The Bible often confronts us with paradoxical truths that require us to hold two seemingly contradictory ideas in tension. The trinity is a famous example of this. The statement that there is one God who exists eternally in three persons is inherently paradoxical. We might ask, “Is God one or is He three?” The answer, however, at least according to the Word of God, is not an either/or sort of proposition. He is one in three, not one or three. That’s hard to wrap our mind around. That’s paradox. The nature of Christ, that He is fully God and fully man at the same time without being less of either, is another example. There are many such teachings in the Bible. A paradox is a seeming contradiction that, when properly understood, reveals the fullness of truth and what is closest to God’s heart. An unseemly and lopsided Christianity develops when we adopt part of the truth and not the whole. Every time scripture confronts us with paradox it is an invitation to go exploring with God, and to discover the full scope of a truth.
This summer we’ll be exploring some paradoxical teachings that we find in the Bible, and my hope is that God will use these studies to deepen our understanding and commitment to the truth.
There are many famous paradoxes in the Bible, and we’ll get to many of those, but we’ll begin this Sunday with a lesser-known paradox found in Proverbs 26:4-5:
Answer not a fool according to his folly,
lest you be like him yourself.
Answer a fool according to his folly,
lest he be wise in his own eyes.