The Foundation: Orthodoxy Before Orthopraxy

If you’ve been tracking with us through our Faith Under Pressure series, you know we’ve been sitting in the book of Colossians, hammering home one massive truth: Orthodoxy before Orthopraxy. Right thinking leads to right living. What we believe inevitably dictates how we behave.

In the first two chapters, Paul lays down the heavy doctrinal truth (orthodoxy) that Christ is preeminent, sufficient, and Lord of all. But as we cross the threshold into chapter three, Paul pivots to the practical application (orthopraxy). He takes the theology of the empty tomb and asks a very pointed question: If this is true, how should it change the way you live your Monday through Saturday?

The Resurrected Lord is in Control

Paul begins Colossians 3 with a massive statement: “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.”

In just one verse, Paul gives us three positional truths about Jesus right now: He is above all things (supreme authority), He is at the right hand of God (the highest place of honor and dignity), and He is seated (meaning His decisive, saving work on the cross is completely finished).

Because He is seated in complete authority, the resurrected Lord is in absolute control. He didn’t just survive the cross; He orchestrated it. And if He can control the wind, the waves, and the grave itself, He can absolutely handle the storms, diagnoses, and obstacles you are facing right now.

The Cross Didn’t Just Happen FOR You, It Happened TO You

Here is the crux of the message: The cross didn’t just happen for you; it happened to you. When Paul says, “If then you have been raised with Christ,” he is pointing out a radical reality. To be raised with Christ, you had to have died with Him first. Jesus didn’t rise from the grave so that you and I could stay exactly the same. He gave us a second chance at life.

Everybody wants to be strong, but nobody wants to be sore. Everybody wants the title of “Christian,” but very few want to actually pick up their cross and die to their flesh daily. But when you finally surrender, God gives you a completely new life.

Are You Bringing Heaven to Earth?

To live resurrected means to live like someone who has been given a second chance. It means you stop living enslaved to what Christ has already defeated, and you stop resurrecting the shame and guilt that Christ has already buried!

When you practice a resurrected life, your daily habits start to shift. You begin to bring the qualities of heaven into your earthly spaces—your home, your workplace, and your community.

• Hope is Alive: You start caring more about making an eternal impact than you do about your own immediate comfort.
• Grace is Greater: You stop holding grudges and start operating in the reality that God has more grace in Him than you have sin in you.
• New Life is Possible: People look at your life—your joy, your peace, your freedom—and they can clearly see that a dead person has been brought back to life.

If the tomb is empty, anything is possible. You don’t have to clean yourself up to come to Jesus. You just have to answer when He calls your name.

Lord Jesus,

Thank You for the reality of the empty tomb. Thank You that the cross didn’t just happen for me, but it happened to me, putting my old, dead self in the grave and giving me a brand new life. Forgive me for the times I have lived like I am still stuck in my past mistakes. I refuse to be enslaved by the shame You have already defeated. Help me to practice a resurrected life this week. Let my words, my actions, and my grace bring a little piece of heaven into every room I enter.

In Your holy name, Amen.

Are you living like someone who has been given a second chance, or are you still carrying the heavy weight of your past? Take a moment to reflect on today’s prayer, and don’t keep this truth to yourself—share this post with a friend or family member who needs the reminder that God has a second chance waiting for them. Remember, whatever you are facing this week, at ONE Church, No ONE Walks Alone.