It is fascinating how atheists and others distort the Bible. The effort to prove that the Bible is not an inspired volume, leads to some very strange alterations. Look at the following example.
Neal Stone wrote, ‘God who is so powerful He not only spoke the universe into existence but can control the most absolute smallest particle and yet His solution for man’s plight is to be born of a virgin so He can grow up and be killed by His own creation.’
The following questions come to light:
- What is man’s plight?
- What is God’s solution?
- Is God and Jesus exactly the same person?
- Was Jesus killed by His own creation?
What is man’s plight? It is illustrated in the Old Testament that man cannot obey God. It does not matter whether it is God’s special nation, the Israelites, or any other nation. They consistently failed. We can gauge the importance of obedience by looking at our own countries. What a glorious nation it would be if the citizens could obey the leaders and the laws.
What is God’s solution? God had a decree that the wages of sin is death. His Son, Jesus, would be the sacrificial Lamb who paid the wages of sin. So God can legally forgive sin and open the way for the Holy Spirit to reside inside us. The Holy Spirit, as the third Person of the Trinity, teaches us about God’s Kingdom and makes it possible to do what pleases God. This is God’s solution for man’s plight.
Did God become Jesus who was killed by His own creation? God the Father and God the Son are two very distinct persons. They are both God, but they have different functions. The Father was not born of a virgin. It was the Son, Jesus. That was so that He could be both Son of God and Son of Man. Only as Son of Man could He save people from the consequences of their sin, which very specifically excluded Satan and his demons. For them there is no salvation.
Was Jesus killed by His own creation? No, because He was the sacrificial Lamb, who knew beforehand what His task would be. ‘…He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.’ 1 There is a massive difference between the Biblical account and to ‘be killed by His own creation.’ Jesus laid down His life of His own accord, ‘I am the good Shepherd…and I lay down my life for the sheep.’ 2
Conclusion. To distort the Bible is normal in our times. It is about the only way to justify one’s atheism or apostasy. It has one drawback. God is not going to be fooled by it. Any person who wants to understand the Bible and God can ask the Holy Spirit for help.3
References
- Isaiah 53:5
- John 10:14,15
- John 16:13