Paradox of the New Covenant – Part Twenty

In this Month’s installment, we will look at a series of related Bible teachings which make no sense when taken at face value. To make sense of these teachings, we need another level of thinking. The difference between “nonsense” and “makes sense” mirrors the difference between the thinking inherent to the legalist system and the thinking required for under­standing the New Covenant. Applying Old Covenant thinking to the New Covenant amounts to putting new wine in old skins, and makes a worse legal­ism yet, by converting the principles of faith to legalist structures.

First, we will briefly list and comment on the passages. The pattern of the list will appear readily. Then we will discuss the significance of this list of teachings.

1. The first shall be last, and the last first (Lk. 13:30; Mk. 10:36; Mt. 19:30; 20:16.).

Jesus uses this formula to conclude several parables. It serves as a “moral of the story,” and helps us understand the point of the parables: those who thought first of themselves, and then — if at all — the needs of others, would be last at the judgement, i.e., rejected. Dead last, so to speak. The phrase also carries the meaning “whoever comes in first in this life will come in last at the judgement.” If you want what this world has to offer, you already have your reward. When we, however, put ourselves last, we are actually making ourselves first in God’s sight.

2. He who loses his life will save it (Mt. 10:38,39; 16:25).

This is similar in meaning to the above, but starkly stated. If you seek the favors of this life, you’ve thrown away eternal life. If you lose your life (for the sake of the gospel, a critical elipsis) you will actually find, or save it. This teaching comes with the warning, “There are some standing here who will not taste death (lose’ their lives) before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom” (Mt. 16:28). Living for the gospel means dying to the world. Jesus realized this saying when he remained on the cross, defying the taunts, “he saved others, let him save himself’ (Lk. 23:35) and “let him come down now from the cross” (Mt. 26: 42). He found his life by losing it.

3. Whoever would be great among you must be a slave (Mt. 20: 26,27; Mk.10:44-45).

This is also similar to the first entry, but set as an exhortation, not a warn­ing. This teaching comes in the context of the Sons of Zebedee’s request to sit at Jesus’ right hand in the kingdom. The Lord’s reply teaches that rulership comes from service. Servantship is in fact rulership, rulership of one’s own spirit.

4. Become a fool to be wise (I Cor. 3:18).

Here we have Paul writing to the Corinthians. Although Athens was the real intellectual seat of Greek culture, the issue of wisdom would still concern the less cultured Corinthians. Paul says that wisdom isn’t wisdom, foolishness is wisdom. Of course the foolishness to which he refers is God’s “fool­ishness:” a crucified Messiah, humility, meekness, giving up all in this life, etc. The way of life commensurate with the dynamics of the atonement in Christ made no sense in the linear, materialist Greek mind (identical to the Pharisees, in this respect). To the Greeks (and Pharisees) one gained wisdom by becom­ing wise. But one had to be wise enough to become foolish, for in becoming foolish (in the eyes of the world) one became wise. See also Matthew 11:25.

5. Childlikeness is maturity (Mt. 18:4)

The text actually says that whoever humbles himself like this child will be greatest in the Kingdom of heaven. Children aren’t humble; they are totally self-centered. But Jesus isn’t telling us to become childish; he’s telling us to become like a child, or childlike. A child doesn’t have all the answers. A child learns and grows with curiosity and a respect for the freshness of new experi­ence. Adults think they have the answers, and they know what’s what be­cause now they’re grown-up.

Many adults learn nothing because their “knowledge” has shut the doors and windows of the mind. This is really immature and not very adult. Choos­ing “I want to find out” in contrast with “I already know” is what Jesus is getting at here. The context of the rest of the chapter — dealing with interpersonal offenses and forgiveness — tells us that the wisdom of this world is indeed lacking in this dimension. The little ones “who believe in me” that Jesus bids us receive in verse 5 are not literal children, but people who have chosen to humble themselves and become as children. Their belief doesn’t make them perfect. In their struggles with sin, we will not reject them — even unto seventy times seven times.

6. When I am weak, then am I strong (II 12:10).

Here we have the apostle Paul referring to his dependence upon God’s great providence in dealing with his adversary. He cannot access this strength unless he is first made weak. He has to empty himself so God can fill him with power. In this context, God weakens Paul with affliction, and strengthens him with the power from above. Paul’s weakness becomes his strength.

7. Giving is getting (II Cor. 8: 6-11; Prov. 11:24, 25).

The more we give, the more we get. But we cannot give with the intent to get, for just doing the behavior of giving doesn’t count in the ethic of the New Covenant. The “getting” is the abundant resources to serve: God provides seed for the sower. We cannot get this seed, except by giving it with the right intent, which is purely for the service of others. We can’t do this with an entirely pure conscience, because we are not pure beings. But God does see those glimpses of selflessness that show up from time to time in our lives, and He responds with more for us to give.

8. Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled (Lk. 14:11) and humility is exaltation (Mt. 18:4 Eph. 1:3-9).

We all know the future application of this teaching (e.g. Isa. 40:4). If we humble ourselves now, God will exalt us later – but only if we have shown a true humility, not a sham humility for the sake of gaining exaltation.

