Heads, Hearts, & Hands
Have you ever wondered…
Why some people seem to do so much “good” in the world (orthopraxy), yet treat people like garbage (no orthopathy) especially when they claim to love the Lord? Or how some people do a lot of “good” (orthopraxy), yet their beliefs are very… unorthodox? Or even when people have the right beliefs about God, humanity, and life (orthodoxy), yet do nothing about what they believe (orthopraxy)? Me too. But it’s a simple, yet complex answer: all of their ortho’s are misaligned.
“Britani, what in the world are these ortho’s you are talking about?”
The 3 ortho’s: orthDOXY, orthoPRAXY, and orthoPATHY, are a theological trinity of sorts that we don’t often think or talk about. While it’s not a doctrine found in Scripture, it should come as a natural outworking of having a healthy relationship with God. If one of these 3 are missing from this holistic triad, it throws everything else off.
Orthodoxy: Right Head Knowledge & Beliefs.
Orthodoxy refers to correct doctrine or belief. The main way we determine this is first by holding the Scriptures, God’s Word, as the ultimate standard and authority (in context) in life. (John 17:17). The Scriptures are the main way we know what to believe about God, humanity, life, salvation, eternity, truth, etc., and then how to live rightly before Him. (2 Tim 3:16-17; Micah 6:8; Hebrews 4:12)
We then must interpret the Scriptures hermeneutically: take verses in context; understand the context of the books and passages we are reading; consider the culture and history of those times; look up the definition of words; use logic and common sense; seek to understand the big picture; interpret according to the genre of the book; learn about the author; and understand what the text means so that we may accurately apply it to our lives.
A lot of wrong doctrine (unorthodoxy) and heresy (heterodoxy) has come as a result of misguided human beings who were not led by Holy Spirit in their beliefs and teachings. This is why hermeneutics is important.
The right doctrine determines:
- what we believe about God and our relationship with Him;
- what we believe about and how we relate to ourselves;
- what we believe about and how we relate to others.
A prime example of orthodoxy would be needing to have a correct view of the Gospel. What we believe about God in His triune nature, mankind, salvation, and eternity are all non-negotiables when it comes to the Gospel. If we have an incorrect view of the Gospel, it will throw everything else off.
If we have the correct theological beliefs, we should then act rightly.
Orthopraxy: Right Actions Practiced By Your Hands & Feet.
“Orthodoxy (right beliefs) should naturally result in orthopraxy (right actions). When your actions are NOT right, it should call into question your beliefs. Jesus had a name for those claiming orthodoxy while having bad orthopraxy: hypocrites.”
Right beliefs should produce right actions. If we love God and believe *who* He says He is AND *what* He says, then our actions should follow what we believe, right? Without the right actions present in our lives because we love and want to honor God, we will be terribly inconsistent witnesses for Christ; also known as hypocrites.
Our doctrine is grossly insufficient if we do not act rightly on what we know and believe about God and the Scriptures.
Why do our actions matter so much? Because they show what we believe about God, His Word, ourselves, and others. It brings honor to God and clarity to an unbelieving world about Christ and how we are to live in light of knowing and believing God’s Word.
If we have the correct theological beliefs and the right actions, then we should also have the right heart affections for God and other image bearers.
Orthopathy: Right Heart Affections for God & People.
When you have the right feelings, emotions, passions, and affections it is called orthopathy. (Colossians 3:12; Galatians 5:22-23) It accompanies its sisters orthodoxy and orthopraxy as a holistic application. Though we can think rightly and practice rightly, if we do not have the correct feelings and emotions to accompany them, it can still cause our lives and interactions with others to be thrown off.
If our actions are not a result of our rightly aligned heart affections towards God and others, they might be seen as disingenuous by others. And even if other people can’t see that the right motive is not there, God can.
Not only can these misaligned heart affections affect others, they can affect us. One of the ways this shows up is if we consistently grow weary in doing well and good things for the Lord because we are always expecting God to do something for us in return. If we end up giving up and throwing in the towel every single time something does not go the way we expect or desire, we will not be driven to press on for the glory of the Lord.
