Dear friends, do you think you’ll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, “Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!” and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?
I can already hear one of you agreeing by saying, “Sounds good. You take care of the faith department, I’ll handle the works department.”
Not so fast. You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can show you my faith apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove.
James 2:14-18 (The Message)
I have always enjoyed this passage from the book of James, stated above from the translation, The Message. It points out the classic dialogue in Christian views of how one expresses their faith. In the seminary terms, it discusses the tension between orthodoxy (right beliefs) versus orthopraxy (right practices). In reality, both should be in place, inextricably linked. Our beliefs should result in good practices, loving practices. Sadly, what many outside the faith tend to see is an emphasis on right belief, not right practices.
Do most people see Christians exercising loving practices, or do they see smug judgement of people who may not believe in quite the right way? Well, we all need to look at our orthopraxy, because people will care very little for our orthodoxy if they do not experience our right practices.
Prayer: Lord, help us to practice what we believe, Amen
Reflections of a Counselor 