A Little More on 'Paradox'

This past Sunday while taking time to speak to the people of X1 after a week filled with the sorrow, awakening, and reality of one of our dear saints I felt it necessary to attack a heresy that I feel plagues contemporary Christianity.

I quoted one of my fantastic professors from the University of Nottingham called Conor Cunningham - a man I stated has "a mind the size of Nottingham", one of those individuals whom you encounter at an intellectual level and have to use the words of Wayne and Garth (Wayne's World), "You big, me small!" - who noted that, "All heresy is birthed from an inability to live with paradox."

One of the legends at our church felt it necessary to ask me to further explain paradox after the sermon. So here's a quick help for all I hope.

The definition of Paradox is thus: A statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth.
The primary paradoxes of the Christian faith are Christological (fully God, fully man in one being) or Trinitarian (Three persons in one) and the major heresies in Christian history are offshoots of these two - there are of course many more.
But the heresy I was highlighting is that of a demand for the "yet to be realised" promises of glory for Christian saints to be absolutely necessary and realised in our everyday life now.
This comes from an inability to live with the paradox of the "now and not yet" (this may not in fact strictly be a paradox by definition but I considered it one for the sake of the message) reality of life as followers of Jesus today.

The context was that the godliest among us suffer and die, those most worthy of long life die at a young age, those most unworthy of death are those attacked by this venomous foe with complete effect in a totally untimely manner.
We must live with paradox. O yes, and we must be those willing enough to live with it that we shout down the pathetic heresies that may be mouthed by those nearest to us who have bought into some quasi-truth without measuring it against the absolute truth of biblical revelation.

Simon

All In!

"Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." (Matthew 10:39 ESV)

It's amazing what gloss we put on the call of discipleship. Globally there are hundreds, if not thousands, of Christian leaders selling their version of the call to follow Jesus that typically is rather comfortable for us or, in fact, totally physically rewarding. I love Christ's 'sales pitch' here: LOSE YOUR LIFE, GIVE IT UP! That's my type of call man! Cut away the dross, strip away the false dressing and lay it out. That's exactly what our saviour does here.

There is stunning reward for following Jesus. In fact the cost, which if you read this verse again is ALL - there is no halves here, there is no comfort style option, Christianity with all the trimmings so to speak - is infinitely outweighed by the reward! He's the reward, it is relationship with Jesus that makes 'sense' of tossing aside all other 'valuable' things and joyously holding on to the great treasure, the pearl of great price, that is life in the Kingdom, living for, and following devotedly after Jesus Christ.

In Him
Simon