Lighthouse
Renewal Center ã 2003
A BALANCE POINT
“Scripture is full of
contradictions,” we have heard people say. They don’t seem to realize
that scripture is a multifaceted diamond.
We are told in 2 Tim. 3:16, 17 that
“All scripture is inspired by God and
profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in
righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good
work.” Scripture does not contain teachings that are contradictory.
God cannot contradict Himself!
If that is true, what do we make of the
following?
Matthew
23:9 “Call
no one your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.”
Exodus
20:12 “Honor
your father
and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which the Lord your God
gives you.”
Luke
14:26 “If any one comes to me and does not hate his own father ... he cannot be my disciple.”
God tells us that no one on earth is to
be called Father, and then He calls a human being “Father.” And this
earthly Father we must honor—and
we must hate.
Words, words, words. Were we
Angels, we would understand these and other apparent contradictions, with
perfect clarity. But we are human, so read on.
God is constantly teaching. Repeatedly in scripture He attempts to paint a divine
concept with human words. He presents facets of the underlying concept
using words that need to be linked to other scriptural concepts, not viewed in
isolation from the rest of scripture.
It is as though God wrote each of these
three statements on a separate sheet of paper: Statement A was placed on the
floor in the far left corner, the second, B, in the upper right corner, and the
third, C, along the bottom wall. Standing by each of the above three
statements, the other two do not make sense.
But there is a balance point. If we move around
the room, seeking spots where we can see all three and hold all three in our
heart and mind, the Holy Spirit will move us to the exact vantage point and
reveal the unity between A, B, and C. We come to see each in a new light.
Suddenly, A makes sense, so does B when viewed from this
point, and so does C. Now there is harmony in our heart and a
profound new insight. We realize that it is very difficult to clearly
verbalize the insight, but now we understand some of what God is saying.
When we encounter contradictory
statements, we don't stand on any one of them, but move around seeking spots
where we can see all three. The Holy Spirit can move us to the exact
vantage point and reveal the unity between A, B, and C.
Feb. 05