One of the saddest moments in the history of the development of the church is when Jesus’ portrayal of God’s character, nature and form was retrofitted to the character, nature and form of God portrayed by the sinful nature of people living in Old Testament times. The two are totally incompatible and we give a short list of examples that you can check up as follows:
Example 1
Jephthah Burns His Daughter (Judges 11:29-40)
Jephthah made a promise to God thinking that God would be angry if he didn’t keep his promise
Would Jesus condone the burning of this child? Would Jesus have participated in this event?
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (Jn 10:10)
Example 2.
Josiah and Human Sacrifice (1 Kings 13:1-2)
Josiah executed the priests of the pagan shrines on their own altars, and he burned human bones on the altars to desecrate them.
Would Jesus have executed them? Would Jesus have burnt them?
Example 3.
People Who Don’t Listen to Priests must be put to death (Deuteronomy 17:12)
Would Jesus do this?
“But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi’, for you only have one Master and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth ‘father’, for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called ‘teacher’, for you have one Teacher, the Messiah/Christ.” (Matt 23:8-10)
Example 4
Death for Adulterer (Leviticus 20:10)
Would Jesus condone this? Would He cast the first stone?
When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If anyone of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” (John 8:7)
Example 5
Kill Nonbelievers (2 Chronicles 15:12-13 NAB)
Would Jesus kill Nonbelievers? I thought Jesus came into the World to save us, not to kill us?
“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgement.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgement.” (Matt 5:21-22)
Example 6
Pursue your enemies and attack them (Joshua 10:19)
Would Jesus pursue your enemies with a sword and attack them from every side?
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy,’ But I tell you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matt 5:43-44)
Example 7
Put sinners to death (Ezekiel 18:13)
Did Jesus come to endorse the putting to death of sinners?
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John3 :16)
Example 8
Elijah taken into heaven (2 Kings 2:11)
Would Jesus teach that a sinner can enter heaven without His sacrifice on the cross?
“No-one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven – the Son of Man.” (Jn 3:13)
In John 8 Jesus tells the priests “You do not know me or my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.”
No-one had seen God in the flesh until Jesus came as God incarnate.
So to know God, you have to know His Son.
So nobody who lived before the first advent of Christ knew God. They heard from God, God worked through them at times, God spoke through them at times, and Jesus even endorsed the commandments and the prophecies, but none of them knew what God was really like because they had never met The Son in the flesh. So they assumed God was just like them and they presented him as a reflection of their sinful nature.
Why then do we take the words and actions of a people who hadn’t seen God and call them divinely inspired?
