In the last few posts we have talked about several different kinds of Biblical conundrums. The reason these conundrums (or paradoxes or antinomies) are there is because God is a part of them. We cannot fully understand God, how He works, or even why He works as He does. Therefore, He and His actions appear conundrum-like to us. I think this is one reason why so many people have trouble with the Gospel message. In one case it is quite simple and even a child can understand and accept it. However, the more deeply you think about it, the more complicated and anti-logical it seems and since people cannot rationalize it in their mind, they are skeptical of believing something that seems paradoxical.

So, how does one come to grips with all this? Well, first we need to understand how we think about God. What is your view of God? Do you want a God you can logically understand and figure out? Yes, it makes Him seem more rational, but is that how big a God you really want? If I can figure God out, how can I really expect Him to handle all the things I can’t figure out? I want a God who is bigger than what I can conceive, and who can do more than I can imagine—One who is totally mind-blowing! Isn’t that the kind of God you want? If that is the case then you want a God who is a conundrum, whose works are paradoxical, and who can make antinomies true. If that is the kind of God you want, then the next step is really not that big.

What step am I talking about? Faith. It is the glue that ties all these Godly conundrums together for us. If we want and believe in a God who is like we just described, then all we have to do is accept Him: who He is (a conundrum) as described in the Bible (Trinity), what He has done for us (a paradox) that we cannot do ourselves (salvation), and how he works and draws people to Himself (an antinomy) and makes us his (you can call it free will or predestination). This acceptance is by faith. It is what God requires. You can go only so far on human logic. It almost gets you there—but not quite. There is still a small gap. It is like Indiana Jones when he was seeking the Holy Grail to save his father. He was almost there. He could see where he needed to go but he couldn’t quite get there with his own efforts. He had to take that step of faith. It didn’t seem right. It didn’t seem logical. But he was desperate and so he took that step that in his mind would plummet him to his demise. However, the step was firm. It didn’t make sense—at first. But it was only after taking that step that it all made sense, and he was able to complete his mission and save his father. Are you at that place? You are almost there but the next step just does not seem logical. Trust me. Just take that step. Only after taking that step can the conundrum, the paradox, the antinomy of God begin to make sense. You will never fully understand Him, but you will know you can trust Him. That, my friend, makes all the difference.

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This topic may be a little scary for some and one may wonder why I have brought up such a controversial subject. After all, this debate has actually split congregations into different denominations. The Bible does teach both (Ro 8:29, Jn 3:16) but they seem almost opposite in definition, so how could they both be true? Ah, is that not a true antinomy? So, how do we deal with such a topic? Some have divided into camps: one states that God sees what man is going to do and so a person is predestined to know him, another states that God foreordained some to finally know Him and others to not. Free will versus predestination: yes, it can make one’s head hurt if you think too long and try to reconcile the two with human logic. So what is one to do? Some say that this is not a crucial belief for one’s salvation, so we can just agree to disagree. Well, that is certainly true. But I had to ask myself, do I have to choose. Since the Bible supports that both are true and that all scripture comes from God (2Tm 3:16), can I rectify this in my mind without twisting my brain into knots?

After thinking further, I think the answer is that not only are both true, but they are the same thing. Preposterous you say? I think we have to know that human logic is not the same as God’s logic (Is 55:9).I also think God has provided us evidence of this in the natural world so we can apply it in the spiritual world. The picture at the beginning of this post is the first example. The picture is an ambigram where it can be read as either wave or particle. The electromagnetic spectrum, including visible light, can be considered as a wave or as a particle. This is known as wave-particle duality where light can be viewed as a wave or as a particle but not both simultaneously. The same seems to be true with electrons and other subatomic particles as well. This would seem to imply that we don’t really understand these particles because they can’t be one or the other. And that is what has happened because along came string theory to try to better “interpret” these particles as being like a one-dimensional string that vibrates and the frequency of vibration will define what type of subatomic particle one is describing. Even this theory doesn’t explain everything, but I think you get the point. We have a particle but we don’t fully understand it, but we know you can look at it from different perspectives yet it is still describing the same particle.

Now, doesn’t that sound similar to this spiritual concept? You can view one’ acceptance of Christ as either free will or predestination but you can’t reconcile them together. This means that it is not really one or the other, we just have not been able to understand the true concept. So, this means you can look at this as predestination or free will and you will be describing the same concept—just not fully, because the true understanding is something in between. Perhaps that is why Paul did not try to explain the predestination concept because it really is not different from free will after all. It may appear different to us but not to God. God fully understands it. We just need to accept it.

Is that hard to swallow? Well, scientists no longer fight over an electron or other subatomic particle being a particle or a wave or a string. They have come to accept that these are all true, but inaccurate, descriptions of the same concept. They accept that. Is that faith? They may not say so, but if we accept something without fully understanding it, isn’t that faith? Isn’t that what God expects of us? We don’t have to understand Him to accept Him. It is all possible with faith.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens