The gospel has the power to change lives, but it does not do so apart from human effort. The gospel enlightens us, but we have to apply it to our lives. The salvation of our souls is, at least in part, determined by our willingness to live by the gospel. Hearing the Word is not enough, we must be doers (James 1:21-25). The doing begins with one’s initial obedience to the instructions of the gospel, but then it must continue for the rest of one’s life (Revelation 2:10).

The salvation of our souls is not the only reason to live by the gospel. As Christians, we must be aware of the watchful eye of the world at all times. People are constantly examining how those who claim to be Christians are living. As the song says, we are the only Bible some people will ever read. We must make sure that they get the right message.

Since we know that people in the world are watching us, we must watch how we live our lives before them. Listen to Peter:

1 Peter 2:12 (ESV)
¹² Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

Peter recognized that how we live before the world is important. Paul understood this as well.

2 Corinthians 8:21 (ESV)
²¹ For we aim at what is honorable not only in the Lord’s sight but also in the sight of man.

While we should want to do what is right in the sight of the Lord first, doing right in the sight of men carries some importance as well. We should have a good reputation among men. Darius, king of the Persians, observed Daniel’s life and called him “a servant of the living God,” and one who served God continually (Daniel 6:20). Do we have this kind of reputation among men?

Our lives should be beacons of morality as we attempt to influence people around us. We cannot have an impact on the world by living the same way they do. James wrote about the nature of true religion.

James 1:27 (ESV)
²⁷ Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

We keep ourselves unstained from the world by not engaging in behavior that is prevalent among men. Today, the world has a very liberal view of sexual immorality. Marriage is devalued and fornication is promoted, but the Bible tells us to abstain from it.

1 Thessalonians 4:3 (ESV)
³ For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality;

Paul told the Corinthians to “flee fornication” (1 Corinthians 6:18). Yes, sexual immorality was something that was especially prevalent among the Gentiles of the first century; thus, we find many exhortations to avoid it. It is, however, just as prevalent in our society today. Let us keep ourselves unstained from the world.

Sexual immorality is not the only sin we have to be diligent in avoiding. The world not only watches how we behave, but it also listens to how we talk. Living by the gospel includes watching our language by avoiding corrupt communication (Ephesians 4:29). Corrupt communication involves things such as cursing, gossiping, backbiting, lewd remarks, sarcasm, etc. While the world uses bad language all the time, most know that it is inappropriate. This is why they will often say things like, “excuse my language” after having used it. One thing a Christian should never have to say is “excuse my language.”

Colossians 4:5-6 (ESV)
⁵ Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. ⁶ Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

Let us be careful how we live before the world. How we talk, dress, and, behave among men is important, not only for the salvation of our souls, but also because of the influence we can have on those around us. Let us never forget the words of God Himself…”Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16).