faith and works has been the subject of centuries of debate. I will add nothing to that debate here.
What I will add, though, is no combination of faith and works can be done by proxy.
AUTHOR: Jim Faughn
