--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As striking a paradox as any in Holy Writ…" description: "\"“As striking a paradox as any in Holy Writ is that the very God who from eternity elected a limited number of men to eternal life invites in perfect si..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d08/anonymous-1_eternal-life_as-striking-a-paradox-as-any-in-holy-wri_2897132.jpg" --- # As striking a paradox as any in Holy Writ is that the very… ![“As striking a paradox as any in Holy Writ is that the very God who from eternity elected a limited number of men to eternal life invites in perfect sincerity to life eternal all to whom the gospel comes. No theologian has ever succeeded in harmonizing the elements of that paradox before the bar of…” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d08/anonymous-1_eternal-life_as-striking-a-paradox-as-any-in-holy-wri_2897132.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d08/anonymous-1_eternal-life_as-striking-a-paradox-as-any-in-holy-wri_2897132.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d08/anonymous-1_eternal-life_as-striking-a-paradox-as-any-in-holy-wri_2897132.jpg) > ““As striking a paradox as any in Holy Writ is that the very God who from eternity elected a limited number of men to eternal life invites in perfect sincerity to life eternal all to whom the gospel comes.  No theologian has ever succeeded in harmonizing the elements of that paradox before the bar of human reason, but the greatest theologians have humbly accepted both as the very truth of God.”” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote highlights a theological paradox: God elects some for eternal life while offering it to all, a tension beyond human reason that great theologians accept. **In simple terms:** God’s election vs. universal invitation is a paradox accepted by theologians. Key Takeaway Recognize and hold paradoxes without forced resolution. Themes theology paradox faith reason humility Mood reflective thoughtful Type theological philosophical When to use this quote - preaching - academic theology - personal belief - interfaith dialogue Key Concepts election universal invitation human limitation Questions to Reflect On - How do you reconcile exclusive election with universal offer? - Can paradox be a source of faith? A Different Perspective The paradox may be seen as a rational inconsistency rather than a mystery. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accepted Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accepted-truth-1527349/) [Eternal life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eternal-life/) [Holy Writ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holy-writ-326780/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Eternal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-eternal/) [Paradox Holy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paradox-holy-4100490/) [Theologians Humbly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theologians-humbly-4100491/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Truth God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth-god/) ## Related quotes > [I would not be at all surprised to find that it was for gold that Cain committed the first murder. 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You are the cutest couple in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-this-earth-all-things-are-mortal-but-your-togetherness-and-love/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is eternal, and love is immortal, and death is only a horizon; and a horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-eternal-and-love-is-immortal-and-death-is-only-a-horizon-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Merciful God, comfort and heal all those who suffer in body, mind, or spirit; give them courage and hope in their troubles, and bring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/merciful-god-comfort-and-heal-all-those-who-suffer-in-body-mind-or/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Eternal life quotes > [Our thoughts are either focused on what's eternal, life-changing, and true, or lost in the details of our temporary, selfish, false beliefs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-groeschel/our-thoughts-are-either-focused-on-what-s-eternal-life-changing-and/) [Craig Groeschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-groeschel/) > [“What about your funeral, eh?” She asks. “You mean the one that is never going to happen ever because I am going to gather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-wolf/what-about-your-funeral-eh-she-asks-you-mean-the-one-that-is-never/) [Sara Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-wolf/) > [The Baseball Hall of Fame is something every player dreams about, but being a member of God's Hall of Fame is the greatest achievement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-carter/the-baseball-hall-of-fame-is-something-every-player-dreams-about-but/) [Gary Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-carter/) > [Intellectual methods-study and reason-are essential to our progress toward eternal life, but they are not sufficient. They can prepare the way. They can get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallin-h-oaks/intellectual-methods-study-and-reason-are-essential-to-our-progress/) [Dallin H. Oaks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallin-h-oaks/) > [“This life is just a bootcamp, to test and toughen us, to prepare us for the next life of service in some great adventure.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/this-life-is-just-a-bootcamp-to-test-and-toughen-us-to-prepare-us-for/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [Suppose that we are wise enough to learn and know-and yet not wise enough to control our learning and knowledge, so that we use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/suppose-that-we-are-wise-enough-to-learn-and-know-and-yet-not-wise/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [My plea therefore is this: Let us get our instruments tightly strung and our melodies sweetly sung. Let us not die with our music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-w-kimball/my-plea-therefore-is-this-let-us-get-our-instruments-tightly-strung/) [Spencer W. Kimball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-w-kimball/) > [Masonry inculcates faith in immortality as indispensable to moral living and urges its members to qualify for eternal life by the practice of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-e-hammond/masonry-inculcates-faith-in-immortality-as-indispensable-to-moral/) [William E Hammond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-e-hammond/) > [The fear of an eternal life compared to an inevitable death is that of a wise man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-queen/the-fear-of-an-eternal-life-compared-to-an-inevitable-death-is-that/) [Derek Queen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-queen/) > [“Our true reality is not a limited phenomenon, existing only between birth and death. It is eternal life that exists alone, self-existent and self-sufficient,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilchi-lee/our-true-reality-is-not-a-limited-phenomenon-existing-only-between/) [Ilchi Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilchi-lee/) > [“We live a short period of time in this world, but we live it according to the laws of eternal life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/we-live-a-short-period-of-time-in-this-world-but-we-live-it-according/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“ Programs has a temporary results leading to nothingness, and the Gospel the brings the result of Eternal life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommie-scott/programs-has-a-temporary-results-leading-to-nothingness-and-the/) [Tommie Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommie-scott/) > [“Silently a flower blooms, In silence if falls away; Yet here now, at this moment, at this place, The world of the flower, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilli-jolgren-day/silently-a-flower-blooms-in-silence-if-falls-away-yet-here-now-at/) [Lilli Jolgren Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lilli-jolgren-day/) > [If we never leave our house except to drive to work, do we need to be even remotely aware of this powerful, humbling, extraordinary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/if-we-never-leave-our-house-except-to-drive-to-work-do-we-need-to-be/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [We have a commitment to serve our Lord. 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Kimball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-w-kimball/) [Browse all 750 Eternal life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eternal-life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“As striking a paradox as any in Holy Writ is that the very God who from eternity elected a limited number of men to eternal life invites in perfect sincerity to life eternal all to whom the gospel comes.  No theologian has ever succeeded in harmonizing the elements of that paradox before the bar of human reason, but the greatest theologians have humbly accepted both as the very truth of God.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-striking-a-paradox-as-any-in-holy-writ-is-that-the-very-god-who/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Eternal life" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-striking-a-paradox-as-any-in-holy-writ-is-that-the-very-god-who/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d08/anonymous-1_eternal-life_as-striking-a-paradox-as-any-in-holy-wri_2897132.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d08/anonymous-1_eternal-life_as-striking-a-paradox-as-any-in-holy-wri_2897132.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d08/anonymous-1_eternal-life_as-striking-a-paradox-as-any-in-holy-wri_2897132.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As striking a paradox as any in Holy Writ is that the very God who from eternity elected a limited number of…” — Anonymous", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Anonymous", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“As striking a paradox as any...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-striking-a-paradox-as-any-in-holy-writ-is-that-the-very-god-who/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-striking-a-paradox-as-any-in-holy-writ-is-that-the-very-god-who/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```