Questions That Don't Need Answers

Skeptics sometimes ask: "If God created everything, who created God?"

The question seems reasonable enough, but it overlooks the eternality, transcendence, and self-existence of God.

I like this turn of the tables: "If man created God, then who created man?"

Since human beings are clearly not eternal, transcendent, or self-existent, and the person asking the question is a human being, this seems to be the more important of the two questions. Skeptics say they cannot see or sense God, so how can they know He exists? Okay, fine. But all of us can perceive human beings, and must somehow account for their existence. As I see it, the choices ultimately boil down to spontaneous generation in an illogically eternal universe, or creation by God (which may sometimes appear illogical to some, but is ultimately the most logical of all possibilities).

Someone will say that skeptics don't know the eternality, transcendence, and self-existence of God, which is why they're asking the question in the first place. The Bible says they most certainly do know these things, and they are therefore without excuse in their stubborn refusal to glorify their Creator by trusting in Him.

Romans 1:18-21 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

It is not a lack of logical explanation, but a lack of trustful adoration, which prevents sinful man from believing in his Creator.

God exists as the uncaused Cause, the unsourced Source, the unmoved Mover, the uncreated Creator, the unmade Maker, the ungiven Giver - and all too often as the unloved Lover. Even those who deny this know it to be true.

The Ultimate Proof that the Bible Isn't True

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Quote of the Day

"Life is a beautiful mystery, but terrible as well. Beautiful for those who love mystery, but terrible for those who hate the mysterious and unknown."

-Dave Reed (my Brother-in-Law)

Recently, my brother-in-law spent a week with us, and I lifted this pithy quote from him. Dave is not a Christian. He was raised in a godly home and experienced God's grace in his early life, but at seventeen he left the faith and has never returned. To this day he remains a kind, generous and forgiving person - what the world would call a "good person." Dave attributes his unusual patience and gentleness to the influences of his upbringing, and although he appreciates the "pleasant" parts of Biblical faith (A God of love, commandments to be kind to others, etc.), he follows a long line of philosophers and skeptics in rejecting what doesn't fit with his own sense of justice. It is a peculiar trait of worldly philosophers that they place mystery over the areas God has clearly revealed, and they shine a spotlight of self-certainty on the things God has left in darkness. Thus, they are mystified by things God has already explained, and fail to be mystified by the things that would mystify them if they believed His Word.

For example, the doctrine of hell appears unjust and mysterious until one realizes that all humanity is guilty of the most heinous crimes against our Creator. Our Maker is justifiably wrathful against our deep-seated moral evil. We can't see this until we realize how far down into our hearts wickedness has seeped, and how transcendently high His holiness stands. God does not have to give us time to repent or opportunity to change. He could rightly destroy rebellious mankind at any moment. The real mystery is that he doesn't cast us all into hell. When we realize this, every good thing that happens to us suddenly becomes a stunning act of mercy, and every bad thing that happens to us is better than what we deserve. We need only read the first three chapters of Genesis, and we find that the tables are turned. We're wrath-deserving wretches whose destruction is warranted and whose suffering on this earth might well be a gift - tailor-made to bring us back into the loving arms of God. And we're literally living on borrowed time. So there's no more mystery about why "bad things happen to good people," because there aren't any good people. The bigger mystery is, "Why do good things happen to bad people?"

The startling paradox of revelation is this: enlightenment expands mystery.

Biblical thinking results in faith and justice meeting one another. As we understand God's justice, our faith in Him grows. And as our faith grows, we trust His version of justice more and more. Eventually, we recognize that His is the only TRUE and RIGHT concept of justice, and our own natural views are skewed and twisted by false perceptions. We have to start by realizing we are absolutely guilty, and all good that comes to us is not a function of justice, but an outflow of His pure mercy. In the Gospel, we find both mercy and justice at work, and both of them in perfect harmony.

But why are there still mysteries? Perhaps Biblical theology is not so much meant to answer all of our questions as it is designed to deal with us. God gives us enough light through precept and promise to provide solid knowledge, needed security, and comforting certainty. But he leaves enough darkness to prove our faith genuine, our hope enduring, and our love sincere. He is infinitely wise in His administration of all the knowledge that exists, in what He reveals and in what He withholds. Life is a beautiful mystery when Christ's boundless mercy is recognized and received.

