“Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.”
What happens when an irresistible force meets an immovable object? This popular dilemma is known as the Irresistible Force Paradox and unfortunately, there is no answer. Logically, if there is such a thing as an irresistible force, then no object can be immovable. It is likewise impossible for an irresistible force to exist if there is an immovable object anywhere in the vicinity. If both existed in the same universe, they would seek each other out for the ultimate showdown.
The Irresistible Force Paradox naturally leads to the question of the nature of God. It is similar to the Omnipotence Paradox illustrated by questions like “Can God create a rock so heavy that He cannot lift it?” The Chinese word for “paradox” literally means ‘spear-shield.’ The term originated from a 3rd century B.C. book entitled Han Feizi written by a Chinese philosopher Han Fei (pronounced Han FEEZ-ee and Han EF-ee-i). The book contains a story about a weapons vendor trying to sell a spear he claimed could penetrate any shield. Interestingly, he also had a shield for sale that was, apparently, strong enough to deflect any spear.
So, what happens when an irresistible force meets an immovable object? Maybe both the force and the object surrender. Or, perhaps they exchange roles… the unstoppable force stops and the immovable object moves. The most plausible answer to me was posed by Victor Serebriakoff, one of the early members of Mensa, in a Mensa puzzle book he wrote claiming the Irresistible Force Paradox is truly “an inconceivable event.”
I love the mystery of the “inconceivable” nature of God. He is “the Rock of our salvation,” both irresistible and immovable. Within Himself is contained the power of the unanswerable. He imagined and caused to happen many “inconceivable events” like the Creation of the world from nothingness, the Immaculate Conception of Mary, the Incarnation of the God-Man Jesus, and the Resurrection of the crucified Christ. None of these events are plausible, fully imaginable, or humanly possible. However, “the things that are impossible with people are possible with God” (Luke 18.27).
I will accept the divine paradox and “shout joyfully to the [irresistible and immovable] Rock of our salvation.”
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3 comments:
Gee, and I thought I raised thouhgt provking ideas.
Dave,
Existence is a paradox and logically impossible, a situation much harder, I think, for those who refute God and Creationism and rely on science rather than faith because it proves everything anyone believes ultimately is a matter of faith. For there to be something out of nothing is impossible and to have nothing without something is impossible as is to have no end or beginning of eternity impossible, but to have a beginning or end is also impossible.
Man can puzzle on the impossibilities; God can solve them.
Larry E.
"Everything is a matter of faith". Good explanation and logic, Larry. Thanks.
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