Perrydox.com is devoted to the pursuit of truth, whether plain or paradoxical, whether simple or sublime, or simply absurd yet absolute.
Genesis 22 – Divine Paradoxes
The difference between a contradiction and a paradox is that a paradox seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a truth which is generally understood. I find divine paradoxes to be rather different. They can still seem self-contradictory or absurd, and they still express truth, but they must be accepted without being generally understood. That is the whole premise of the incarnation. Acceptance, not understanding is the key, and is seen in Abraham’s binding of Isaac. Man’s mind cannot be comfortable with this. Therefore we manufacturer explanations, which become either manufactured explain-a-ways, or become a new set of doctrines that emphasizes one half of the paradox over the other. That is why some deny we are saved by faith and others deny we are saved by works. Amazingly both Paul and James use Abraham to teach the paradoxical truth (Rom 2; Jms 2). And yet there is another danger in all this. To accept without thinking can lead to accepting false premises that are not paradoxes but direct contradictions. Therefore we are to come and reason together (Isa.1.18). What’s the solution? Now get ready for the most uncomfortable truth. No one is saved because they understand everything. Put our trust, our faith, in Jesus and not in our solving the mysteries. This means we accept the paradoxes without first understanding. In the end, it becomes extremely comfortable. Christianity is indeed an uncomfortable, comfortable faith. How’s that for a paradox?
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