LIVING THE MYSTERY OF PARADOX

"For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh." (2 Corinthians 4:6-11 ESV)

"But in everything commending ourselves as servants of God, in much endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in distresses, in beatings, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in hunger, in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in genuine love,in the word of truth, in the power of God; by the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left, by glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report; regarded as deceivers and yet true; as unknown yet well-known, as dying yet behold, we live; as punished yet not put to death, as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing all things" (2 Corinthians 6:4-10 ESV)

A paradox is a statement or concept that contains conflicting ideas. In logic, a paradox is a statement that contradicts itself; for example, the statement "I never tell the truth" is a paradox because if the statement is true (T), it must be false (F) and if it is false (F),it must be true (T). In everyday language, a paradox is a concept that seems absurd or contradictory, yet is true. In a Windows environment, for instance, it is a paradox that when a user wants to shut down their computer, it is necessary to click "start".The Christian life is full of paradoxes. But they are only statements that seem conflicting on a horizontal plane. In God's world and in our daily experience as Christians, they make perfect sense.

The Apostle Paul was very comfortable and familiar with paradox in his descriptions of the Christian life in these two texts from 2 Corinthians. One of those many mysterious and blessed paradoxes the Apostle Paul spoke of is "as sorrowful, but always rejoicing." A Christian can actually be happy and sad or sad and happy at the very same time. The Bible is quite clear that both joy and woe are part of the fabric of the life which God weaves and lovingly fits as perfect clothing for his children. This is a mysterious and paradoxical thing, but what a great comfort it is know that God is the weaver. Jonathan Edwards in his profound sermon The Pleasantness of Religion spoke of what he called the "three necessary sorrows" of the Christian life: Repentance, self-denial, and persecution. All three of those "necessary sorrows" bring that mysterious/blessed experience of being sorrowful but always rejoicing".

How many things that you consider to be things that make you happy, end up bringing you sorrow-if not now, in eternity? When we repent, we are experiencing what Paul calls "godly sorrow that leads to repentance". (2 Cor.7:10; Matthew 5:4). We are turning from the things that once made us happy with godly grief and turning to Christ the source of happiness and joy (Psalm 16:11). So the pleasure of turning to him far outweighs the sorrow of repentance.

When we deny ourselves we are killing the sin that brought false pleasure and inevitably brings us sorrow and experience the joy of obedience, pleasing God and being satisfied with him instead of the temporal pleasures of sin.

When we suffer reproach for Christ's name sake like Jesus who willingly suffered and was persecuted for the joy set before Him (Hebrews 12:2) we again learn that the troubles and sorrows of being a Christian will bring you more pleasure and happiness than sorrow! (Matthew 5:10-12) This is an amazing and wonderful thing. These necessary sorrows ultimately bring more pleasure than sorrow. There are no sorrows that come in the Christian life except those that bring more invariably more joy than sorrow. Yes there is sorrow in living a God-ward life, but oh the joy!

Darrell Evans sings:
I'm trading my sorrows,
I'm trading my shame
I'm laying them down
for the joy of the Lord
I'm trading my sickness
I'm trading my pain
I'm laying them down
for the joy of the Lord

Yes, Lord, Yes, Lord Yes, yes, Lord
Yes, Lord, Yes, Lord Yes, yes, Lord
Yes, Lord, Yes, Lord Yes, yes, Lord
Amen

I am pressed but not crushed
persecuted, not abandoned
struck down but not destroyed
I am blessed beyond the cursed
for His promise will endure
and His joy's going to be my strength
though the sorrows may last for the night
His joy comes in the morning.

Living the mystery of paradox with sorrowful joy, Pastor Bill