I had a question pop into my head one Sunday. I didn’t look it up or “lick it up” as my son often tells me. But I doubt I’m the first one to ask it. Anyways, I have a question for you...are you an oxymoron? Hold that thought and we’ll come back to it.
What are some oxymorons you can think of? Here’s a few for you: jumbo shrimp, old news, happily married...just kidding, Hayden. These are some of the things that usually come to mind when someone mentions oxymorons. But have you ever thought about oxymorons in a Biblical context? In Revelation 3:15, Jesus is speaking to the Christians in Laodicea, and he says, “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot...So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.”
Webster says an oxymoron usually refers to a set of contradictory words rather than a contradictory person, but for our discussion let’s apply it to ourselves. Are you a living oxymoron? Are you a lukewarm Christian? If ever there were a set of contradictory words, I believe these would be it. It’s as James says, “these things ought not to be so.” Can you imagine God essentially saying to you that you make me want to vomit?
It’s hard to imagine being that repulsive to God, but that’s what he says about lukewarm Christians.
Unfortunately, I’ve been one and I don’t recommend it. It’s a terrible existence. You’re trying to hold on to the world in one hand and hold on to God with the other. Your lips say “I love God” but your actions say something completely different. You are living a life of lip service. Matthew 6:24 says “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” A lukewarm Christian is trying to do just that, constantly fighting against themselves.
So today, ask yourself, am I a walking oxymoron? I pray that answer is no. But if you find yourself a living contradiction, I pray that you will change and fully commit yourself to God. Hebrews 12:29 tells us that our God is a consuming fire. There is no halfway with God. You’re either in or you’re out. You’re either committed to him or you’re not. Don’t waste your life going through the motions. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” True life is in God. Don’t look for it anywhere else. Don’t be an oxymoron.
-Caleb Bowen
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