The Order of Operations: Orthodoxy Before Orthopraxy
As we move further into our Faith Under Pressure series, we have to keep coming back to our foundation. If you’ve been following along these last few weeks, you know our “golden rule” for this study: Orthodoxy before Orthopraxy.
In plain English? Right thinking must precede right doing. We don’t act our way into a new identity; we receive a new identity, and that changes how we act. Most of us get this backward. We try to fix our “evil deeds” to get close to God, but Paul shows us in Colossians 1 that the fix starts in the mind and the heart.
Embracing the “Suck”
Paul doesn’t pull any punches in verse 21. He reminds us that we were once “alienated” and “hostile in mind.”
Sometimes, we try to dress up our past or call our sins “struggles.” But as we often say here at ONE, grace begins where honesty lives. We have to be honest about the fact that, on our own, we are wretched. I call it “embracing the suck.” When the enemy whispers that you aren’t good enough, you can agree with him! You aren’t. But that’s exactly why the Gospel is so explosive—it’s not for the people who have it all figured out; it’s for the alienated.
The Miracle of the Middle Cross
The transition from verse 21 to verse 22 is the greatest “before and after” in human history.
- Before: Alienated, hostile, doing evil deeds.
- After: Reconciled, holy, blameless, and above reproach.
How? It’s not because you did a 180-degree turn on your own. It’s because of the Man on the middle cross. Think about the thief hanging next to Jesus. He had no resume. He had no “orthopraxy.” He didn’t know the address of a single Bible verse. But he turned to the Man in the middle and said, “Remember me.” And that was enough. Jesus didn’t just forgive that man; He redefined him. That’s the same miracle available to you. When God looks at you, He doesn’t see your jacked-up past; He sees the potential of Jesus.
Sustained by the Gospel
Paul gives us a final “if” in verse 23: if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast. Don’t let that “if” scare you into thinking you can lose your seat at the table. This is about the perseverance of the saints. The Gospel isn’t just the fire insurance that saves you; it’s the fuel that sustains you. You don’t “grow past” the Gospel; you grow deeper into it.
If Jesus Christ can hold the entire universe together (as we saw last week), believe me, He can hold your life together when the pressure is on. Stop letting anxiety lead your life and let the Almighty lead it instead.
Jesus, thank You for being the Man on the middle cross for me. I admit that I’ve been hostile in my thinking and messy in my actions. Today, I stop trying to fix myself and I surrender to Your reconciliation. Thank You for seeing me as holy and blameless, even when I feel anything but. Root me deep in Your truth so that when the world puts the pressure on, I won’t shift from the hope of Your message. Amen.
Is there a “dumb mistake” from your past that you’re still letting define you? This week, we challenge you to release that to the Man in the middle.
Remember, at ONE Church, No ONE Walks Alone. Share this post with someone who needs to hear that they are enough in Christ, or join the conversation in the comments below!
