March 14, 2019│By Scott Bessenecker, InterVarsity/USA
Belief and action. In Revelation, we see these two concepts held up side by side. Christ says to several of the churches in the opening chapters of the book, “I know your deeds,” while chiding or commending others because of their beliefs.
It’s easy, though, for us to emphasize action (orthopraxy) over belief (orthodoxy) or vice versa. But Scripture teaches that Christ-followers need to chase both relentlessly. When we do, we experience holistic mission—the kind of life Jesus calls us to.
More Than Good Works
I’ve met non-Christians who live amazing lives of radical love and service. They have a strong sense of orthopraxy but very little understanding of who Jesus is.
In this situation, it’s important to remember that Jesus is not so hard on those with bad theology but good action. Jesus thought Samaritan theology was wrong, saying, “You Samaritans worship what you do not know” (John 4:22). Yet in Luke 10, he tells a Jewish legal expert the story of a Samaritan who lived out the command to love his neighbor better than those with good theology. In fact, there are numerous positive examples in Scripture of those who have wrong belief but right actions (e.g., the Magi, the widow of Zarephath, Naaman the Syrian, or Ruth the Moabitess).
And yet those leading a life of high orthopraxy but low orthodoxy cannot address the spiritual hunger of those they serve. This kind of lifestyle and mindset often aligns with humanism, which claims that humans are at the center of the universe, and leads to a lost sense of intimacy with our Creator.
More Than Good Theology
I’ve also met people who are extremely adept at sorting out spiritual truth from falsehood, but their life of faith is mostly lived out in the mind. The Jewish leaders of Jesus’ day, called Pharisees, were experts at orthodoxy. But Jesus told them, “You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life” (John 5:39–40). Christ was severe toward the Pharisees who had a high sense of orthodoxy but a low value of orthopraxy. Not surprisingly, when others emulate this same behavior, it’s called Phariseeism.
Holistic Mission
When there’s a low sense of orthodoxy and orthopraxy, it’s known as nominalism—the complete opposite of what Christ calls us to.
Instead we are called to lead lives where orthodoxy and orthopraxy go hand in hand, where we have a solid grasp of the truth and imitate Jesus in daily life. Only then can we live out holistic mission: a concern for the whole person and the systems and structures that impact our communities.
Revelation gives us a rich vision of holistic mission. It’s less about people going to heaven than it is about heaven coming to earth. We see ecological flourishing, ethnic harmony, and economic prosperity. We witness the glory of the nations being brought into the New Jerusalem. It’s a picture of redeemed people, cultures, and nature.
May God put a longing in our hearts for this kind of holistic mission, where we excel at both right belief and right action to the glory of God!