It is good to teach, if he who speaks also acts.
Ignatius, To the Ephesians, chapter 15
St. Ignatius contrasts talking as a Christian with actually living as one. In the same passage he affirms teaching when the speaker also acts upon what is taught. He is calling for agreement between profession and conduct. The warning concerns words that outrun the life of the person speaking. Ignatius, To the Ephesians, chapter 15
Ignatius directs attention to Christ as Teacher and reminds the Ephesians that their hidden life is known to God. Faithfulness is therefore more than an impression produced before other people. The conduct unnoticed by an audience still belongs to the life offered to Him. Ignatius, To the Ephesians, chapter 15
James tells hearers of the word to become doers. His image of the mirror describes hearing that is quickly forgotten; the alternative is attentive perseverance in what has been heard. The passage makes action part of receiving the word honestly. It gives a scriptural comparison for Ignatius’s concern about teaching and conduct. James 1:22-25
This does not require waiting for perfection before speaking about Christ. Ignatius explicitly values teaching joined to action. The response is to let the teaching address our own conduct too: the command we explain to someone else must remain a command we are willing to practice. Where a fault becomes clear, repentance belongs to that willingness. Ignatius, To the Ephesians, chapter 15
Consider one thing you have recently urged another person to do. Bring it before your own life and ask what obedience it requires today. This is a limited application of the sources, rather than a new spiritual technique. Hearing, speaking and acting can be brought together under the word we have received. James 1:22-25
For prayer, use the Lord’s Prayer given by Christ in Matthew 6:9–13.
Sources and edition notes
- Ignatius, To the Ephesians. Source. Translated by Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson. From Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 1. Edited by Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1885.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0104.htm.
Scripture references link to these comparison editions: NKJV. Biblical passages are paraphrased. Biblical language within a patristic quotation follows the identified historical English translation.