Isaiah Roman

Coalescence of Contrarieties

All things meet at the cross. Time, space and energy, in so many ways, meet at the singular event of history known as the crucifixion. Removing that knowledge is the first step in releasing mankind from the “bonds” of guilt associated with that event. Yet, as this knowledge becomes lost, society itself begins to break. By removing the knowledge of the cross from this world, the underpinnings of society begin to break apart.

People aren’t happy because they aren’t at peace. People are afraid, because they don’t know the meaning of love. People are angry because they don’t know how to achieve justice. People are depressed, because they feel as though they have no direction. All of these conditions meet at the cross.

The famous apologist and speaker Ravi Zacharias has a message entitled “The Coalescence of Contrarieties.” In this message he speaks of those things within the Bible which, to many, appear to be contradictions. Skeptics and other antagonists often point out these things as proofs for the worthlessness of scripture. In his message, Dr. Zacharias points out that these things are not contradictions, but rather that God, in his own wisdom, and under his own council, shows these things to be complementary, not contradictory.

As you study the scriptures more and more, the seemingly difficult passages begin to form a pattern. The Bible supports slavery. The Bible supports war. The Bible supports segregation. The Bible supports genocide. All of these things are true, but are they correct? The difference lies in the cross.

As each new day passes more and more is written about the BIble. Yet, the Bible remains unchanged for two thousand years. Opinions and commentaries concerning the Bible change, but the Bible itself does not. The problem for skeptics and antagonists is that their arguments are rebuffed at each and every turn. The arguments hold no grounds against the facts; and the fact of the crucifixion is chief among these facts.

What then, do we do with these apparent contrarieties? Slavery is evil. War is awful. Segregation is wrong. Genocide is reprehensible. How can a righteous God allow such evil to exist?

The basic understanding of our relationship to God has changed. It begins with the first deception of Satan, the original skeptic “hath God said…?” The prime deception we are faced with is this very deception. The entire history of the Bible is the history of God, condescending to make his will and his purpose known to mankind. The contrarieties are caused by men and God’s condescension towards man.

This is not to infer than men can control God, or that God’s will is changed by man. Yet, God has, through covenant, made promises to men as a part of his love for his creation. As men break the terms of those covenants God has the right to destroy men for their destruction of his creation. If a man destroys your home, do you not seek recompense from that man? This realm is God’s and he has condescended to allow us to exist within his creation. Yet we, as creatures, more often than not believe that we are the owners of our place in existence.

Slavery is man’s invention. The rules of slavery are God’s means of teaching us not to be slaves. War is man’s invention. God’s enactment of war is his way of teaching us not to war against each other. Segregation is man’s invention. God used a peculiar people to bring people together under his name, away from the influences of false gods and false religions in the earth. Genocide is Man’s invention. God’s use of genocide is to eliminate a cancer, a rotting disease of corruption, from the earth.

It is when men remove God’s rules of slavery, and institute their own modes of slavery that slavery becomes evil. It is when men use war as a tool of domination that war becomes evil. It is when men use segregation as a means of instituting class warfare that segregation becomes evil. It is when men use genocide as a means of homogenizing racial identity towards the intent of false unity that genocide becomes evil.

We are the authors of confusion, having learned that trick from the enemy of God and men; Satan. That confusion always begins with the words “hath God said…?”

In the Christ on the cross we see a man with a singular character. He has the character of meekness, of servitude, yet of power and providence. He heals the sick and cares for the poor. He protects the sinner and sits down with the reprobate, yet his righteous character never changes and is never compromised. He respects his parents and honors their name. He willingly laid down his life for the sins of the world. Yet, this very same man says of himself “before Abraham was, I am.”

The Christ is the God of the Old Testament. This in and of itself raises the issue of contrarieties like no other. It is at the cross where this seeming dichotomy finds it’s greatest conflict. The Christ exhibited righteousness and goodness, yet the Old Testament shows a God of wrath. Where is the coalescence?

What then? Do we excel? Not at all! For we have charged both Jews and Greeks before, all with being under sin; according as it has been written, “There is none righteous, not one!” There is none that understands, there is “not one that seeks after God. All turned away, they became worthless together, not one is doing goodness, not so much as one!” (LXX-Psa. 13:1 -3) “Their throat is an opened grave;” “they used deceit with their tongues; the poison of asps is under their lips; whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery are in their way; and they did not know a way of peace; there is no fear of God before their eyes.” (LXX-Psa. 5:10; 139:4; 9:28; Isa. 59:7, 8; Psa. 35:2; MT-Psa. 14:1 -3; 5:9; 140:3; 10:7; Isa. 59:7, 8; Psa. 36:1) – Romans 3:9-18

Richard Dawkins was asked the question very plainly, what he thought about God… “What do I think about God? The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction. Jealous and proud of it. A petty, unjust, unforgiving control freak. A vindictive, blood thirsty ethnic cleanser. A misogynistic, homophobic racist. Infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.”

I guess he doesn’t like God.

Listen to it. He is jealous, petty, unjust, unforgiving, vindictive, blood-thirsty, misogynistic, homophobic, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.

Now, he’s just finish telling us that [God's] a fictional character. That’s half of the point. The other half of the point is when you ask [Dawkins] what he thinks about humanity. He goes on to say that he believes basically in the goodness of humanity without God watching over.

Now, I don’t know if I’m confused, or he is. If God doesn’t exist and all these descriptions apply, who did these things?

A person is deluded when they believe something contrary to all the evidence. Who is deluded? Who wrote the Old Testament if God didn’t inspire the words? Humanity! That would be his answer. Then who ordered all those things? Humanity! Why on earth are you so big on humanity and so small on God when humanity manufactured the God that you deny?

Has anybody asked him this question?

–Excerpt from “Is Faith Delusional” by Dr. Ravi Zacharias