Paradoxically True

The kingdom of God is not what we would think—and that’s a good thing.

Jumbo shrimp. Bittersweet. Exact estimate. Minor crisis. Humblebrag. Old news. Random order.  What do these words have in common? All are oxymorons, a literary term used to describe combined opposites. On the surface, we understand the ideas oxymorons communicate. However, each oxymoron represents an inherent contradiction.

Oxymorons, though, are not to be confused with paradoxes. My creative writing teacher put it this way: An oxymoron sounds true but is fake. A paradox sounds fake but may be true. For example: Less is more. People who can’t trust, can’t be trusted. The only constant is change.

At first, we might suppose that paradoxes exist because of sin in the world. After all, God is 100% true. In Him is no division. However, a cursory glance through Scripture reveals that the Bible is riddled with paradoxes. The last shall be first. When I am weak, then I am strong. Lose your life to find it. Indeed, the very nature of Jesus seems contradictory. Born of a virgin. Fully God and fully man. The Lion and the Lamb. 

At first glance, these paradoxes seem to discredit Christianity. How can we reconcile these differences? 

We must recognize that these paradoxes support our faith. We have confidence in Christianity because our doctrine is something no man would invent. C.S. Lewis sums up this idea perfectly in Mere Christianity:

Reality, in fact, is usually something you could not have guessed. That is one of the reasons I believe Christianity. It is a religion you could not have guessed. If it offered us just the kind of universe we had always expected, I should feel we were making it up. But, in fact, it is not the sort of thing anyone would have made up. It has just that queer twist about it that the real things have. So let us leave behind all these boys’ philosophies—these over-simple answers. The problem is not simple and the answer is not going to be simple either. (Lewis 1952, 41-42)

Lewis, C.S. 1952. Mere Christianity. New York: HarperOne.

We must also realize that these paradoxes reveal pieces of God’s character. Our finite minds cannot comprehend God’s nature. How can God be both perfectly merciful and perfectly just? If you try to find the middle, you end up with a lukewarm average that violates God’s character. But in His mercy, God gives us pieces to fit together. Separated from one another, these fragments of truth are like cut glass: jarring and confusing. Placed together, they are like a stained-glass window that refracts the light to reveal a more complete (and beautiful) picture. 

If you’re still struggling with paradoxes, this example might help you. Imagine holding up a quarter to your friend and asking him what he sees. He says it’s a head, but you see an eagle. You could argue forever about what you see—and you would both be right. It’s only until you hold up a mirror that you see both sides at the same time.

As you do your devotions, look for the paradoxes. Don’t be afraid of the seeming contradictions. Wrestle with the questions and diligently search out the answers. After all, the more you learn, the more you realize how little you know.