By: Gary L. Hutchens

An oxymoron is an expression that uses contradictory terms to get across a point. It is defined as: "a phrase in which two words of contradictory meaning are used together for special effect." Examples would be: A wise fool. Beautiful ugliness. Intellectual stupidity. An oxymoron can be a powerful literary tool demonstrating contradiction and absurdity. Let's note some oxymoron's that describe the spiritual reality of many people.

Violent peace! Many supposedly spiritual people call for peace. Yet they continually resort to violence, terror and intimidation to promote the peace they claim they seek. Jesus said, "...all who take the sword will perish by the sword" (Matthew 26:52).

Immoral morality! There are those who claim to stand on the high ground of morality, all the while taking the low ground of immorality. Some have decried the immorality of abortion, only to fight against it by blowing up abortion clinics and murdering doctors who perform abortions. Immoral acts do not become moral simply because they are supposedly used to strike out against immorality. The Psalmist wrote, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" (Matthew 5:8).

Unrighteous righteousness! Some people use unrighteous acts to supposedly promote righteousness. Historically, people have been beaten, even tortured, because they were deemed to be sinners. Some have been threatened with murder unless they would convert to some particular spiritual belief system. From a broader perspective, a great many people claim to be righteous while living unrighteous lifestyles. "Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil" (Isaiah 5:20).

Ungodly godliness! Many people profess godliness but live ungodly lives. Some parents discipline their child for lying and then tell their child to lie about his age in order to get a discount in a restaurant? How can a parent teach his child to be chaste when the parent is living with someone out of wedlock? The apostle Paul wrote, "teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously and godly in the present age" (Titus 2:12).

Unfaithful faithfulness! It is incredible how many people solemnly claim to be faithful to God while living lives of obvious unfaithfulness. They seldom attend any church service, do virtually nothing to honor God in their lives and commonly profane God's very name in the language they use. They openly take part in all kinds of sinful practices. Jesus spoke of such hypocrites: "These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me" (Matthew 15:8).

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