Oxymorons

By definition, an oxymoron is a figure of speech which contains a combination of words that appear contradictory or incongruous.

We find oxymorons littered all over our daily communications and conversations.

• Seriously funny

• Same difference

• Jumbo shrimp

• Rolling stop

• Living dead

• Deafening silence

• Awfully good

• Devout atheist

• Pretty ugly

• Icy hot

• Definite possibility

• Random order

• Working vacation

• Virtual reality

• True fiction

• Government ethics (well, not always)

Have you ever considered how many times we find oxymorons in the church?

• Closet Christian

• Casual Christianity

• Unbaptized believer

• Inactive servant

• Silent witness

One thing that is very interesting is how seemingly oxymoronic Christian truths can be. Such as:

• Born again

• Alpha and Omega

• The God-Man Jesus

• The first will be last and the last first

• Sorrowful, but rejoicing

• If you want to be great, be a servant of all

• Virgin birth

• Power is perfected in weakness

• One God in three Persons

• Living sacrifices

• Whoever loses his life will save it

Dr. James Emory White said, “Perhaps we need to redefine the idea of oxymoron when it comes to spiritual things. Perhaps what appears to be a truly biblical oxymoron is nothing more than the name we give the tension of holding two opposites together when our finite human minds say 'no,' but God’s truth through revelation says ‘yes.’”

This sounds a lot like what we learned in our Corinthians study. Paul said, “for the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing” (1 Cor. 1:18), “because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1 Cor. 1:25).

Don’t be a contradiction in terms unless you are living out the following faith paradoxes:

• We are His workmanship (Eph. 2:10), yet unworthy servants (Luke 17:10).

• We never hunger coming to Jesus (John 6:35), yet blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (Matt. 5:6).

• We avoid being subject again to a yoke of slavery (Gal. 5:1), yet we take Christ’s yoke upon us (Matt. 11:29).

• We are justified by faith apart from works (Rom. 3:28), yet we are justified by works and not by faith alone (James 2:24).

• We don’t practice our righteousness to be seen by others (Matt. 6:1), yet we let our light shine before men so that they may see our good works (Matt. 5:16).

• We don’t judge (Matt 7:1), yet we judge with righteous judgment (John 7:24).

Here’s one of my favorites of all: “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet” (Romans 16:20). I can’t wait to see this happen.

Pastor Jeff