*photo credit http://paulchappell.com As I have gotten older and questionably wiser I have found the key to truth, as in most things, is balance.
I'll say it this way. I have found the most interesting truths are the ones held in tension between two different truths.
Confusing? I'll give some examples.
Deep down I long for adventure, to challenge myself, to see what i'm made of. This is true. I work hard everyday to set up a life that is comfortable. This is also true. Two needs completely opposite in nature occupy my heart space. The deeper truth of who I am and what I want is in somewhere between those two things.
My agnostic and atheist friends will sometimes like to challenge me and make statements like "Why would you read the Bible? That book is full of contradictions!" Well, the short answer is so are you, so am I. An individual is complex and contradictory. Multiple things are simultaneously true about them. This is why we call it a relationship, not religion.
The longer answer is that they aren't contradictions. Not really. They are two statements that simultaneously true and we are invited to go deeper, read between the lines and see the truth between the truths.
Jesus is the "Lion of Judah", Jesus is the "Lamb that was Slain". A Lion and a Lamb are the most opposite of animals. So which is true? Both. He is the ultimate sacrifice and our majestic defender.
I'll say it this way. I have found the most interesting truths are the ones held in tension between two different truths.
Confusing? I'll give some examples.
Deep down I long for adventure, to challenge myself, to see what i'm made of. This is true. I work hard everyday to set up a life that is comfortable. This is also true. Two needs completely opposite in nature occupy my heart space. The deeper truth of who I am and what I want is in somewhere between those two things.
My agnostic and atheist friends will sometimes like to challenge me and make statements like "Why would you read the Bible? That book is full of contradictions!" Well, the short answer is so are you, so am I. An individual is complex and contradictory. Multiple things are simultaneously true about them. This is why we call it a relationship, not religion.
The longer answer is that they aren't contradictions. Not really. They are two statements that simultaneously true and we are invited to go deeper, read between the lines and see the truth between the truths.
Jesus is the "Lion of Judah", Jesus is the "Lamb that was Slain". A Lion and a Lamb are the most opposite of animals. So which is true? Both. He is the ultimate sacrifice and our majestic defender.
Jesus said "I came not to bring peace, but a sword". He also is the "Prince of Peace." Which one is it? Both are true.
So how do we navigate these heady waters of truth, balance, grace and justice? We have a relationship with God. This is why we are called to pray, to ask for wisdom like it says in the book of James. The Bible should push us to seek God, to ask for understanding. Because few things are as dangerous as truth out of balance. When someone takes one or two verses from the Bible and makes them the sole focus of their being.
That's how cults are born.
That's how cults are born.
So, where do we go from here? Pray for wisdom. Seek the truth. Have grace for one another when they are not at the same place you are at. From a world wide perspective remember: We're all in this together. Strive for good and know that truth will bear itself out.
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