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Do you have beautiful feet?

Like other biblical writers, Paul uses parts of the body to describe important spiritual functions. In Romans 10.9-13, for example, he uses the mouth and the heart respectively as metonyms for public confession and authentic belief. In verses 14-17, he uses the feet as a metonym for evangelism.

Here’s what Paul says:

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written [in Isaiah 52.7], “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah [53.1] says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.

Paul begins with a series of questions that move backward from effect to cause. Remember, in verse 13, he wrote, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Calling on the Lord’s name is the effect of faith. Faith is the effect of hearing a presentation of the gospel. One cannot hear such a presentation unless someone gives it. And that person will not give it unless he or she feels compelled to do so. That compulsion is itself the effect of being sent out by Christ to “make disciples,” which in turn means “teaching them to obey everything I [Jesus] have commanded you” (Matthew 28.19, 20). Salvation, then, is the final effect of faith responding to the word of Christ.

Obviously, however, Christ did not personally share the gospel with us. Someone else did as his messenger. In the ancient world, messengers ran from the scene of battle to the army’s home town in order to tell the outcome. Although callused, dusty, swollen, and sore, the messenger’s feet were considered beautiful by the townspeople if they brought good news of victory with them. Similarly, despite our manifest imperfections, people will consider us in a favorable light if they find salvation through our testimony.

So, back to the question: Do you have beautiful feet? Having believed in Jesus Christ for your own salvation, are you quick to share that faith with others? Are you the messenger who runs the marathon from battlefield to town square in order to tell others about Christ’s victory over sin and death? If not, why not? By nature, good news is meant to be shared.

If you don’t know what to say, just share your story and the Jesus story. If you’d like some practical hints about how to do that, listen to this sermon I recently gave at SeaCoast Grace Church in Cypress, California. (It may take a few minutes to download.) In it, my brother-in-law shares his story, and I offer some practical ideas about how to communicate the Jesus story. Sharing your faith isn’t difficult. It just requires the courage to stand on your feet and walk across the room to someone who needs good news.