Merriam-Webster defines the word contradiction as “a difference or disagreement between two things which means that both cannot be true.” This is why unbelievers attempt to discredit the Word of God by claiming it’s full of contradictions. A contradiction involves an untruth; the Bible, however, is pure truth.

On the other hand, a paradox is “something that is made up of two opposite things and that seems impossible but is actually true or possible.” God doesn’t contradict Himself, but He is one paradox after another.

His love shatters you even as it heals you. He promises life to the fullest if “you put to death the deeds of the body” (Rom. 8:13). You’re marvelously free — but only when you become His bondservant. You become wealthy only through generosity and acknowledging that you possess nothing of your own. You’re strong because “power is perfected in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9).

God is extraordinary. He does the unexpected, He appears to break His own rules, and His statutes often seem illogical. But this only makes Him more awesome, more worthy of awe.

After Jesus healed the paralytic of Luke 5:26, the bystanders “were filled with awe and said, ‘We have seen incredible things today!’” (author’s emphasis) — that is, paradoxos: “unexpected, uncommon, and wonderful.”

Today, consider that one of the most wonderful paradoxes is that even though you’ll never fully comprehend this awesome God, He has invited you to know Him.

“For the Lord your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty, and awesome God” (Deut. 10:17).