Proverbs 2:6 For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.

Romans 11:33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!

Colossians 2:1-3 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have on your behalf and for those who are at Laodicea, and for all those who have not personally seen my face, that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

PARADOX FILES, VOL. 2 - A.S.A. Jones

The following is an excerpted portion of the testimony of A.S.A. Jones, a former hard-core skeptic who became convinced of the truth of the Gospel through an understanding of Biblical paradox (and, obviously, a sovereign work of grace). I have highlighted some portions in bold text for emphasis. I probably don't need to add this disclaimer, but lest anyone should think otherwise: this is NOT an endorsement of the philosophies represented by Friedrich Nietzche or Zen Buddhism. I believe Jones is using these as illustrations, not recommended reading. You can read his entire article here.

"A paradox is that which appears to contradict, but upon closer examination, really does not . . .

I prided myself on pure intellect and logical thinking and 'spiritual' things didn't make any sense to me. I discounted spiritual matters as emotional matters and I had made myself as unemotional as I could in order to avoid having emotions interfere with my rationality of thought. When I began reading the bible differently, I no longer saw contradictions of logic, but paradox after paradox. Being confronted with paradox forces one's mind to think ABOVE logic but not against it. For example, examine the statement, "Never less alone than when alone". If you break this sentence down into its components, logically it cannot make sense. Yet this phrase describes a very real type of individual; it is describing a person who considers himself to be his own best company. It tells of an individual who is content to spend hours lost in his own thoughts. You have to examine the paradox in the context of what you know to be true about human nature in order to understand it. It is assumed by the author that the reader will not be ignorant of this information.

All the way from beginning to end, the bible contains paradoxes that push one's mind to look beyond what is written to that which is being implied. Skeptics view these paradoxes as errors but if they are indeed errors, they are consistent in the writings of the more than 40 men who authored the books of the bible. I find it strange that men who were intelligent and literate enough to write in that early time could be so ignorant of their own culture and religion to have made mistake after mistake after mistake in issues regarding it. Instead, I think it is more probable that the skeptics are ignorant of the matters about which these men wrote and unable to grasp their culture and way of thinking. Many of these alleged errors are due to poor reading comprehension and the inability to grasp what is being said within the context of the whole.

Some of these paradoxes are presented as a unit, making them unlikely errors. For example, Proverbs 26:4-5 states, "Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit." A contradiction in logic would render these two statements as meaningless but there is a truth to be found in them (See "The Games Skeptics Play"). Other paradoxes are not so obvious and do not occur in close proximity to each other.

A second type of paradox deals with morality. Paradoxes of this nature deal with the law and push the reader into the spirit of the law (See 'Why I Believe God is Real') in order to understand them. Examples of moral paradox include issues of divorce, adultery (Deut 24:1-4 vs Mark 10:2-12), and God setting Himself above His own commandments. What appears to be ambiguity or contradiction or nonsense in the 'absolute declaration of law' can be reconciled or deemed as irrelevant when the reader understands the spirit of the law.

Not all of the paradoxes contain meaning, but serve as arrows to direct the reader toward higher meaning. The accounts of the death of Judas and many other alleged discrepancies are irrelevant to the truth of God, yet they serve as stumbling blocks to those who are shallow or legalistic in their thought. In this way, the Word of God becomes a sieve, separating its readers through a series of screens. Paul describes this sieve in 1 Cor: 1. Those who have made themselves too big, get trapped in the holes, while those who have allowed themselves to be made small, pass through to see the hidden truth. Jesus Christ makes reference to his own device of conveying God's truth in parables (Luke 8:10) so that "...though hearing, they may not understand."

If you are a skeptic, you are probably scoffing at the above. I would like to take this opportunity to point out to you that Friedrich Nietzsche, poster boy for existentialism, was very fond of intentionally using words that would be misinterpreted by careless, superficial readers. Walter Kaufmann, who edited Nietzsche's 'Ecce Homo', included this in his introduction:

"Nietzsche had an almost pathological weakness for one particular kind of ambiguity, which, to be sure, is not irremediable: he loved words and phrases that mean one thing out of context and almost the opposite in the context he gives them... The former is bound to lead astray hasty readers, browsers and...nonreaders."

