Description
The most important truths in life have been communicated through paradoxes.
This may sound like a bold claim, but it's true once you realize what these paradoxes are and what they mean for you. They have the potential to change how you think about yourself, the existence and character of God, and where you should spend your time and energy in the precious moments of your too-short-for-comfort life.
THE TRUTH ABOUT YOU AND GOD
The reason I feel confident enough to make this claim is because the greatest paradoxes, which communicate the most important truths ever, have to deal with the two most important people in your life: You, and God.
If you're a Christian this probably makes immediate sense. God is the most important person in your life, even above you. You wouldn't have a past, present, or future without Him. In a very real sense, everything good, true and important about you, is because of Him. In response, you're doing your best to honor, praise, understand, stay close to, be like, love others and live for him with your life.
If you're not a Christian this can be a challenging, if not rejectable assertion. It's about you first, your hopes and dreams, your plans and character, your view on the world and people, your past, present and future on your terms. In second place are all the people you care about: boyfriend or girlfriend, parents, kids, family members and friends. God hasn't, didn't or won't make this list.
A paradox is an interesting way of learning. Rather than making a statement we can accept or reject, asking a question that we have to find the answer to, or sending us on a quest that is more about the journey than the destination, paradoxes have a knack for doing all three and more. Paradoxes cause us to think about what is true, what is possible, what is good, what is meaningful and what is wonderful all while we're on a journey of discovery. In our age of googling immediate answers and taking a stand on issues, a paradox causes us to think, reflect, ponder and wonder far more than we normally would.
And while paradoxes may sound daunting, confusing, or simply fun for Philosophy students, their real power is inspiring wonder, awe and amazement because something that just can't be true, actually is.
In this study guide we'll look at seven Paradoxes found in the Bible that will help you discover the truth about you and God in the tension of contradiction.