After a powerful mental download on the theological tension of the transcendence and immanence of God, the realization came flooding in that to think of God – who both knows the number of hairs on our head and who created the world – in one thought (equally, at the same time) takes some serious spiritual ambidexterity.  But this is where the Truth of our faith lives: i.e. in the theological tension between the majesty and the intimacy of God.

To lose one is to lose the full Truth. The danger is that we “make God in our image” and reduce the Incomparable, Omniscient, and Transcendent, Alpha and Omega to fit into our human boxes.

Unfortunately, much of the church today skips over this most important aspect of the faith; called the “Divine Paradox,” which is a common theological concept used by Christian scholars and mystics. As a result of this omission, modern religious circles tend to lean too far to one side or the other. They either make God a “cold, distant clockmaker” or a “genie/buddy.”

Jesus Christ, of course, is the perfect embodiment of the Divine Paradox. But even considering that He was equally human and divine, His humanness was what He held “front and center” during His walk on the earth. In fact, according to Philippians 2:6, “though He was in the form of God, (He) did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited.”

The irony is that while Jesus refused to exploit His divinity, we as humans often trend toward the opposite; we exploit His humanness. We emphasize His earthly relatability to the point of stripping away His holiness and majesty. Essentially, using Jesus’ humanity as a license to keep God at our level.

True spiritual ambidexterity, then, requires us to stop choosing between His hand and His halo.

Bringing back the Divine Paradox to the central place in our faith is actually a way of returning to a more ancient, robust version of faith that isn’t afraid of exercising brain cells. It is a beautiful “brain exercise” to reach for the hand of the Brother who wept at the grave of Lazarus, while simultaneously standing in awe before the One who created the heavens and the earth.

This isn’t a contradiction; it’s the Gospel.

It is more than okay to use terms like juxtaposition and dissonance to describe Divine Paradox. In fact, it’s perfect. In music, dissonance creates the tension that makes the resolution beautiful. The tension is the perfect faith builder. It’s like spiritual isometrics – the muscle grows by holding two opposing weights at the same time.

The Truth is a paradox. If we only see God as the transcendent king, we lose the intimate friend who counts every hair on our heads and knows our deepest thoughts. But if we only see Him as the Friend who says, “It’ll be just you and Me, babe!” and forget His holiness, we are no longer thinking of Him in Truth.

It takes immense “brain power” to hold both sides of this divine juxtaposition equally, at the same time, in one thought. But it is imperative that we try, anyway, until it becomes natural and comfortable.

As in almost every other thing in our lives “Practice makes perfect.” Making the effort will yield the most truthful knowledge of God.