The Value of Paradox

Paradox: a statement that seems contradictory to common sense but which might also be true.

I've been wrestling with several of the paradox that are in the Bible and finding that there are many paradox in nature. I am learning the value of these paradox and it has helped me to better understand why we are here and how to approach the Bible.

The main paradox that has been troubling me is the one of freedom. How can God's will be sovereign, so that each thing he wills is done completely while at the same time we retain our freedom as human beings? I will tackle that one in a moment, but let's first look at some paradox in nature. Consider the sun: it is the one thing that gives light to everything on earth, allows us to see, to use our eyes, and yet it is the one thing in nature that you can't look at.

The solar system of which we are a part (very large) and an atom (very small) have the same shape. Both have items orbiting a nucleus held together by very strong forces.

The planets stay in the same orbits, as do things that orbit the Earth (satellites), but they do so by constantly falling. Their speed offsets the fall so that they always miss falling into the sun, but always fall around the sun relatively the same rate. On Earth, too, we are falling because of gravity and held up by solid ground (which at the center is not actually solid). The strongest things are always heaviest and fall easily, and the most fragile creatures (birds, bugs) are ones that can defy gravity (or, the Fall) the easiest. We would fall right into the sun and burn if not for God holding us up.

Someone once said wisely that technology has given us more efficient means of going backwards. This is a wise saying, as we make more efficient devices and yet our lives throughout history are increasingly hectic. G.K. Chesterton writes in his book, "Orthodoxy," we think it is because humans are so industrious that we have become so busy and things are so crowded. But it is just the opposite. Imagine a busy New York street with taxicabs going everywhere. It would not be so congested if everyone would just leave the cars and walk. It is simply because we have grown so lazy that we need such expedients to drive our lives crazy.

Consider the noble paradox in the Bible that we are all so familiar with: the meek will enherit the earth, those who lose their life for Christ's sake will find it, and he who finds his life will lose it. These are the axioms that Nietzsche revolted against, and cursed Christianity for making popular. But are they really true?

I think so, and I think the paradox of nature help us to understand that. Let's look now at this virtue called 'freedom.' The Bible tells us that we are slaves to our sin, that we are dead when we are living without Christ. Yet, we in our sin, want to make our own decisions without God's sovereign will getting involved. The Bible also tells us that Christ has set us free by his own will, that we are no longer slaves to sin, but slaves to righteousness. His divine will is the only thing that gives us freedom. Are there practical parallels to this in everyday life? Sure.

Imagine you want to play the piano. You are not free to play until you learn the rules of the piano, learn about musical harmony, and can understand chords, etc. The same with language: we want to express ourselves, but it is not until we learn all the rules of a language that we can really say anything at all. Musical harmony, cogent language, have set us free, by enslaving us to their rules.

How then can we be free? By giving up our freedom, and giving it to God. This is the ultimate paradox, because freedom is the thing we value the most. That's why it works so perfectly. We replace that one thing with the only thing that can give us any value at all. Paradox works because it goes against everything my little mind can muster, and I realize that my level of knowledge is tiny tiny tiny, and he is in complete control.