If you’ve ever tended to houseplants, you know that in order for any of them to thrive, some extra TLC has to be given. Yes they need water, proper sunlight, their leaves dusted (so they can properly photosynthesize the sunlight they are receiving), and the soil also needs to be tilled. But the most important thing that some do not realize that they need is a heart to actually care for them. If your heart isn’t in it, if you don’t actually want to do it, you will not enjoy it and your houseplants will show that. But if you genuinely love taking care of your houseplants, they will thrive and live for years while also bringing you joy each time you see them. After all, their health and well-being will be a result of your care for them.
If we believe and act rightly, we should also have the right heart motive for doing what we do.
Here is an example of someone who is living without proper heart affections: Auri is a devout Christian and holds to orthodox Christian teachings. She lives this out by visiting the sick, feeding the hungry, and giving to the poor, yet she looks down on her neighbors (and sometimes herself) in disgust for whatever reason. This shows that she is not living in a way that harmoniously bridges the gap between what she believes, what she practices, and how she feels.
Another example is regarding sexual ethics: James has the orthodox Christian belief to refrain from sexual activity until he is married. This is a great thing that he is practicing abstinence as God’s Word calls him and anyone who is unmarried to do. But if his feelings and emotions are apathetic, withdrawn, or bypassed, he is not living up to his fullest potential as a disciple of Jesus Christ and with a theology that is also comprehensive. He is also more susceptible to putting himself into temptation’s way and falling into sexual sin especially when he starts to feel resentful and tired of obeying God for various reasons.
Scripture doesn’t tell us to follow our hearts, but when our hearts are renewed by Holy Spirit, we have an objective standard and a healthy framework by which to follow our hearts and how and when to do so.
Where Do We See The Ortho’s in Scripture?
“The Good Samaritan”
One Biblical example of orthodoxy, orthopraxy, and orthopathy working together is how the parable of the Good Samaritan plays out in Luke 10:25-37.
“ Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii[c] and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ “
Luke 10:30-35
The priest (priests officiated the sacrifices at the Temple and offered the prescribed sacrifices according to the Law in the Old Testament) and the Levite (the Levites, from the tribe of Levi, were one of the most important tribes in Israel because they were responsible for the religious leadership of the Jews) were supposed to be righteous men of God. Righteous people are those who love God and love others.
But it was the Samaritan, someone from a people group who was despised by the priest and the Levite, who went above and beyond to show compassion and stop to help the man who was robbed, beaten and left half dead on the side of the road!
He tended to his wounds, took him to an inn to be cared for by the innkeeper, and asked him to look after him until he returned! He went above and beyond to make sure this man was ok after experiencing a traumatizing event.
One of the reasons the parable of the good Samaritan was so important is because the Samaritan represented those that the supposed “righteous” men despised.
“The Fruit of the Spirit”
Another example of orthodoxy, orthopraxy, and orthopathy in the Scripture is the fruit of the Spirit which is laid out in Galatians 5:22-23:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
If we are producing this fruit, it’s because we believe God’s Word, we are acting on God’s Word, and Holy Spirit has transformed our hearts to do so.
All Together Now!
We all know that our affections and emotions are not always continuous. But we also don’t tell people that they should only believe and obey God when they feel like it nor that God is far away just because we don’t feel Him near. Imagine how our lives and spiritual walks with God would be if we did that!
We have to be honest with ourselves and acknowledge that there are times when our feelings and affections don’t align with what we believe and practice. But if we recognize that the harmony between them is necessary for a holistically healthy Christian life, we will be self-aware enough to know when our affections are off. And because Holy Spirit helps us to grow more in Christ-likeness, we can ask Him to help us align our beliefs, practices, and affections.
Why is aligning the 3 of these so hard? It’s not. It should be a natural outworking of the regenerative heartwork that Holy Spirit has done, is doing, and will do in us that causes us to live missionally and for Christ in our everyday lives.
If we love God, we will want to love others well. This means that we will desire to live a life where our beliefs, affections, and practice are in alignment and therefore honoring to God.
REFLECT & APPLY
Do you think your beliefs, actions, and feelings are in alignment with God, His heart, and His Word?
if you recognize that they aren’t, what are some practical steps you can take to do this?
