Do Opposites Attract?
Thoughts on an old adage
I have always heard the saying that opposites attract. My husband, John, and I are examples. He is excellent at math, analytics, and safety practices, while I am more of a musician, peacekeeper, and writer.
Certain things go hand in hand, such as: What goes up must come down. To open the lock, you need a key. A paper waits for the writing utensil, a bat is boring without a ball, and a dark room, once illuminated, loses its dreadfulness.
Though different in many ways, John and I have been together for many years. We complement each other even though our differences can cause friction.
One of the Pauline letters to Rome speaks of the internal polar friction we battle as followers of Christ.
I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. (Romans 7:15, NRSV)
Going hand in hand is precisely what faith and works are. Faith without works is useless, and the Book of James has something to say about that.
What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? (James 2:14, NKJV)
The author of James goes on to give us an example: If we see someone naked and hungry, we should not only speak words of encouragement, but we should do something to help remedy the situation.
Another adage is: “Actions speak louder than words.”
Scriptures reveal that our actions speak as to our faith. If we say to someone, “I love you,” but treat them with hateful deeds or harmful actions, our words of love mean nothing.
- Have we truly embraced Christ’s love? If we have, it should permeate every aspect of our being, compelling us to share this love with others.
- Do we know him as our Redeemer? If we did, we would share the salvation message with others.
- Do we genuinely believe in the power of forgiveness? If we do, we should be ready to extend to others what we have received.
- Do we believe Jesus brings light, hope, strength, and peace into our lives? If so, we would be faithful in our actions to the world.
Giving a hungry and thirsty person an empty plate and cup is absurd. Likewise, it is ridiculous to withhold Christ from someone who needs the Lord.
In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds. Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. (James 2:17–18, NKJV)
We are immoral, yet our opposite is the perfectly moral Christ. We sin, and He is sinless. As opposites, He attracts us. When we accept His invitation, we become one in Him, and our actions will display Him.