Another application of this principle becomes apparent when we consider this fact: when we develop true humility, that is, a real sense of place and space between ourselves and God, we reach a state of heart in which we can receive immediate exaltation. Why? Because we can only relate to God on the basis of a true assessment of who we are and who God is.

As we grow in this awareness, essentially placing ourselves further from God, we grow closer to Him. Thus we have a relationship which exalts us now to the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. We cannot decide to be humble, nor can we claim humility for the sake of becoming exalted. This would revert us back to the legalist cause-effect model. One can only grow in humility, and then move into the circle of humility-exaltation, to the extent of human limitations.

9. The ungodly are just (Rom. 4:5).

This teaching relates immediately, directly, and daily to our standing before God. It has everything to do with how we become righteous. We become righteous not by being righteous, which we can’t, but by acknowledging our unrighteousness and accepting our dependence on the Father’s mercy and forgiveness. Paul’s passage in Romans cites Abraham’s confession, “he trusted him who justifies the ungodly.” Paul also refers to David, who confessed his sins — far more blatant and egregious than Abraham’s — and thus received mercy. Only in the Lord does this recognition of our unworthiness account for righteousness. Paul takes “let us sin that grace may abound” out of the equation in Romans 6:1, thus leaving us with a clean connection between recognizing our sin and finding righteousness in God. We cannot sin to obtain righteousness, nor can we do right to become righteous. When we confess “I have sinned,” then we don’t have sin anymore, because God forgives sin when we acknowledge it and faithfully seek His mercy.

The Common Thread

The above list surely is incomplete, but will suffice to demonstrate our point. All depend on an effect of opposites — we get what we don’t strive for. It seems we have to do the opposite of what we want, and the desired result comes indirectly. At the very least, the cumulative force of these struc­turally parallel passages teaches us that something extraordinary is going on. We are led to consider that we might find a line of thinking peculiar to the New Covenant that undergirds these passages. We are working our way up to understanding the nature of paradox.

True paradox is a recursive statement that lives in a circular (that is, with­out cause-effect status, but only a continuing system) world, without beginning or end, that represents the infiniteness of our God and His universe. Legalist thinking says, “I’m righteous because I don’t sin.” Faithful thinking says, “I’m righteous because I acknowledge my sin. But this must be a confession from the heart, not a mechanical confession. Then I become righteous through faith, which makes me unrighteous again, because that righteousness states that I’m unrighteous — only God is righteous. But that makes me righteous, which means I’m unrighteous.” So on it goes, only a continuous loop, not a cause-and-effect linearity that depends on the will of man as the cause.

The teaching of the teachings

Thus we can derive the collective meaning of the list of passages. Each iteration provides a unique perspective for understanding — it makes no sense in the materialist, legalist world in which our human nature wants to live. The statements demand we go into another realm of thinking. Unlike the black ­and-white, linear, cause-and-effect world of the Old Covenant of works, the New Covenant of grace requires a special sense of our interrelationship with a limitless God. Our salvation becomes not a direct result of our own actions, but an indirect, passive consequence of our selfless lives given to God for the benefit of others.

The list of parallel teachings cited above could not occur as part of the teaching under the law. The type of thinking needed to make them work demands elevation to a higher order of perception and an entirely selfless application of their principles. One can’t fake the New Covenant; one can’t go through the meaningless charades of offering ritual sacrifice without a scantling of devotion or understanding. Nor can one do anything to cause righteousness; righteousness only comes indirectly from the realization of our unrighteousness. This is a basic fact, but we want to highlight the type of thinking fundamental to this indirect righteousness. One can only train the mind to God’s eternal principles, and slowly learn that everything we naturally think is right, is not. We become void and powerless, and in our emptiness, we become filled.

Paradoxical teaching says that one cannot do anything to directly effect the result — the result must happen as an indirect consequence. Note, however, this doesn’t affect the concept of free choice. We choose each behavior. We make moral choices. We choose to be baptized, submitting to God’s purpose. But we cannot choose, directly, to be saved. That comes as the indirect result of faith, service, and growth. Living in the New Covenant means far more than a set of beliefs and worship practices. We must do, but with no thought of doing (Mt. 25:37). Our doing must emanate from the affections of a mind trained on eternal values.

A law that bans law

Jesus’ enigmatic statement recorded in John 15:12 deserves special men­tion. “A new command I give you, that you love one another as I have loved you.” As we noted in an earlier article (Jan/2000, Works of Faith), one cannot make a command to love, for if love comes by command, it isn’t love. Love can only come as an internal operation of God’s principles working within us to create a truly volitional desire to serve and worship.

So how can Jesus say it’s a commandment?

We can paraphrase to clarify: “I have only one law. That law says, there are no laws (since love cannot be commanded), there is only love.” If there is a law that says laws are “illegal,” then are there any laws? Yes, the law that says so. No, because there aren’t any laws. Yes. No. Yes. No.

A never ending circle of a self-contained paradoxical saying. To understand teachings of this sort we must remove ourselves from the Greek/Pharisaic cause-effect linearity and enter the circular, interactive world of Biblical thought.

God’s thinking should stretch us. “My ways are not your ways,” said the Lord God by Isaiah. Is it not far more likely that we would attempt to lower His teaching to concrete human levels than to try to grasp, even if dimly, the Divine mind? Understanding the paradoxical nature of the New Covenant is a good place to start elevating our minds.