When a man does this type of thing, it is considered a matter of genius. When similar devices are employed in the bible, there is no reason to discount them as foolishness. Of course, it is not the 'hasty' reader that is being sifted out in the Bible, but the spiritual Pharisee who is being left in the dark.

The reason for doing this can be found in the Zen philosophy. The Masters of Zen don't seek to enlighten their students with the truth; they seek to confound them in order that they discover the truth for themselves. Herein lies the difference between knowing how to do multiplication and merely memorizing and regurgitating multiplication tables. If the truth about God could be told, we could know ABOUT Him, but in seeking and finding Him for ourselves, we can KNOW Him. For me to have been so profoundly changed through a minute faith in Jesus Christ is a miracle. Psychology tells us that the hardest thing to change in a person is their personality; we can modify our behavior, but our nature remains. The words of Christ didn't TELL me how to change. Like a Zen Master, He gently led my mind to experience truth. That's why the changes were so powerful."

Biblical Foundations of Paradox, Mystery, & Irony

Following are some of the Scripture verses and passages that form the Biblical basis for a theology that deliberately and gratefully embraces Biblical paradox, mystery & irony. Note that there is much here of the sovereignty and greatness of God, and much of the weak, helpless state of fallen man. Throughout Scripture, God's knowledge is consistently presented as complete and limitless, while man's knowledge is always viewed as limited in both scope and depth.

Known & Unknown, Revealed & Hidden

From these passages, it is clear that there are some divine matters that can be known, and some that cannot be known, either because God has hidden them or because man is incapable of discovering, explaining or understanding them. It is also evident that some matters which are hidden to unbelievers are revealed to believers. They are understood only by faith. The Scriptures are remarkably candid in what they place beyond the reach of human intellect - and in what they maintain as absolutely certain and knowable for believers.

Paradoxical Irony & Paradoxical Mystery

To define the terms a little further, some Biblical paradoxes fall into the category of paradoxical irony, while others are deep paradoxical mysteries. The ironies are meant to be understood and resolved, but the mysteries cannot be fully explained. For example, Jesus ironically declares: "He who loses his life for My sake will find it." To the world this is utter foolishness, but believers who have surrendered their lives to the Lord find it both sensible and encouraging. Christ's teachings and Paul's writings are brimming with incredible statements like this. The words often seem impossible on the surface, but they point to deeper, underlying truths. These sayings are not ultimately mysterious. On the other hand, there are facts which the Scriptures clearly state but do not fully explain. These mysterious teachings will always remain partially incomprehensible to our fallen minds, no matter how much effort we put into explaining them. The incarnation and the two natures of Christ fit squarely in this category, along with many other key doctrines of the Word of God (if you doubt this, try to explain the virgin birth using human logic alone). Those of us who happily embrace Reformed theology are accustomed to wrestling with very mysterious matters such as the relation between God's hidden will (the "will of decree") and His revealed will (the "will of command"). Historically, there have been endless attempts to reconcile sovereign election and human responsibility, divine causality and the origin of sin, divine goodness and the existence of evil, universal love and limited salvation, etc. Some very worthy possible explanations have been offered, but none of them are complete. It is a grave mistake to stop wrestling with these mysteries, as God has ordained them with the intention that they should continually amaze, overwhelm and conquer us. We should not be surprised that our mental capabilities are too small to fully explain these matters. Rather, we ought to be shocked that God's wisdom and grace have allowed sinful human beings to understand SO MUCH of them. In view of our creaturehood and inherent depravity, it's a miracle that we can understand ANY of God's truth.

Skepticism & Apparent Contradictions

Skeptics have filled their books with supposed contradictions from the Scriptures. Many of these "contradictions" are the result of grasping at straws and failing to understand the context or content of the Bible. Some simply require historical or archeological clarification, or possibly a better understanding of Biblical cultures and customs. Some apparent contradictions result from overlooking the vocabulary used in the original languages, when two different words in the original are translated into the same English word. A small amount of study can easily resolve these. However, we must acknowledge the existence of a few verbal contradictions that call us to meditate on the words of Scripture and discover why the Holy Spirit inspired the words to be written as they were. See this series of posts for an example of this. There is not a single apparent contradiction in the Bible that cannot be resolved to a satisfactory extent by a thoughtful, prayerful Christian.

