My Staffworker used to say this a lot, to describe two truths that co-exist, but are seemingly contradictory, irreconcilable or paradoxical. Things that are held in tension and unresolved in Scripture.
1. The immortal (God)
2. ... dies
1. Christians' 100% assurance of salvation because of Christ, who holds us in his hands from start to finish (John 17)
2. Working out your faith in fear and trembling / Warnings about falling away
1. The goodness of God
2. The broken and intrinsically flawed world
1. The unchangeable, eternal God
2. ... who is born, suffers and is affected by humans.
In the one event:
1. God's good intentions / purposes / complete control, which does not attract blame, but worship
2. People's evil intentions / actions / complete responsibility, which is culpable
(e.g. the cross = God's best intervention in the world and most glorious manifestation of his goodness + the thoroughly evil act of humans and the worse sin ever committed)
These things scream "Does not compute!!!" Much ink and blood has been spilt to explain how two things might fit together (this is often called theology). And Scripture often loses out when thinkers deny one truth in order to uphold another.
It's important to note that God doesn't resolve these things for us. I think he would have been able to explain how these things go together if he wanted to. But he doesn't. He's just made it clear that two things are true.
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3 comments:
i had to preach on another antinomy last night, Exodus 17:14b,16b -
The LORD then said to Moses, "[...]I will completely blot out the memory of Amalek under heaven."
and then
And Moses [...] said, "[...]The LORD will be at war with Amalek from generation to generation."
i like antinomies. they remind me that God is God, and i'm not.
Antinomy, hey...?
good word!
How was your sermon received?
the normal mix of wailing, nashing of teeth, mass sign-ups for baptisms, screen-saver faces, snoring, interjections and heckling.
although my one was probably more a paradox than the antinomy you present. and struggling to comprehend a paradox says more about my lack of intelligence than God's omniscience!
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