Youāve probably both seen these and spent these here and there throughout your life.
On one side of this quarter we can see a face, we see writing, etc. No matter what you notice about this side of the quarter, youāll probably agree that itās worth 25 cents, a āquarterā of a dollar (which may be enough money to fill one of your tires with airā¦sometimes).
Letās look at the other side.Ā
Same quarter, totally different picture, different writing, etc. But it has the same functional value as it did when we were looking at the first side. Itās still 25 cents, and I can still use it to buy things (like air). At the end of the day, both pictures represent one and the same thing, not two separate contradictory things.Ā
I believe the Church has unnecessarily created false theological paradoxes which lead to confusion, division, and even great fear within the body of Christ. It should not be so!!
For example, some have envisioned a contradiction between Godās justice and his mercy, saying āa merciful God would never allow sinners to be punished for their sinsā. Even though thatās not true [our example of the synonymity of justice and mercy is in the Cross: He justly applied punishment to sin while mercifully bearing it on our behalf so that sinners donāt have to], the intellectual distinction between justice and mercy makes an error which skews the truth.
The truth isnāt the problem. Thereās no paradox in God because Heās not two separate things at odds with himself. There is no ābalanceā in God because Heās not made up of multiple things that need balancing. God is one; Heās wholly united in himself, with himself, and thereās no contradiction in Him [James 1:17]. We donāt have to find some mysterious ābalanceā when it comes to the truth, we just have to see and believe whatās true.
If I perceive a contradiction, the problem is on my end. It happens when we look at spiritual things through unspiritual lenses. [John 3:3-12, 6:63 and Romans 8:5-8].
Both sides of the coin represent the same thing, even though it looks different from different angles.
That would be enough for its own blog post, but Iām going to continue. (Two-in-One post! Woah!)Ā
I want to apply this concept to the discussion of salvation. The classic Predestination dichotomy (A can of worms!! Oh boyā¦here we go).
Does God choose us, or do we choose him? Which side of the coin do we spend? This discussion has literally divided church bodies (including that of my teenage years) and set denominational boundaries that donāt need to exist because weāve made an intellectual distinction between free will and Godās sovereignty. How silly (and wrong).Ā
Hereās why this is important. Iāve had too many discussions with wonderful people who struggle with legitimate fears about their personal salvation: āWhat if God didnāt choose me?ā, they ask. āWhat if He saved me, but I mess up and get unsaved? What if I thought I was saved but really Iām not? How do I know either way?ā
Yikes! Where do these fears come from? Jesus made it pretty clear how this works. I think these fears stem from useless and confusing teachings about one or the other āsideā of the salvation coin.Ā
So for the sake of length, Iāll just outline the bare-boned simplicity of how Jesus preached the sureness of salvation:
If you follow Him, He will feed you. [John 6:35]
If you confess Him, He will embrace you. [Matthew 10:32]
If you draw near to Him, He will draw near to you. [James 4:8]
If you reject Him, He will reject you. [Matthew 10:33]
If you seek Him, you will find Him. [Matthew 7:7-11]
If you repent, He will honor you. [Luke 15:11-24]
If you obey Him, He will answer your prayers. [John 9:31 & 14:21]Ā
If you love Him, He will make his home in you. [John 14:23]
And if you believe in Him, you will be saved. [John 3:16-21]
If you do your part, Heāll do his part. He offers you a gift that only He can give, then itās up to you to receive it and live it out.Ā
And if you make a mistake, fear not! Sin doesnāt keep us from God, stubbornness does.Ā Jesus already paid the penalty for your sins. If they couldnāt stop Jesus 2000 years ago then they certainly canāt stop Him now. He knew what he was getting into. Just repent, nail that sin to the cross, (or āflush itā as I like to sayā) and keep pressing on towards Jesus who has already forgiven you Ā for it [Philippians 8:13-16]. Boom! Easy. Youāre still saved! Yay!Ā
So have no fear! It really is that simple. If you believe what Jesus said, your salvation is secure in Him.Ā
[See 1 John 3:19-24, 1 Corinthians 1:1-9, Jude 15, Philippians 1:6, 2 Corinthians 1:21-22, and John 14 and 15 for even more biblical context and support].Ā
Donāt create a paradox where there is none. There may be two sides to this coin, but itās not one or the other. At the end of the day it spends the same way anyway: If you follow Jesus, Heāll take care of the rest, both now and forever. (And heāll even put air in your tires when you need it.)Ā