Christ's Teaching

The words of Christ are of special importance, as much for what they leave unsaid as for the things they reveal. They are filled with what is commonly called "rhetorical paradox" (a literary device which is designed to make the hearer think, and usually makes sense after a bit of contemplation - I like to call it "paradoxical irony"). This is a somewhat different matter than the wider logical paradox inherent in doctrines such as the Trinity, the two natures of Christ, and the relation of divine sovereignty to human choice. But one amazing fact about Christ's teaching is this: the Only One Who could explain the divine mysteries never did so. Instead He spoke in paradoxes and parables, to such an extent that in John 16:29 His disciples said, "Lo, now You are speaking plainly and are not using a figure of speech."

Paul & Mystery

Paul's use of the term "mystery" (Greek MUSTERION) is worth mentioning, but we will not deal with it extensively here. Suffice it to say, the oft-repeated and classic definition for MUSTERION as "something once hidden, now revealed" does not fit every use of the word in the New Testament. There may be more "mystery" in MUSTERION than some scholars are willing to admit. With 27 occurrences in the New Testament - and describing such important subjects as the faith, Christ, the Church, the Gospel, and God's will - this concept is worthy of further study.

Test Everything, Hold onto the Good

The following verses are offered without further commentary, in the hope that you will study them in context and in the original languages. A sincere effort has been made to use only those passages that can be properly applied to the discussion of Biblical paradox. However, if you find that I have misinterpreted something or misconstrued the intent of a verse, please use the comments to let me know.

SOLA SCRIPTURA
SOLA FIDE
SOLI DEO GLORIA

Deuteronomy 29:29 The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law.

Job 9:10 [Job speaking of God] Who does great things, unfathomable, And wondrous works without number.

Job 36:26 [Elihu speaking] Behold, God is exalted, and we do not know Him; The number of His years is unsearchable.

Job 37:5 [Elihu speaking] God thunders with His voice wondrously, doing great things which we cannot comprehend.

Job 42:1-5 Then Job answered the LORD and said, "I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted . . . Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know . . . I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; but now my eye sees You; therefore I retract, And I repent in dust and ashes."

Psalm 131:1 O LORD, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty; nor do I involve myself in great matters, or in things too difficult for me.

Psalm 139:1-6 O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, and are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, behold, O LORD, You know it all. You have enclosed me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it.

Psalm 145:3 Great is the LORD, and highly to be praised, And His greatness is unsearchable.

Proverbs 20:24 Man’s steps are ordained by the LORD, How then can man understand his way?

Proverbs 25:2 It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.

Ecclesiastes 8:16-17 When I gave my heart to know wisdom and to see the task which has been done on the earth (even though one should never sleep day or night), and I saw every work of God, I concluded that man cannot discover the work which has been done under the sun. Even though man should seek laboriously, he will not discover; and though the wise man should say, "I know," he cannot discover.

Isaiah 40:28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable.

Isaiah 55:8-11 For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Neither are your ways My ways," declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth, and making it bear and sprout, and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; so shall My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.

Jeremiah 17:9-10 The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; who can understand it? I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give to each man according to his ways, according to the results of his deeds.

Matthew 13:10-17 And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?" Jesus answered them, "To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, ‘YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING, BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND; YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, BUT WILL NOT PERCEIVE; FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL, WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES, OTHERWISE THEY WOULD SEE WITH THEIR EYES, HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN, AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.’ But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

Mark 8:17 And Jesus, aware of this, *said to them, "Why do you discuss the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet see or understand? Do you have a hardened heart?

Mark 10:23-27 And Jesus, looking around, said to His disciples, "How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!" The disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." They were even more astonished and said to Him, "Then who can be saved?" Looking at them, Jesus said, "With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God."

Romans 11:33-36 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, OR WHO BECAME HIS COUNSELOR? Or WHO HAS FIRST GIVEN TO HIM THAT IT MIGHT BE PAID BACK TO HIM AGAIN? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.

I Corinthians 2:1-16 And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. And my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God. Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom, which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; but just as it is written, "THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD, AND which HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN, ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM." For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man, which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no man. For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE SHOULD INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ.

II Corinthians 9:15 Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

Eph 3:8 To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ.