I heard recently that my blog is lacking something of an illustrative quality or practical application. I have been piecing through the idea of paradox recently and felt challenged to find an illustration that would quantify my previous blog.
Imagine this- You are you, a reasonably intelligent human being capable of discerning most truths from falsehoods. A mentally challenged person approaches you excited and begins to recount a story. The story entails them capturing a human baby from the roof top of a building that was on fire and under attack from crazed poison shooting aliens. After rescuing the baby from the roof the handicapped person goes to the police only to find that every officer in the station is corrupt and trying to steal his soul. He promptly rushes from the police station, leaps (in a single bound) across the Bering Sea, and returns the baby to it's rightful owner- Robert DeNiro.
You say? Ridiculous! You might be moved with compassion to hear the story to its end, but, nonetheless, you are not likely to believe this farce. It is an outrageous claim made by someone who clearly doesn't not have the mental capacity that you do and so, in your superior intelligence, you reject the tale as inaccurate and at best an exaggeration of truth.
After your rejection you walk away and your parents both come up to you to tell you that this story is true! Puzzled, you ask how they know and they inform you that they were there the entire way. They saw the whole thing unfold and could barely believe it themselves, yet they must because they witnessed it. Convinced that this wild story is truth, would you not be inclined to retell it? However, in retelling it you would note a few things.
1) You couldn't believe it either. Some persons that you trust dearly must convince you that it is true. It was outside of your knowledge and so you can have no claim to the belief itself without being convinced.
2) This story is insane. You probably won't believe it.
So the story represents the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension and all that comes with it. The idea that Jesus came as the Son of God and bore the sins of all of humanity at once is absolutely absurd. We are not inclined to believe such a tale without help. The witnesses are those who have given us revelation (Paul, James, John, Peter, etc) and ultimately God who has revealed Himself to us. They give us the ability to believe- someone we trust and rely on who has superior reasoning ability to our own is likely to convince us of truth. That is why we have teachers.
The belief in the story is our faith in the work and grace of God. So think on these things...I hope this helps.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
More on Paradox
As I said yesterday, there is not much on earth that claims to exalt the humble and humble the exalted. However, Christianity does lay claim to this statement and in fact proves it to be true. Christianity also moves towards glory in suffering, power in service, wisdom in submission, and the list goes on. It is difficult to give these paradoxes real, tangible reasons for existing within the faith, but I will try to do just that.
1 Corinthians 1:18 says the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to we who are being saved it is the power of God. We also hear that God will destroy the wisdom of the wise and the intelligence of the intelligent. He chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, the weak things to shame the strong, the lowly things and things that are not to nullify the things that are. So that no one may boast.
One of the more commonly repeated themes of the New Testament is that boasting should be done in Christ alone, not in our own works. So why on earth would God ordain a religion and faith that seem so backwards to what humans are accustomed to? So that all glory and honor would belong to him. Without the knowledge of God given to me I would not be believing. I surely would not put my faith in a poor Jewish man and some story of virgin birth, life, crucifixion, and resurrection. Ultimately, God ordained the paradox of Christianity to show us his power fully and with great clarity, knowing that no man who believes would believe in such a foolish message were it not for the validity of it in his own heart.
1 Corinthians 1:30-31- "It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us the wisdom from God- that is, our righteousness, holiness, and redemption. Therefore, as it is written, 'Let Him who boasts boast in the Lord.'"
Because of His sovereign grace we find ourselves believing. Our faith is not attributed to our own hearts, for our hearts are wicked and deceitful. Faith is granted by the new heart which is given by God. Our faith is the gift of God, it is because of Him that we are in Christ Jesus. Let us not boast in ourselves but in God for granting us the faith to believe in what once seemed to be the most foolish of all messages, the message of the cross. Through his infinite mercy we find ourselves believing, and the once foolish message has become for us the basis of our own righteousness, justification, holiness, and redemption.
1 Corinthians 1:18 says the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to we who are being saved it is the power of God. We also hear that God will destroy the wisdom of the wise and the intelligence of the intelligent. He chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, the weak things to shame the strong, the lowly things and things that are not to nullify the things that are. So that no one may boast.
One of the more commonly repeated themes of the New Testament is that boasting should be done in Christ alone, not in our own works. So why on earth would God ordain a religion and faith that seem so backwards to what humans are accustomed to? So that all glory and honor would belong to him. Without the knowledge of God given to me I would not be believing. I surely would not put my faith in a poor Jewish man and some story of virgin birth, life, crucifixion, and resurrection. Ultimately, God ordained the paradox of Christianity to show us his power fully and with great clarity, knowing that no man who believes would believe in such a foolish message were it not for the validity of it in his own heart.
1 Corinthians 1:30-31- "It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us the wisdom from God- that is, our righteousness, holiness, and redemption. Therefore, as it is written, 'Let Him who boasts boast in the Lord.'"
