So many squabbles and schisms in the church occur because we think that Christianity is an ‘either or’ religion when, in fact, it’s more of an ‘both and’ religion. If you have read the bible to any significant degree, there are inescapable tensions between seemingly contradictory concepts. I have seen people deal with these paradoxical concepts in two ways:
- You ignore the concepts that you don’t like or that doesn’t mesh with your existing inclinations and mentalities and hold on to the ones that do. This is the ‘either or’ way.
- You embrace the paradox and strive to practice both realities in your Christian walk. This is the ‘both and’ way.
Richard Rohr talks a lot about this. He calls it duality thinking versus contemplative thinking. Our Western minds, according to Rohr, are wired in binary. Something is either A or B; it can’t be both. This thinking limits our ability to express the fullness of kingdom realities. An example of this is law versus grace.
In some quarters of the church, legalism (an emphasis on keeping the commandments of God) is what is preached. Antagonists of the law camp may point out that that is Old Testament thinking while we are now in the New Covenant of grace. To which they would rightly respond that Jesus said that not one iota will pass from the law until all is fulfilled and whoever relaxes one of the least of the commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom and whoever does and teaches them will be called great (Mat 5:17-19). Not to mention Jesus also said those who love Him, obey His commands (John 14:15).
The grace camp emphasizes the sovereign grace of God that wiped out the requirement of the law through the sacrifice of Christ. Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more. So no longer are we focused on obeying a set of rules but receiving the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness through Jesus Christ (Ro 5:15-21).
So, which is it? Do we focus on obeying the law or receiving the gift? The answer is both! In Ro 6 Paul addresses the issue… He says, “What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!” The ‘both and’ Christian knows that his righteousness is not through obedience but through Christ alone, but the fruit of the free gift of abundant grace is a delight in obedience to Christ!
Another example is free will versus determinism, but I’m not even going to try to get into that one within the limited confines of this blog. I will leave you to ponder that one on your own (check Romans 9).
Suffice to say that God is not as clear cut and logical as we might like. He is after all the Lion and the Lamb who saved us, yet we are still working out our salvation, both by faith and by works. (You catch my drift?) Let’s not try to put His ways into neat little boxes but instead transform our mind and by the Spirit search out the mysteries of His glorious kingdom!
Joyfully,
Copyright 2018, Matik Nicholls. All rights reserved.
