In modern Christianity, it is common to define a true Christian as someone who believes the right doctrine—someone who affirms the Trinity, the deity of Christ, salvation by grace through faith, and the authority of Scripture. While right doctrine (orthodoxy) is essential, Christianity is not merely about intellectual assent to theological truths. The Bible teaches that a true Christian is marked by three things: right belief, love, and obedience.
These three elements are not separate, but together they define what it means to truly follow Christ. A person who professes correct doctrine but lacks love or obedience is not a true disciple. In fact, all of this is summed up in the true meaning of “orthodoxy,” which does not simply mean “right doctrine” but “right worship.”
In this post, we will explore why Christianity requires more than belief—why love and obedience are just as essential for being a true follower of Jesus.
Orthodoxy: More Than Right Belief—It Means Right Worship
Many assume that orthodoxy simply means “right doctrine”—believing the correct theological truths. However, the word orthodoxy comes from two Greek words:
- “Ortho” (ὀρθός) – meaning right, straight, or correct
- “Doxa” (δόξα) – meaning glory, worship, or praise
Thus, orthodoxy literally means “right worship,” not just “right belief.”
True worship of God is not just professing the right ideas about Him—it is a life fully devoted to Him in faith, love, and obedience. This means that a Christian who knows doctrine but does not love or obey is not truly orthodox.
John 4:23 – “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.”
True worship (orthodoxy) involves both truth (right doctrine) and spirit (love and obedience).
Right Belief Is Necessary, But Not Sufficient
It is true that right belief is essential to being a Christian. The Bible warns against false doctrines (Galatians 1:8-9, 2 John 1:9), and Jesus Himself said:
John 8:31-32 – “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Knowing the truth about who God is, who Christ is, and how salvation works is necessary. However, belief alone is not enough—even demons believe correct doctrine!
James 2:19 – “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!”
Demons know better than any theologian that Jesus is Lord—but they do not love or obey Him. Faith that does not lead to love and obedience is not true faith.
A True Christian Must Also Walk in Love
The Bible makes it abundantly clear that love is the defining characteristic of a true Christian.
John 13:34-35 – “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
This means that a person who believes the right doctrine but hates others is not a Christian. It also means that a person who argues theology but does not love the church does not know Christ. Finally, person who claims to know God but does not show love is a liar (1 John 4:7-8).
Paul echoes this in one of the strongest statements in Scripture:
1 Corinthians 13:1-3 – “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.”
In other words, you can have correct theology, spiritual gifts, and even great faith—but without love, you are nothing.
A True Christian Must Also Obey God
A third essential mark of a true Christian is obedience to God’s commands.
Jesus made this very clear:
John 14:15 – “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”
Many profess belief in Christ but live in disobedience to His Word. However, the Bible warns that those who do not obey prove they do not truly know Him.
1 John 2:3-4 – “And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says ‘I know him’ but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”
True worship (orthodoxy) means living in obedience to God’s commands.
James 1:22 – “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”
The Great Commission itself commands disciples not just to believe, but to obey:
Matthew 28:19-20 – “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”
True Christianity = Right Belief + Love + Obedience
A true Christian is marked by:
- Right belief (orthodox doctrine).
- Love (toward God and others).
- Obedience (faithful submission to God’s commands).
These are not separate things—they are one reality: true worship (orthodoxy).
The Bible warns against having one without the other:
- Right belief without love and obedience = Dead faith (James 2:26).
- Love without right belief = Empty sentiment (2 John 1:9).
- Obedience without right belief = Legalism (Matthew 23:23).
A true Christian has all three.
Orthodoxy as Right Worship
True Christianity is not just about knowing the right facts about God—it is about right worship, which includes right belief, love, and obedience.
Right belief means knowing the truth of who God is. Love means living out that truth by loving God and others. Obedience means submitting to God’s commands as an act of true worship.
This is true orthodoxy—not just having correct doctrine, but offering one’s life as a living sacrifice in love and obedience to Christ.
Romans 12:1 – “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”
A person who believes the right doctrine but does not love or obey is not a true Christian.
A person who truly knows God will love, obey, and live in worship.
This is what it means to be a follower of Jesus.
