What is the meaning of the paradoxical characteristics of faith?

Answer 1

By losing life, we save ourselves. Jesus said, "Whoever would save their life will lose it and whoever loses their life for My sake will save it" (Lk 9:24). No material prosperity can compensate for the loss of eternal life. We take risks by trusting God's leading, which may take us to some uncomfortable places. We do what's right, even though it may not bring us success. The most happiness often comes to those who realize they won't always be happy. This is realism, not pessimism. We live in an imperfect, fallen world. All that we find in history--greed, ambition, war, lust, class-structure, racism, slavery--is the long, terrible story of people trying to find something other than God which will make them happy (C.S. Lewis). In our lives, some dreams may never come true. But we accept the circumstances of our lives as providential, knowing God has a higher purpose. We trust His plan for our lives, even if that means suffering. This enables us learn contentment and helps us to comfort fellow strugglers. The Beatitudes describe happiness in ways we wouldn't expect. Happiness is spiritual prosperity that comes from knowing God. Paul says that the secret of happiness is learning contentment, no matter what situation we're in (Phil 4). We can be wrong when we are right. Some people are so concerned about being right they fail to also be caring and loving. They tell the truth without kindness. John tells us to "speak the truth in love." This doesn't mean we should never disagree. But we ought to be kind when we confront, with a purpose of helping, not attacking, something I like to call "carefrontation". This goes against the argument culture we live in that revels in attacking one another rather than remaining dialogical. Confessing our weakness is a source of strength."When I am weak, then I am strong" (II Cor 12:10). In humility we understand and admit our frailty; we're realistic about our limitations. We're in bondage, yet we're free. It's been said that there are two kinds of people, and both of them are slaves. We're either be slaves to sin or slaves of righteousness, according to the Apostle Paul (Romans 6). People without God revel in their freedom; they're free to sin but not free to obey God. People who can't forgive are enslaved to those they hate. The one who would be greatest must be servant. Jesus taught this lesson in the Upper Room when He washed His disciples' feet. Jesus said, "If you want to be great, then you must be a servant." This is not what His followers wanted to hear, nor what we want to hear. We live in a culture that values upward mobility. Yetleadership involves giving of ourselves. To enjoy being together we need time alone. Solitude is important for personal growth, and by getting away we become better people to be around. We need time to think, contemplate, reflect…which is hard to do that in a crowd. Jesus often retreated from His followers to pray and meditate. What we learn in solitude we bring to our relationships. We lengthen our days by remembering the brevity of our lives. Henry Kissenger stated, "What has most surprised me about life is how quickly it passes. The Psalmist prays, "Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom" (90:12). We then seize the day; we don't assume we're going to live long and we make each day count. We also live as though Jesus could return at any time-watching, waiting, and ready. Victory often comes through surrender. We conquer by yielding. We overcome by being defeated. We don't follow Jesus on our own terms. Once we turn our lives over to God, He gives us abundant life and freedom from worry, fear, and from death itself. We let God run the show and call the shots--He's in charge, not us. C.S. Lewis observed, "Every story of conversion is the story of a blessed defeat." Surrender is sacrifice: we bring ourselves to the altar and let God do with us what He will. It will cost something to live for God; it will cost more to live for self. From this surrender we discover our war with God is over, and we find true peace.

Answer 2

For starters a paradox is a contradiction.

faiths in many cultures becomes a paradoxial "walking contradiction" when holy script is misinterpreted or when people are misguided.

For instance, Jesus said multiples times in The Bible "Do not judge." Christians (being human)have recently allowed their egos to place them on a moralistic pedistal of judgment due to misinterpretation of the Bible, but they have forgetten that EVERYONE is love underneath their sins, and that you must "LOVE the sinner, but hate the sin."

Paradoxial faith is when your religion becomes a selfish idealology. The believer of this religion believes that his/her beliefs are the only truth. They allow conflict and tension to arise at any opposition to "The truth". Oftentimes these believers seem devote, but are often the most faithless, and inwardly unsettled.

Echart Tolle has alot of great things to say about this matter...

Answer 3

The paradoxical characteristics of faith refer to the idea that it involves believing in something that cannot be proven or fully understood. It requires a balance between trust in the unseen and rational thought, as well as a willingness to accept uncertainty and ambiguity. Faith can be both a source of strength and a challenge, as it requires individuals to hold onto hope and belief in the face of doubt and difficulty.