Hosea & Doctrinal Orthopraxy
By Michael Cochran
Continuing with ‘lessons we can learn from Hosea’ we come to probably one of the driving themes of the book as a whole.
In Presbyterian circles we often put a high mark on doctrinal orthodoxy. We want to make sure that our Ministers, our Elders, and our Deacons, all know and believe the right things. This is because these men are in positions of leadership and a church is only as strong as its leaders. We see this in the life of Israel all the time - heretical leaders infect the people of God (see Hos. 5:1-2).
But there is something we who value such high degrees of doctrinal orthodoxy can neglect. That would be doctrinal orthopraxy — or right behaviour. Just as orthodoxy is right beliefs, so the Bible places a premium on correct behaviour. Think about the 10 Commandments or Paul’s many ethical exhortations; not one of these are suggested behaviours!
It comes as a surprise then to see how little value we can place on doctrinal orthopraxy. We see something like this in Hosea 4. In vv 4-14 we have God’s contention with his wayward people (4:1), the northern tribes. The people are perishing from a lack of knowledge (they are falling into heresy or hetero-doxy) and this flows into evil behaviours (hetero-praxy) you can see the listing of the 10 commandments in v 2 and the way in which this pollutes the whole land in v 3.
What are we to draw from this?
I think we can bring out several important points for us.
First, Hosea (and indeed all the prophets), call on ministers to teach what the Bible says. There is in our day adn age, just as there was in ancient times, a neglect of God’s ethical demands on his people. For ministers to teach sin and vice as virtues is exactly what the priests were doing in Hosea’s time. God has commanded what is right, God has directed what marriage is (between a man and woman), and God has created us as he pleases (male and female). To say otherwise is to lead people into hetero-doxy and hetero-praxy and to bring about the judgment of God.
Second, what in Reformed and Presbyterian circles is more needed, I think, is a call to orthopraxy. We should value men’s character just as much as men’s confessions. Just as heresy leads into evil ways, so committing evil deeds leads into heresy. Think about the recent case of Ravi Zacharius (or … any number of current sexual abuse scandals in the US or UK). These were men who confessed, by all accounts, orthodox Christian theology. Yet they committed such terrible sins. How do we hold this together? The only option, it seems to me, is that they must not have believed what they confessed. Because to speak of grace and forgiveness of sins, leads to humility, grace, and care for others — just as God cares for us. To confess God as good while hurting others (and in his name no less), is the height of heresy. They are clearly preaching a gospel that has no effect upon them! What a dangerous place to find oneself in!
Third, while it can be easy to say, I do not promote sin as virtue and I’m not engaged in any kind of gross sin that overturns my confession, Hosea wants to hit home the need that we see expressed by Paul:
“Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.” (1 Timothy 4:16)
Keep watch on yourself AND your teaching in other words, your teaching should not dishonour God any more than your actions should! Yet how often this is not the case?
John Owen in his little book on Duties of Christian Fellowship says, rule 2: The pastor’s way of life is to be observed and carefully followed, to the extent that he walks in the way of Jesus Christ. I read this and I shake to think of my congregation following me in that manner.
Do I follow Jesus in every avenue of my life? No. Have I ever preached a sermon in which I was hypocritically calling others to do that which I wasn’t doing? Yes. Have I ever preached a sermon in my own strength, from a week of prayerlessness? Yes. Have I ever preached a sermon, extolling the glories of Christ, while harbouring idols in my heart? Yes.
Hosea holds out hope though. God is gracious. It is God who woos, God who calls, God who speaks. It is God who continually offers repentance and forgiveness to those who come. Hosea is a book full of hope. The last chapter, 14 v 1, calls Israel to return.
We would do well to dwell more on the prophets. Yes they are hard. Yes they are hard-hitting. Any self examination that exposes your sins is not going to be fun! But like the great physician, you need your annual, monthly, weekly, daily, spiritual health check ups. Guard yourself and your teaching, so that you will save yourself, and those you preach, teach, and lead! Minister, hear these words, repent, come to Jesus and from that grace proclaim all the more bodily, Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost!
