The Paradox of Christmas - Part 2

In Part 1 of this post, I defined the paradox of Christmas, which is the incarnation of Christ - that one man was both fully man and fully God. I also defined a paradox - a statement which seems contradictory but in reality is not. In these posts, I'm bringing up some of the Bible's paradoxes, using the paradox of Christmas, which all Christians believe, as a precedent.

In the previous post, I mentioned the paradox of evil - that the Bible portrays the devil as bringing about evil, but God as ultimately in control of the devil's actions. Furthermore, God is perfectly good and righteous.

Another paradox in the Bible is regarding sanctification. Simply speaking, "Sanctification is the carrying on to perfection the work begun in regeneration, and it extends to the whole man." (http://www.refbible.com/)

Christians are saved, or justified before God, by grace (Eph 2:8-9). That is to say, salvation is God's work. Once we are saved, our hearts are changed, and our lives reflect this change of heart. Here's the paradox - throughout the Bible, God both commands us to live in a certain way, and also declares that he will cause us to live in that way.

"work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who
works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure." -Phi. 2:12-13

Paul doesn't say "work for your salvation", that would be counter to all of his other writings. Rather, he's telling us to struggle in the fight for holiness. But notice what he says immediately aftewards - it is God who does this work in us.

Here's another example.

"Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer
stubborn." - Isaiah 10:16

"And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your
offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live." - Isaiah 30:6

God commands the very thing which he promises to do.

As John Piper says, we must make categories in our brains for these things. We do it, God does it - both are true, since we cannot deny Scripture. But we also know that God does whatever he pleases (Ps 115:3). His purposes preempt ours, even when we genuinely purpose to do something. Any strength that we have is his strength, and he has purposed to give it.

It would be an error to say, "I have no role in my sanctification, only God does it." It would also be an error to say, "God has saved me, but left me to myself to pursue holiness." God works in my to bring holiness, so I must pursue holiness. The paradox of Christmas helps us to hold on tightly to both of these truths.