I wrote a post last week that stirred up a pretty good conversation. You can read that post, "do you think Jesus really cares if you... (thoughts on knowledge and action)" HERE.
What many of you wrote was much better than what I wrote in the blog originally, so I'm going to post some of your best thoughts and quotes. These are like the "best of the best". Some really great and profound stuff was said by YOU in the conversation.
If you want to interact with any of these thoughts/quotes feel free to do so here in the comments section below, OR simply join the actual conversation by clicking HERE.
Enjoy...
"I love truth. The problem is, I don't, and never will, have it straight, nor will anybody. Our cultural lenses, presuppositions, biases, social conditioning, etc... disallow it." - Scott Grace
"Orthopraxy without the guidance and worldview of Biblical Orthodoxy can be dangerous." - ben r.
[In response to the comment directly above...] "You mentioned that Orthopraxy minus Biblical Orthodoxy can be dangerous and that it leads to man-made traditions that ignore Scripture and while that is true the exact opposite is as well- those who are dogmatic about Biblical Orthodoxy and right beliefs often become entangled in their own self devised traditions and ignore the "weightier" matters like justice, mercy and faith." - quarter circle
"our beliefs are not called into called into question on that last day, but our works" - hassanpour
"their doctrine (however striaght and narrow) is ill when it doesnt produce the kind of good works that you mention in this blog." - hassanpour
[quoting James 2] "Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself." - musicman
"All points thereafter, you may be wrong in your interpretation or the next guy may be, but to be divisive is counter productive to the growing of God's family. I would rather be convinced in my own heart of a thing and live it out than to be paralyzed by study and produce no fruit." - Sam
"If you don't have Orthodoxy then how can you have "Orthopraxy"?" - Lopo
[response to the comment directly above] "there's nothing wrong with your statement but if i can, I might add that you cant know your orthodoxy is any good until it produces good orthopraxy." - hassanpour
"My sense is that the point of this conversation is not to eliminate historic orthodoxy in any fashion, but to express that many have decided on what they believe, created extensive doctrinal affirmations and continue to gather on Sundays for their expository sermons and unfolding of riches in the Scriptures, yet they generally ignore their responsibility to do mercy, faith and justice toward their neighbors." - quarter circle (his "sense" is correct)
[maybe one of the weirder-worded comments, but i like it!] "knowing doctrine and so to speak, having "all your ducks in a row" which who's ever seen ducks in a row. ...anyway.....having the knowledge then not loving and serving God's children is to me like knowing how how to drive and operate a car and leaving it parked in the garage. i'd rather crash trying to make a difference and to be blunt.. i don't think you can have knowledge and not take action." - andrew welch
"TRUTH as an ideal exists, i believe, eternally unchanged. Except it must be interpreted. You and I are imperfect, thus we have imperfect understandings of truth." - Scott Grace
"He [Jesus] did not come to feed the poor, take care of the widows..." - scott in ri [wow! that's interesting considering what I read in the gospels...]
"Unfortunately, many Evangelical Christians (that is a large umbrella) have been both nurtured in and contained in a system that artificially inflates negative feelings toward good works." - quarter circle
"we can have a great doctrinal statement but unless our actions follow up that statement then it is worthless and we don't really believe it." - Jim Dahlke
What's your favorite quote?
*Thanks to everyone for joining in! The conversations only make us better! keep it coming and be ready for "sort of part 3" on Monday!!!
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2 comments:
John 16:13...nuff said :)
EZ
Absolutely nothing new here, but i thought it was worth mentioning..
I saw something in 2 Tim 3:17 today, but it starts with verse 16: "All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,"
The next verse (17) tells us what the purpose of scripture is: good works! check it out: "that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work."
Using the scripture for teaching, reproof, correction, training all are for the preparation of God's man so that he will be competent and able to do good works.
As mentioned over and over and over again, and at the risk of being redundant: Paul is teaching that the purpose of God's word to us is so that we will be "equipped for every good work." So then the purpose of "getting it right" when it comes to orthodoxy is not so that we can conquer every doctrine and claim for ourselves orthodoxy, but the purpose of making sure our doctrine is right is so that we will rightly practice what we preach (or should be preaching).
Orthodoxy leads to orthopraxy, so much so, that if we lack orthopraxy our doxy is not very ortho... but i guess we already said that... sorry
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