Knowing the Unknowable God : How Faith Thrives on Divine Mystery

by LUCAS, JAMES R.

• ISBN13: 9781578566006
• ISBN10: 1578566002
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2003-12-01
• Publisher: WaterBrook Press

Summary

Meet the God Who Is Greater Than Your Biggest Questions. The Bible never shies away from seeming contradictions. We are told both to resist our enemies and to love them, and that our all-knowing God can sometimes forget. Unable to reconcile such biblical paradoxes, some people abandon Christianity, while others pretend that the seeming contradictions don't existpreferring to believe in an uncomplicated, easy-to-comprehend God. Yet countless others are hungry for new insight into the God behind the Bible's mysterious paradoxes. Responding to this spiritual hunger, James Lucas delves into the mysteries of Scripture, demonstrating that biblical "contradictions" are actually exquisite paradoxes that enlarge our understanding of God. With this book as your guide, you can embrace the paradoxes of Scripture and pursue honest answers to your hardest questions. The study of biblical paradox leads to greater devotion to the majestic God who makes himself known even while he surpasses human understanding. Today, you can beginKnowing the Unknowable God.

Author Biography

<b>James Lucas</b> is the author of thirteen books, including <i>Walking Through the Fire, A Perfect Persecution, </i>and<i> Am I the One?</i> He is executive director of the Relationship Development Center, a charter member of the American Association of Christian Counselors, and a professor in the School of Professional Studies at Rockhurst University. He lives with his family in the Kansas City area.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. xi
Preface: The Shocking Truth	p. xiii
Paradoxes in the Bible
Contradiction or Paradox? God Is Both/And...Not Either/Or	p. 3
The Spiritual Pursuit of the Both/And: How to Grab on to Both Sides of a Paradox	p. 18
Ten Paradoxes That Enrich Our Faith
The All-Knowing God Who Forgets: Why This Paradox Is Essential to Our Forgiveness	p. 35
The God of Judgment Who Gives Us a Break: Mercy and Judgment Can't Exist in Isolation	p. 50
The Changeless God Who Changes: Why Authentic Relationship Requires Give-and-Take	p. 67
The God Who Loathes and Loves the Wicked: Why a Righteous God Would Embrace the Unrighteous	p. 84
The Prince of Peace Who Bears a Sword: Two Paths of Peace, Two Paths of War	p. 102
The God of Truth Who Sends Delusions: The Contrast Between Facts and the Truth	p. 119
The Choice Is Ours, but the Choice Is God's: God's Choices Affect Ours--and Vice Versa	p. 136
It's Faith Alone, but We Must Have Good Works: What Does God Really Require of Us?	p. 154
We Must Flee Evil, and We Must Fight It: In Spiritual Warfare, Timing Is Everything	p. 172
Innocent As Children but Knowing the Score: The Right Time and Place for Openness or Guardedness	p. 189
Our Knowable, Unknowable God
The Center of God's Character: How We Get from Here to There	p. 207
Celebrating Our Mysterious Companion: An Intimate Relationship with the Lord of Paradox	p. 219
Notes	p. 223
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