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Divine Dualities: Holding the Balance

Pam Bendor-Samuel15th June 2011

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Dualities?

• ‘Antimonies’ (Calvin)• ‘Double truths’• ‘Opposites’• ‘Paradoxes’• ‘One the one hand…. On the other

hand….’

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1 - ‘God in a body’

Divinity and humanity of Jesus

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2 - Predestination

• A centuries-old debate• Predestination / Freewill• Divine over-ruling / human

responsibility

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3 – Where is God?

• Omnipresence?• 1 John 4:13: ‘In my heart’

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4 – What can God do?

• God is omnipotent• God cannot lie / deny himself (2

Timothy 2:13)

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5 – When is God?

• Eternal and outside time

• God can intervene with split-second timing

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6 - Change

• God is unchanging• God brings change

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7 – A Profligate God

• He flings out the stars, the grass…• But he does not waste anything– John 6:12: ‘Pick up the pieces that

remain’

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8 – Strength in Weakness

2 Corinthians 12:10: ‘When I am weak, then am I strong’

2 Corinthians 3:5: ‘We are no sufficient of ourselves; our sufficiency is of God’

c.f. 2 Corinthians 4:7: ‘treasure in earthen vessels’

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9 – Activity and Stillness

• Note the paradox in Hebrews 4:11: ‘Labour … to enter that rest’

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10 – Unity in Diversity

• As in 1 Corinthians 12:1-11:‘Many gifts, one Spirit’

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11 – Christ / You

• Christ in you, you in Christ

Galatians 2:20: ‘I live yet not I, but Christ lives in me’

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12 – The Incarnation

• Christ’s divinity and humanity‘Jesus wept’ – Luke 19:41, as he approached Jerusalem– John 11:35, before the raising of Lazarus

• c.f. Philippians 2:6-11

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13 – Infinite and Infinitesimal

The God of Creation, both in micro and macro.

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14 – Wrath and Love

• God of holiness, justice and wrath• God of mercy, compassion and love

Isaiah 45:21: ‘A just God and a Saviour’

Psalm 85:10: ‘Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other’

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15 – Beginning and End

Hebrews 12:2 : ‘Jesus, the author and finisher / completer of our faith’

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16 – Law and Spirit

2 Corinthians 3:6: ‘The letter kills – but the Spirit gives life’

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17 – How old are we?

2 Corinthians 4:16: Outwardly we may be ‘wasting away’, but inwardly ‘being renewed’

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18 – Fear and Faith

Mark 4:35-41, when Jesus calms the storm

c.f. walking by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7)

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19 - Missiology

Need to think / be informed and pray:• Globally• Locally

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20 – Suffering and Comfort

2 Corinthians 1:5 – abounding suffering, but abounding comfort

‘For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.’ (NIV)

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21 – Depth and Height

1 Thessalonians 4:13ff• Christ descended into Hell, and then

ascended into Heaven, so that we might ascend into Heaven instead of descending into Hell.

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22 – Impossible?

• Things which are impossible for us become possible.

Conditions:– Colossians 1:11 – being empowered

follows knowing and doing God’s will (vv9-10)

–Matthew 9:23 – if you have faith–Mark 9 – belief (v23), prayer (v29)

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23 – Impossible…for God?

• Hebrews 6:18 – He cannot lie(c.f. Balaam in Numbers 23:19 and

Samuel in 1 Samuel 15:29)• 2 Timothy 2:13 – He cannot deny

himself• Acts 2:24 – death cannot hold him• Romans 8:39 – nothing can separate

us from his love

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23 cont. – Possible for God

‘Things which are impossible with men are possible with God’– Luke 18:27–Matthew 19:26–Mark 10:27

‘For nothing is impossible with God’– Luke 1:37– Genesis 18:14

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23 cont. – The Mystery

Matthew 26:39; Mark 14:35-36: ‘Father, all things are possible … nevertheless’

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24 – Serve in Love

Galatians 5:13: ‘Serve one another in love’

‘On the one hand, serve. On the other hand, love. Our service is prompted by love.’

Gordon Temple, of Torch Trust, speaking at the WA Conference 2011

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25 – More…

There are many more we could mention. What other dualities can you think of?

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