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A People of Extremes

Balance is essential for the Christian faith and life. Note that I did not say moderation. In our day, too much emphasis has been placed on moderation – “Everything in moderation!” Finding the middle ground may be the best road to political peace or religious tolerance, but it is not the way of the Christian life. The Christian faith and life is not one of moderation, but one of grasping both extremes simultaneously.

As God has revealed Himself and His ways to us in Scripture, oftentimes we must wrestle with an antinomy. J.I. Packer defines an antinomy as “‘an appearance of a contradiction.’ For the whole point of an antinomy – in theology, at any rate – is that it is not a real contradiction, though it looks like one. It is an apparent incompatibility between two apparent truths. An antinomy exists when a pair of principles stand side by side, seemingly irreconcilable, yet both undeniable. There are cogent reasons for believing each of them; each rests on clear and solid evidence; but it is a mystery to you how they can be squared with each other. You see that each must be true on its own, but you do not see how they can both be true together (Packer, Evangelism & the Sovereignty of God 18-19).”

Think of a barge on a river being pulled by a rope which is tied to a mule, walking along the edge of the river. In order for the barge to keep from drifting into the shore, it must be controlled by a rudder to off-set the torque of the pull by the mule. Now imagine that that barge is rudderless. The barge will careen into the bank of the river every time. But, if there were two mules pulling that same rudderless barge – one on each side of the river – the torque of each mule would off-set the other. Thus, the two mules would pull the barge down the center of the river to arrive at its destination.

This is a picture of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Only in Christ are seemingly opposed realities able to work together to pull the fallen world toward its ultimate destination of the new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). Christ Jesus, was God, became man, and continues to be both God and man in His ministry of reconciliation (Philippians 2:5-11). His ministry is not one of moderation (a middle ground between two extremes), but one of mediation (a grasping of both extremes simultaneously) – He is fully God and fully man.

This concept – the grasping of both extremes simultaneously – is helpful when thinking about God, our relationship with Him, and our relationship with His people, the Church. It is a motif which runs throughout Scripture and Systematic Theology. And thus, this concept is a motif which also applies to the practical ways in which the Christian lives out his or her life in the Church – particularly here at North Macon Presbyterian Church (NMPC). Our God is a God of extremes. Many times He grasps both simultaneously. Therefore, we are a people of extremes, seeking to grasp both simultaneously.