Why would we name a church Paradox? Well, in case you didn’t know, a paradox is a seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement that is actually true. I see them everywhere in the Bible and they are not contradictions that i have to defend, they are conundrums that I have to face. Most of these paradoxes bristle against our selfish desires and they all seek to give God the glory. Let me give you some examples and you can decide for yourself if these paradoxes are worth devoting our lives to. In fact, even the desire to look at these paradoxes is somewhat of a paradox. We ourselves are paradoxes as we live in this world even while our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20)
If you want to live… then you must lose your life!
And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.” (Mark 8:34-35)
If you want to be strong… then boast about your weaknesses!
“Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me… for when I am weak, then I am strong. (2nd Corinthians 12:9-10)
If you want to be rich… then become poor in spirit.
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:3)
If you want to be first… then be last (a servant of all).
And sitting down, He called the twelve and said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all, and servant of all.” Whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. (Mark 9:35; 10:44)
If you want to be exalted… then humble yourself.
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time (1st Peter 5:6)
If you want to be great… then be the least (like a servant or a child)
“Whoever receives this child in My name receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me; for the one who is LEAST among all of you, this is the one who is GREAT.” (Luke 9:48) “But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant.” (Mark 10:43) “Whoever then humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:4)
If you want to be fruitful… then you must die.
Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. (John 12:24).
A few more…
- We become rich through Christ’s poverty (2 Corinthians 8:9)
- We see the unseen (2 Corinthians 4:18)
- We conquer by yielding (Romans 6:16-18)
- We find rest by taking His yoke (Matthew 11:28-30)
- We reign by serving (Mark 10:42-44)
- We are made great by becoming little (Luke 9:48)
- We become wise by being fools for Christ’s sake (1 Corinthians 1:20-21)
- We find victory by glorying in our infirmities (2 Corinthians 12:5)
However the ultimate paradox is…
To live is Christ, to die is gain. (Philippians 1:21)
Before we became followers of Christ, we were dead in our trespasses and sins, but after salvation, we are alive with Christ (Ephesians 2:1-5) and dead to sin (Romans 6:11). Now Christ is our life (Colossians 3:4) and death has lost its sting (1 Corinthians 15:55). Death is actually now gain because death means more of Christ, and he’s better than anything this life has to offer.
We also see this paradox in our daily growth in Christ-likeness. In Philippians 2:12-13 Paul charges us to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” Then he explains how that is even possible, “for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” We are constantly leaning on his strength to carry us along in our weakness and working, not to prove ourselves worthy, but to she how infinitely worthy he is. So we revel in the paradoxes of the Christian faith because in them we find life!