What is the Third Side of the Coin?

The Third Side of the Coin

‘Heads’ or ‘tails?’

Usually coins are flipped to determine one of two sides. Heads or tails? Personally I still like the 50% saying that 'Tails Never Fails.' But of course it does 1/2 the time, but I digress.

What is the third side of a coin?

With concentrated study, which is usually not devoted to coinage, one discovers that there are indeed three sides of a coin and not just two. The third side is the edge running around the disc. It may be hidden from our conscious thought processes with all our attention on choosing one of two opposing sides, but with a little investigation one is indeed convinced that coins are not just two sided but that there is a Third Side of the Coin.  As I also will attempt to show, that there is not just the common two opposing sides to the multitude of theological positions but a balanced, third side which includes “the whole counsel of God.” (Acts 20:27)

The third side of a dollar with a message all its own

Why the Third Side of the Coin?

All of this leads to the reason for this blog. What is it about? Numismatics or the scientific study of currency? No. It's not about bullion, legal tender, or the "Hobby of Kings." The discovery of matters of trivia? No. The Third Side of the Coin is about a balance in theology. I have been burdened for many years on this idea and in the words of Paul feel I can say as he did, “So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace,” (Acts 20:32) to hear the apparent contradictory sides whether ‘heads’ or ‘tails’ and trust in the third side’s balance of God’s ‘whole counsel.’

Understanding Balance on the 'Scale' of things

Balance as a word comes from the Latin where the unit of weight, a libra, was in a state of  bilanx (balance) meaning 'to have two scalepans,’ from bi- ‘twice, having two’ + lanx ‘scalepan, the pan of a hanging scale.’ A balance needs two sides to weigh a weight. Without taking into account the libra found in both scalepans the theology gets a slanted, biased point of view. When theology is only weighed on one side it is unbalanced. It has only one side or lanx. Theology is notorious for presenting only one side and ignoring the other side of the coin or calling it false. The Third Side of the Coin is about evenly distributing the truth into its correct proportions weighing both sides of the libra weight to keep the scalepans from tipping to their imbalanced preconceived 'heads or tails' sides instead of where the third side of the coin forces balance.

Next, is an example of The Third Side of the Coin. Stay tuned!