Because of His sovereign grace we find ourselves believing. Our faith is not attributed to our own hearts, for our hearts are wicked and deceitful. Faith is granted by the new heart which is given by God. Our faith is the gift of God, it is because of Him that we are in Christ Jesus. Let us not boast in ourselves but in God for granting us the faith to believe in what once seemed to be the most foolish of all messages, the message of the cross. Through his infinite mercy we find ourselves believing, and the once foolish message has become for us the basis of our own righteousness, justification, holiness, and redemption.
Monday, May 11, 2009
The Paradoxical Christianity
I have been reflecting much on the nature of Christianity. Quite obviously, the religion in itself is much backwards in the eyes of culture. There are not many other ideas prevalent in society that encourage the worship of a man who was crucified. The encouragement for improving your heavenly "status" is to take up your cross, deny the things that you wish to do most, and follow the man who leads us to the crucifix. The mark of a Christian is a cruciform life. It means that as Christians we are meant for something greater than a life of external comfort and situational happiness.
In Philippians 3 Paul writes that he considers EVERYTHING loss for the sake of knowing Christ...and he goes on to write one of the strangest passages in history v. 8-10 ff.- "...For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death..."
Paul says he has lost everything in his life and it matters not, because he has gained God and righteousness and even more, through this suffering, he has shared in the fellowship of the suffering of Christ. I am not aware of any other religion that has this approach to life. The ascetics do life without "pleasure" trying to isolate themselves from indulgences of the flesh, but they are hardly making the same statement as Paul here.
Some of the foremost persecutors of Christianity claim that the greatest unanswered question in the universe is how do Christians explain pain and loss in the world. The answer, I'm afraid, is not an easy one. It is not simply that God justly punishes in this life those that deserve it, and all those who live faithfully are rewarded by happy circumstances. The answer is this: Human suffering is an act of God in isolating the spirit of a man and calling him into fellowship with the Son. When Jesus Christ died on the cross he uttered the words, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" Not because God turned his back on him, like many believe...but because the God man, only familiar with living in the direct presence of the father, was quoting Psalm 22 in death. It is not a moment of weakness in his spirit, it is a word of encouragement for all believers from that point forward. Those 9 words will change our view of suffering for eternity (or at least, should change our view). When the human spirit loses all things and sinks to the deepest possible point it is generally overcome with the sense of loneliness, fear, and depression. These words change that perception if we are willing to see that in that moment of sadness, loneliness, fear, depression, or bitterness Christ is there. Christ's act of humility in leaving heaven to save all of us puts him in a place of suffering that we can only meet, we cannot exceed. And so by suffering, Christians are uniting with Christ. When we lose all things we are by default in a place of Spirit where there is only Christ, and he is seen with more clarity and resolve than at any other point in the Christian life.
So how do we respond to suffering? Realize this- God is not in the seat of judgment punishing you for sin. He is there, he is calling you...he bids you come, die, and find true life in him that can be touched by nothing.
"Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."
Psalm 73:25-26
In Philippians 3 Paul writes that he considers EVERYTHING loss for the sake of knowing Christ...and he goes on to write one of the strangest passages in history v. 8-10 ff.- "...For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death..."
Paul says he has lost everything in his life and it matters not, because he has gained God and righteousness and even more, through this suffering, he has shared in the fellowship of the suffering of Christ. I am not aware of any other religion that has this approach to life. The ascetics do life without "pleasure" trying to isolate themselves from indulgences of the flesh, but they are hardly making the same statement as Paul here.
Some of the foremost persecutors of Christianity claim that the greatest unanswered question in the universe is how do Christians explain pain and loss in the world. The answer, I'm afraid, is not an easy one. It is not simply that God justly punishes in this life those that deserve it, and all those who live faithfully are rewarded by happy circumstances. The answer is this: Human suffering is an act of God in isolating the spirit of a man and calling him into fellowship with the Son. When Jesus Christ died on the cross he uttered the words, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" Not because God turned his back on him, like many believe...but because the God man, only familiar with living in the direct presence of the father, was quoting Psalm 22 in death. It is not a moment of weakness in his spirit, it is a word of encouragement for all believers from that point forward. Those 9 words will change our view of suffering for eternity (or at least, should change our view). When the human spirit loses all things and sinks to the deepest possible point it is generally overcome with the sense of loneliness, fear, and depression. These words change that perception if we are willing to see that in that moment of sadness, loneliness, fear, depression, or bitterness Christ is there. Christ's act of humility in leaving heaven to save all of us puts him in a place of suffering that we can only meet, we cannot exceed. And so by suffering, Christians are uniting with Christ. When we lose all things we are by default in a place of Spirit where there is only Christ, and he is seen with more clarity and resolve than at any other point in the Christian life.
So how do we respond to suffering? Realize this- God is not in the seat of judgment punishing you for sin. He is there, he is calling you...he bids you come, die, and find true life in him that can be touched by nothing.
"Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."
Psalm 73:25-26
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