Wiersbe - Truth on Its Head: Unusual Wisdom in the Paradoxes of the Bible

A paradox is a statement that attracts attention because it seems to be contradictory. This arouses curiosity and we are puzzled. But as we meditate on the statement, we go deeper into some important facet of life and learn something new. Paradoxes are marvelous instructors.

Nothing succeeds like success is a familiar saying, but what about There is nothing that fails like success? I read that statement in the first chapter of G. K. Chestertons Heretics . Chesterton used a paradox to get my attention and arouse my curiosity. Hillel, the famous first-century rabbi wrote, My lowliness is my loftiness; my loftiness is my lowliness. It sounds a great deal like our Lords, For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted (Luke 14:11).

Our heavenly Father wants all of His children to make progress in the Christian life, and every true Christian should want to obey Him and mature. The apostle Peter admonished his readers to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). If we want to glorify our Lord, we must grow. According to the apostle John, Gods family is made up of little children... fathers... and young men (1 John 2:1214). And while all believers are little children of God, we must heed the admonition of Hebrews 5:1214 and grow from childhood into spiritual adulthood. No more baby food! Solid food is the diet for the maturing saints. Jesus wants us to move from fruit to more fruit to much fruit (John 15:18). Why? By this My Father is glorified (v. 8). We can make progress in the Christian life only if we do the following:

• obey Gods precepts,
• believe and claim Gods promises,
• understand Gods principles, and
• enter into the depths of Gods paradoxes.

Precepts are the commands and instructions the Father gives us and which we must obey if we want to please Him and enjoy His blessings. Promises are the encouragements the Father shares with His children to assure them that He will see them through as they trust and obey. Both the precepts and the promises are based on the principles found in the character and purposes of the Lord. Because God is holy, He wants us to be holy (Lev. 19:2; 20:7; 1 Peter 1:1516); and if we walk in obedience, He will bless us and make us a blessing.

The word paradox may not be as familiar to you as precepts, promises, and principles, but it is just as important. Paradoxes share truths that help us go deeper into the truth of Gods word. The Scottish preacher George H. Morrison said, For man does not live by reconciling mysteries; he lives by mysteries he cannot reconcile. If you will scan the table of contents, you will see what I mean. How do we get strength out of weakness? Honor from humility? And progress out of standing still? All of these are paradoxes and they work! Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Paul wrote a string of paradoxes in 2 Corinthians 6:910:... as unknown, and yet well-known; as dying, and behold we live;

as chastened, and yet not killed;
as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing;
as poor, yet making many rich;
as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.

When the believers in Corinth heard these words read to their church gathering, it must have awakened them and aroused their attention. How can we die and live at the same time, or sorrow and always rejoice? they would ask. If I am poor, how can I make others rich? If I have nothing, how can I claim to possess everything? Paradoxes attract our attention, challenge our faith and provoke us into thinking deeper and asking wiser questions. They lead us into truths that, if we act upon them, will help us to grow out of spiritual childhood and into the blessings of spiritual maturity. The well-known philosopher Alfred North Whitehead wrote, A clash of doctrines is not a disaster it is an opportunity. For the Christian, a seeming contradiction in a paradox is a challenge to grow. What an opportunity!

In my reading of literature, old and new, I frequently encounter paradoxes. On December 5, 1856, the American naturalist Henry David Thoreau wrote in his journal, It is the greatest of all advantages to enjoy no advantage at all. I find it invariably true, the poorer I am, the richer I am. George Orwell put a clever (and quotable) paradox into chapter 10 of his popular novel Animal Farm : All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others. In a newspaper interview, a young Hollywood actress said, Deep down, Im pretty superficial. The American essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, God hides things by putting them near us.

Even television makes its contribution. After reporting on the war in Vietnam, the popular news analyst Edward R. Murrow said, Anyone who isnt confused really doesnt understand the situation. Finally, a learned theologian said, We are all free to do as we must.

In the chapters that follow, I deal with fifteen biblical paradoxes and try to show what they mean and how they can help us mature spiritually in every area of life. The paradoxes are arranged in no special order and you may want to begin with those that interest you the most. But be sure to keep your Bible near at hand so you can look up and read the verses I cite but do not quote. Each citation is important, so please do not ignore them.

The title of this book originated with the British essayist G. K. Chesterton who defined a paradox as truth standing on its head to gain attention.

Ser ve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. (Ps. 2:11)