Orthodoxy without Orthopraxy is Hypocrisy

Essays on
the social gospel

Can we teach an authentic Christian gospel without living an authentic Christian life? In theological terms must not orthodoxy (right teaching) include orthopraxy (right living)? In Matthew 25:1-13 Jesus encouraged us to DO something, to buy oil for our lamps rather than just sit around waiting for a heavenly oil delivery. What does it mean to buy this spiritual oil? Jesus divided what Christians DO (orthopraxy) into two areas: loving God and loving our neighbor. In practice, love for God is incomplete without love for neighbor. Acts of piety like weekly worship and daily prayers are one way to actively love God. Acts of mercy like feeding the poor are one way to actively love our neighbors. Can right teaching and right practice be separated? Jesus told the Pharisees that their orthodoxy without orthopraxy was hypocrisy (Matthew 23:1-12).

I Know You Not

In Matthew 25:1-13 Jesus told the lazy bridesmaids, “I know you not.” It is a shocking statement to believers! If Jesus does not know us what can we do? People get to know each other by spending time with each other. Do we make every effort to know God and allow him to know us? What are some ways that we can “buy oil” and allow God to get to know us? When people spend time together, they talk, listen and do things together. Many Christians pray, read the Bible and meditate on it. But the end of the same chapter shows that Jesus is also hungry, thirsty, a foreigner, unclothed, sick and imprisoned. Do we know Jesus by serving the needy? Where is Jesus in our community? Are we with him allowing him to get to know us?

God Knowing Us

Living God

The Greatest Commandment of all is the most important universal principle and is found in most religions. It is the command to love, and covers two important areas, we are to love God and love neighbor. Rick Warren reworded these great principles into worship and ministry. John Wesley and others reworded them into acts of piety and acts of mercy. Such good works are the light of the world that Jesus spoke of in the Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 25:1-13 Jesus began a much deeper discussion, expanding the Great Commandments. When we consider acts of love for God we also need to consider another very important question, does God know us? How does God get to know us except as we take time to pray? Knowing means a personal relationship. Knowing means time spent with one another.

Olive Oil

The Parable of the Ten Virgins is partly about olive oil (Matthew 25:1-13). It lit lamps, fueling the light of good deeds causing others to glorify God (Matthew 5:15-16). It was an offering and fueled a continual light in the tabernacle and the temple (Numbers 4:16). It was used to bake holy bread and the main ingredient in holy anointing oil (Exodus 30:22-31). Olive oil was used in numerous sacrifices. It was used for the healing of the sick (James 5:14) and symbolizes the Holy Spirit (1 Samuel 16:13). The five foolish virgins gave an inferior offering, with no fuel for their Christian light they were neglecting good deeds which would include the care of the sick and neglected spiritual things. Blessed is the one who remains awake and spiritually clothed (Revelation 16:15).

7 Churches Different Rewards

The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) has relevance to the letters to 7 churches of Revelation 2-3. If you have a red-letter Bible, you will notice these are also words of Jesus. Victorious Ephesians are rewarded with rights to the tree of life. Smyrnan overcomers will not be hurt by the second death. Victorious Pergamenians will receive hidden manna and a special reward. Thyatiran overcomers will receive power over nations. Victorious Sardians will be dressed in white and listed in the book of life. Philadelphian overcomers will be pillars in God’s temple. Victorious Laodiceans will be given positions with Christ on his throne. It seems that some of these churches are only given eternal life while others also have great positions over nations, in the temple or at the very throne of Christ based upon what they overcame.

Kingdom Capitalism

Business for
the Glory of God:
The Bible's Teaching on
the Moral Goodness
of Business

Private capitalism in the hands of greedy people causes gross inequities and class warfare. Private capitalism in the hands of people who love God and neighbor blesses everyone. That reality may help us to understand what the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) is all about. The honorable means to wealth is hard work, but for Jews under Roman occupation the means to wealth was by corruption and oppressing the poor. Wealth today can also be gotten by good and evil means and also be used for loving or selfish purposes. Why does the parable reward those who produce more spiritually for the kingdom of God? Because the parable is not about greedy capitalism, but kingdom capitalism. God knows that those who produce more spiritually will love him and their neighbors most, and be the most willing to share.

Risky Christianity

The Faith of Leap:
Embracing a
Theology of Risk,
Adventure & Courage

Is our personal spiritual journey one where we play it safe or are we willing to take risks? It is a risk to mention the Gospel to others. They may hate us, or dismiss us as nut cases, or they may believe and be saved. Many Christians take their faith and bury it (Matthew 25:14-30), but Christianity is meant to spread. In the Parable of the Talents Jesus likened the path that he would prefer a Christian to take to making business investments. A common practice in ancient times, before banking became common, was to bury money in the ground. It was the safe route. But Jesus does not want us to take the safe route with the spiritual investments that he has left us. He wants us to take risks and grow his investment. People are his treasure.

What God Requires of the Wealthy

The Responsibilities
of Wealth

As class warfare threatens, a question needs to be asked: What does God require of the wealthy? Wealth can be gained by good or evil means. Wealthy people also have a greater capacity for good or evil. Wealth does bring a greater responsibility for doing good in the world. In Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus went on to illustrate how those who have been given much can do so much more for God. In Luke 12:41-48 he reminded us that to whom much is given much is required. Warren Buffett has been preaching that the wealthy need to pay a greater share of taxes, but that is only a small part of the story. Wealthy people have far more capacity to show love to their neighbors in practical ways than the average person. Love for neighbor is what God requires.

A Gamble vs the Safe Route

Take the Risk:
Learning to Identify,
Choose, and Live
with Acceptable Risk

Some Christians are totally against gambling, meaning games of chance. Those same Christians rarely criticize farmers, job-hunters or entrepreneurs for taking a calculated gamble. The truth is there are stupid gambles where the odds are terrible, like state lotteries, most Casino games and jumping into business with inadequate preparation. There are also calculated gambles, like starting a business after thorough preparation, having car insurance or planting a crop of potatoes. In Matthew 25:18, 24-30, Jesus staked a group of people and he asked them to take a gamble with his money. He did not ask them to take any foolish risks, but to take a chance never-the-less. Sometimes in life we simply need to step out and take a gamble. Remember, it was the person who took the safe route who was criticized in the Parable of the Talents.

Grace is a Risk

What's So Amazing
About Grace?

Rather than take a risk that people may abuse freedoms, the legalistic solution is to ban them. We try to be more righteous than Jesus, ignoring Bible passages which reveal many such things as blessings from God if used rightly. Ban lists down through the ages have included topics like sex, dancing, alcohol, and card-playing. Grace is a risk. Legalism is not. Matthew 25:18, 24-30 encourages us to take the risk of grace. Yet we seek the safe route, put all our blessings in a napkin and bury them in the ground. Let’s not live life as if we just sucked on a sour lemon. Legalism seems safe but it is not. It is a prison. Jesus did not obey such silly Pharisaic taboos. Instead he took giant risks, dying on a cross so that some might be saved.