Christian Living - Living the Paradox
One of the great keys to being able to understand the Christian life is to realize that living the Christian life is living a paradox.
My understanding of a paradox is simply this.
Two ideas that seemly conflict with each other but taken together reveal a greater truth.
I have found this to be a very critical key to understanding the word of God.
Much confusion and misunderstanding arise because this goes unnoticed, polarization between Christian groups occur as well.
One group rallies around the truths about having life more abundant.
Another group rallies around the truths about laying down your life and taking up your cross, self sacrifice.
Each group has a collection of their favorite scriptures that support their position, so which one is right? Both are right and both are wrong.
Not only that, often they actually fight against each other, even separate from each other, with each side convinced they are correct.
What do we do with these two scriptures; John 10:10 "...
I came that they might have life, and have it abundantly.
" Matthew 16:24 "...
If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.
" There appears to be a conflict here between these two ideas.
One says lay down your life and one says there is more life to be gained, so what do we do? We walk in both truths in the exact same moment in time.
That's living the paradox! As we deny ourselves taking up our cross we will have life and have it more abundantly.
There is no conflict here at all.
As I said earlier both sides are right and both are wrong.
Each side has just one side of the paradox.
What if the key to a more abundant life is hidden in the truth about taking up your cross? You see there is a greater truth in there! Gods thought are not our thoughts.
He operates on a much higher level.
How much higher? As high as the heavens are above the earth.
I believe God often hides truth inside a paradox.
He hides truth from the wise and the prudent, and He hides truth for His children.
All the treasures of wisdom are hidden in Jesus and we are in Jesus.
They are hidden for us not from us.
But they must be understood in Him, and He is not in anyway divided against Himself.
It is no wonder so many people feel the Bible is full of contradictions.
That is what a paradox is.
Statements that seem to contradict each other but when taken together a greater truth is revealed.
So as Gods people lets not try to convince the world that there are no contradictions in the Bible, lets just share the truths hidden in them!
My understanding of a paradox is simply this.
Two ideas that seemly conflict with each other but taken together reveal a greater truth.
I have found this to be a very critical key to understanding the word of God.
Much confusion and misunderstanding arise because this goes unnoticed, polarization between Christian groups occur as well.
One group rallies around the truths about having life more abundant.
Another group rallies around the truths about laying down your life and taking up your cross, self sacrifice.
Each group has a collection of their favorite scriptures that support their position, so which one is right? Both are right and both are wrong.
Not only that, often they actually fight against each other, even separate from each other, with each side convinced they are correct.
What do we do with these two scriptures; John 10:10 "...
I came that they might have life, and have it abundantly.
" Matthew 16:24 "...
If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.
" There appears to be a conflict here between these two ideas.
One says lay down your life and one says there is more life to be gained, so what do we do? We walk in both truths in the exact same moment in time.
That's living the paradox! As we deny ourselves taking up our cross we will have life and have it more abundantly.
There is no conflict here at all.
As I said earlier both sides are right and both are wrong.
Each side has just one side of the paradox.
What if the key to a more abundant life is hidden in the truth about taking up your cross? You see there is a greater truth in there! Gods thought are not our thoughts.
He operates on a much higher level.
How much higher? As high as the heavens are above the earth.
I believe God often hides truth inside a paradox.
He hides truth from the wise and the prudent, and He hides truth for His children.
All the treasures of wisdom are hidden in Jesus and we are in Jesus.
They are hidden for us not from us.
But they must be understood in Him, and He is not in anyway divided against Himself.
It is no wonder so many people feel the Bible is full of contradictions.
That is what a paradox is.
Statements that seem to contradict each other but when taken together a greater truth is revealed.
So as Gods people lets not try to convince the world that there are no contradictions in the Bible, lets just share the truths hidden in them!