Life’s Paradoxes and Mysteries
Mother Theresa and her assistants have devoted decades of their lives to selflessly serving the poorest of the poor in India. Friedrich Handel composed a magnificent oratorio, The Messiah, about the life of Christ. Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel paintings are a breathtaking work of art. Many others have greatly contributed to the relief of suffering, edification, and inspiration of fellow humans.
By contrast, for seemingly no reason or for their own selfish ambitions, individuals murder or attack others without provocation, damage property, or devise ways to cause harm. Cruel wars have killed billions over the course of human history – many accidentally. Countless others have been maimed physically, mentally and emotionally, as well as deprived of life’s necessities in the demolition of basic infrastructure. Worse yet, ceasefires have often not ended the death and destruction with thousands of unexploded mines callously left behind to devastate innocent lives in future generations.
Life on earth is full of opposites, paradoxes and mysteries. People can devote themselves in sacrificial love to the noblest causes. They can produce inspirational works of art, music or literature. On the other hand, they can dedicate their lives to causing destruction and death. Sometimes in the name of eliminating violence and establishing peace, more violence and devastation is brought about with far reaching consequences.
The world promotes true and false values, good and evil, truth and misinformation. Beauty and ugliness, love and hate, health and sickness, life and death all coexist. One cannot help but wonder: Why is that so? If there is a God and he is love, why do tragic things happen to good people? Why do the innocent suffer? Why are there wars with catastrophic consequences for billions? What about natural disasters, such as earthquakes, hurricanes, and tsunamis? Why do some people live in great abundance while others suffer extreme poverty and depravity?
The Scriptures also present many teachings that are paradoxical and incomprehensible to human logic. Among these are human free will operating in the context of divine sovereignty; Jesus Christ’s earthly existence being fully human and fully divine; those having the indwelling Holy Spirit being guaranteed salvation, but exhorted to work out their own salvation and warned not to fall away from the faith; and God being one in three entities. Full answers to these and other questions are among life’s mysteries and cannot be humanly fathomed. Nevertheless, the Bible provides some clues and a hope.
Besides the sovereign Creator God, the Scriptures speak of another powerful being invisibly influencing events on earth – Satan the devil. While the biblical details of his origin are sketchy, he may have initially been a prominent, virtuous created spirit being under the name of Lucifer. According to some interpretations, pride and discontent led him to rebel against his Creator and thereby become God’s adversary (together with other spirit beings, now demons). He is described as a liar, deceiver, murderer and destroyer.{24}
According to the biblical record of humanity – not a literal, historical account, but true nonetheless – Satan deceived the first humans to rebel against divine instructions. Consequently, the whole creation was subjected to futility and is in bondage to decay and death. Also as a result, human hearts became generally unreceptive to God.
The sovereign God has allowed Satan to exercise considerable, yet limited power over the world during the present stage of its history, and to influence and deceive humanity. However, we have also been given freedom of choice and a measure of authority over the created world. God calls individuals to be reconciled to him and to learn to discern between the true and false, the good and evil, the edifying and destructive. We are encouraged to pursue lives of kindness, peace, and service to others.{25}
Other factors that affect human hearts, minds, spirits and bodies are heredity, environment, lifestyle, and family background. (Some would add the consequences of behaviour in past lives.) Pain and suffering can be the result of poor judgment, violating divine or human laws, or God’s discipline in a person’s life for their ultimate good. Some suffering in this life appears to have no discernible causes. However, somehow God is present in all things – including disasters, crises and traumas – and works through them to accomplish his purposes for his glory and our ultimate good. Positive aspects of problems and difficulties are that we develop perseverance and maturity as well as understanding and compassion for others.{26}
Notwithstanding humanity’s present condition, there is a promise and hope of ultimate deliverance and restoration of all things.{27} The Creator is actively and sovereignly involved in history. He predicts events in advance and brings them to pass. Mysteriously, he works within the bounds of free will that he gives to both Satan and humans. Acting quietly behind the scenes, God is pushing back Satan’s dominion and implementing a plan of salvation decreed in eternity past and destined for fulfilment.
In reality, there is no battle between God and Satan where the outcome is uncertain. Rather, through the dramatic events surrounding the cross of Christ, Satan and his hordes are defeated foes, though not yet removed and still able to influence the minds and hearts of people.{28}
A time is indeed coming when a new heaven and new earth will be established without Satan’s influence – with no sickness, suffering and death. The divine kingdom will rule the world and God himself will dwell among glorified humans. No longer will a mixture of good and evil, happiness and sorrow, and health and illness prevail, but only love, joy, peace and goodness. The whole creation will be liberated from its decay and changed to one of everlasting beauty and harmony.
While we may puzzle over many of the paradoxes today, including the origin of evil, we can eagerly anticipate a new world, where all of life’s paradoxes and mysteries will be finally solved. Today, we only know in part, but when the divine promises of salvation are fulfilled, we will understand fully. What a fantastic hope and assurance! {29}