the paradoxical Gospel
a paradox is described as being, " is a seemingly true statement or group of statements that lead to a contradiction or a situation which seems to defy logic or intuition"
i dont know how biblical or theologically sound this thought is but im beginning to feel more and more of how paradoxical the Gospel is.
at the core of the Gospel message is the truth that an innocent man who deserved glory for eternity, died for the wrongdoings of people that deserved punishment for eternity.
had Jesus never died for us, and we were all doomed to hell, that would've been just.
yet, this very God-man, died for us so that our fellowship with God could be restored.
elsewhere in the Scriptures, i see this dynamic happening again and again.
- the Gospel unites all believers, regardless of race or background, yet at the same time the Gospel divides the goat and the sheep. the repentant and the unrepentant. (luke 12:49-53)
- at the Cross we see both intense love but also intense justice. at the Cross, we see the horror of sin and the judgement of sin personified in the shedding of Jesus's blood, yet at the same time we see the furious, intense love and mercy of God.
- we see the forsakenness of an innocent man, and yet we also see the glory of God and the power of God in how Jesus took up all of our sin and bore it upon His shoulders to die for them.
- Jesus invites the weary and brokenhearted to come to Him and find rest. the scriptures tell us that we can cast our cares upon Him because He cares for us. the Word tells us that everlasting peace is found only in Him. yet also, Jesus warns us that to follow Him means to carry our cross. to be a disciple means a life marked by persecution and long suffering.
in our Christian life, we see the paradox again and again. we learn through maturity and God's grace that "the way down is the way up. to be low is to be high. the broken heart is a healed hart. the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit. the repenting soul is the victorious soul. to have nothing is to possess all. to bear the cross is to wear the crown. to give is to receive. the valley is the place of vision" (valley of vision poem)
we see people who have every reason to deny Christ and to reject Him, yet by grace, they are able to push through and praise God in the midst of difficult circumstances.
our lives simply do not make sense to the world. and sadly, this will be the case for all of life until Jesus returns. the Christian life just doesn't seem to make sense at times.
but believers, we know. we know that although we wont fully understand it, we will continue to "press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called us heavenward in Christ Jesus."
or maybe paradox is not the right word here. because while the Gospel does defy logic to a sense, it makes perfect sense because God's love is that powerful. the Gospel seems to lead to a contradiction (how could a holy God die for sinful man and yet maintain His holy justice?) - yet there is no contradiction in the sense that God, in doing so, never goes against His nature.
maybe the word im looking for here is not paradox. perhaps the word is mysterious. or awe-inspiring. confounding.
whatever the word is, the Gospel remains to be the greatest story every told, about the greatest man who ever lived who had the greatest love one could never find in anything/anyone else.
thank You, Jesus.
i dont know how biblical or theologically sound this thought is but im beginning to feel more and more of how paradoxical the Gospel is.
at the core of the Gospel message is the truth that an innocent man who deserved glory for eternity, died for the wrongdoings of people that deserved punishment for eternity.
had Jesus never died for us, and we were all doomed to hell, that would've been just.
yet, this very God-man, died for us so that our fellowship with God could be restored.
elsewhere in the Scriptures, i see this dynamic happening again and again.
- the Gospel unites all believers, regardless of race or background, yet at the same time the Gospel divides the goat and the sheep. the repentant and the unrepentant. (luke 12:49-53)
- at the Cross we see both intense love but also intense justice. at the Cross, we see the horror of sin and the judgement of sin personified in the shedding of Jesus's blood, yet at the same time we see the furious, intense love and mercy of God.
- we see the forsakenness of an innocent man, and yet we also see the glory of God and the power of God in how Jesus took up all of our sin and bore it upon His shoulders to die for them.
- Jesus invites the weary and brokenhearted to come to Him and find rest. the scriptures tell us that we can cast our cares upon Him because He cares for us. the Word tells us that everlasting peace is found only in Him. yet also, Jesus warns us that to follow Him means to carry our cross. to be a disciple means a life marked by persecution and long suffering.
in our Christian life, we see the paradox again and again. we learn through maturity and God's grace that "the way down is the way up. to be low is to be high. the broken heart is a healed hart. the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit. the repenting soul is the victorious soul. to have nothing is to possess all. to bear the cross is to wear the crown. to give is to receive. the valley is the place of vision" (valley of vision poem)
we see people who have every reason to deny Christ and to reject Him, yet by grace, they are able to push through and praise God in the midst of difficult circumstances.
our lives simply do not make sense to the world. and sadly, this will be the case for all of life until Jesus returns. the Christian life just doesn't seem to make sense at times.
but believers, we know. we know that although we wont fully understand it, we will continue to "press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called us heavenward in Christ Jesus."
or maybe paradox is not the right word here. because while the Gospel does defy logic to a sense, it makes perfect sense because God's love is that powerful. the Gospel seems to lead to a contradiction (how could a holy God die for sinful man and yet maintain His holy justice?) - yet there is no contradiction in the sense that God, in doing so, never goes against His nature.
maybe the word im looking for here is not paradox. perhaps the word is mysterious. or awe-inspiring. confounding.
whatever the word is, the Gospel remains to be the greatest story every told, about the greatest man who ever lived who had the greatest love one could never find in anything/anyone else.
thank You, Jesus.
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