I was recently walking with my husband at our local state park when we heard an eagle cry out from the woods. My husband and his uncle, a zoologist, share a love for animals. This means I often get little nature lessons during our walks, and sure enough my husband proceeded to tell me a lesser-known fact about the supposed call of the eagle.

I was shocked to learn that what we had heard was not the cry of an eagle, but of a red-tailed hawk. He said that we normally mistake the hawk’s cry for an eagle’s because of Hollywood. The cry of an eagle is actually soft–closer to the sound of a seagull. In contrast, the call of the hawk is more powerful.

Because it is a symbol of the United States, it was determined that the eagle should have a strong cry, so its true voice was deemed unacceptable to the film and entertainment industries. In an attempt to bolster the image of the US, most film and audio depictions of eagles replace the soft cry of the eagle with the bold call of the red-tailed hawk. The result is that generations of Americans can’t identify the true call of the eagle if they hear it out in the wild. The repetition of the lie has made the truth unrecognizable.

When I heard this fact about the red-tailed hawk, I was reminded of the words of the Apostle Paul:

And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 3 I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. 4 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God (1 Cor 2:1-5).

As Paul speaks to the Corinthians, he reminds them of his conduct when he first came to them. Paul didn’t come with a worship band and smoke machine. He wasn’t a good speaker. He didn’t come to them with human wisdom, like that of the Greek philosophers of his day. Rather, he came in weakness and preached the simplicity of Christ and His death. Hunt remarks on this passage, saying:

The Apostle points out that when he came to them ministering the gospel of Jesus Christ, he did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to [them] the testimony of God. Paul is describing his normal practice which probably seemed more striking to the Corinthians who were steeped in Greek philosophy. His message was clear and simple…Because of the Crucifixion, Christ can pledge eternal life to anyone who believes in Him for it.” (Dwight Hunt, “First Corinthians,” The Grace New Testament Commentary, 353, emphasis added).

Sadly, Paul’s attitude is not always reflected in the Church today. Many are not content with the simplicity of the saving message. They sub out the message of eternal life by faith alone with what they consider a more impressive and powerful message. Instead of faith, it’s repentance. Instead of a gift, it’s surrendering all. Instead of grace, it’s by works. Altar calls and big revivals are elevated, while childlike faith is often ignored or seen as inferior. Like Hollywood, many churches and pastors have deemed the message of eternal life as a free gift too weak and have replaced it with the glitz and glam of heresy. When free grace people speak about the gift of eternal life, they are ridiculed for teaching “easy believism.”

In other words, like the real eagle’s call, the message of grace appears too easy and feeble to those who have heard only the synthetic version. Therefore, the gentle call of the Savior, that “whosoever believes in Him, shall not perish, but have eternal life,” has been dubbed inadequate and replaced with the red-tailed heresy of works-based salvation.

Even believers can become puffed up in proclaiming the saving message. Therefore, the Apostle Paul provides an important example to follow. We do not need to inflate the message of grace to make the Lord look good. We do not need big stages or a million likes on YouTube. We do not need to be the greatest speaker, and we certainly don’t need to add to the gospel to make people notice Him. The Lord does not need the wisdom of the world to bolster the saving message. In its simplicity, He is magnified. As one of my favorite free grace teachers once said:

All the lightning and thunder from Mount Sinai cannot compare in motivational power to the still small voice of God’s grace from Mount Calvary.