Post by Admin on Oct 13, 2012 10:34:42 GMT -8
Issue No. 1 January 1983
(A) One of the most important concepts in Christianity is original sin or the belief that all mankind has inherited a sinful nature brought about by the acts of Adam and Eve.
Rom. 5:12 "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:"
Rom. 5:19 "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners,..."
1Cor. 15:22 "For as in Adam all die, ..."
Yet, no amount of theological reasoning can make an inherently unjust idea seem right. Punishing billions of people for the acts of one is not only inherently unfair and unwarranted but also in opposition to other Biblical verses such as:
Deut. 24:16 "The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers.
2 Chron.25:54, "... :every man shall be put to death for his own sin."
2 Kings 14:6, "wherein the LORD commanded, saying, The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor the children be put to death for the fathers; but every man shall be put to death for his own sin."
Ezek. 18:20 "The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bearthe iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him."
Ezek.33:20 "O ye house of Israel,I will judge you every one after his ways."
Jer. 31:29-30 "In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children's teeth are set on edge. But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge."
Rom. 2:6 "Who will render to every man according to his deeds."
Ezek. 18:4 "... the soul that sinneth, it shall die."
Each of these verses shows that every person should only be punished for those sins which he commits, not those of others.
Original sin makes about as much sense as if I were sitting at home one evening and the following occurred. The police came to my door and stated I was under arrest because my father in Europe just shot and killed someone. I responded by asking what that had to do with me and they said, "He's your father isn't he?"
(B) Another false conception held by many Christians is that the Bible is without contradictions. Few beliefs are more erroneous.
Rom.3:23 "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."
1Kgs. 8:46 "...for there is no man that sinneth not,...."
Prov.20:9 "Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?"
Eccl. 7:23 "For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not."
Mark 10:18 "And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God."
Rom. 3:10 "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one."
(Also 1 John 1:8 & 10, Rom. 3:12, 5:12, Gal. 3:22)
Versus
Gen. 6:9 "Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God."
Job 1:1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.
Job 1:8 "...my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?" (Job 2:3)
Gen. 7:1 "And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation."
Luke 1:5-6 "In the days of Herod, the king of Judaea,there was a priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abia: andhe had a wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.(RSV)
(C) Another clear contradiction concerns whether or not God repents.
Num. 23:19 "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent."
1 Sam. 15:29 "And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent."
Versus
Jonah 3:10 "And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not."
1 Sam.15:11 "It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king...."
Exod. 32:14 And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.
Psalms.42:10 "... for I repent me of the evil that I have done unto you."
Gen. 6:6 "And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart."
1 Sam. 15:35 "...and the LORD repented that he had made Saul king over Israel."
(D) Another contradiction worthy of note. It concerns the question of whether or not God's face has been seen.
John 1:18 "No man hath seen God at any time;..."
Exodus 33:20, And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.
John 6:46 "Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father."
1 John 4:12 "No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us."
Versus
Gen. 32:30 "And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved."
Exod. 33:11 "And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend."
Num. 14:14 "...that thou LORD art seen face to face,..."
Job 42:5 "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee."
Deut. 34:10 "And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face,..."
Deut. 5:4 "The LORD talked with you face to face...."
(also Psalm 63:2 Isa.6:1 & 6:5, Amos 7:7-8, Ezek. 20:35, Ex 24:9-10
In April 1982 Zondervan Publishing House issued one of the most comprehensive writings in recent memory to justify Biblical fallacies. Entitled An Encyclopedia of Biblical Difficulties, the promotional campaign by "Christian Readers News" describes it as a work which "exhaustively studies every difficult passage in the Bible-Genesis to Revelation." This is erroneous as this issue of Biblical Errancy, and those that follow, will show. For example, the author, Gleason Archer, a professor at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, neither explained how we could all be victims of original sin because of the deeds of one nor how Noah could be perfect if all have sinned.
Incidentally, it is always interesting to note the terminology employed by Biblical apologists with respect to contradictions. They are rarely referred to as contradictions. Such words as "difficulties," "discrepancies," "detractions," and "problem," are far more evident than contradictions, fallacies, and falsehoods. Using the former denotes an obvious attempt to minimize inconsistencies. A minor discrepancy sounds far less serious than a contradiction.
(E) What then are Gleason Archer's explanations for the above mentioned contradictions. In regard to the problems of God's repentance, he offers the following:
"...it is a mistake to infer from this (God's omniscience) that he is incapable of emotions or reactions to willful depravity of his creatures."(p. 80)
(1) If the word repent means anything, it says, I somehow made a mistake, not that I merely regret the results of my acts. I went down the wrong road. If you regret the outcome you are also saying, I wish I had done something else. (2) But even if repent is restricted to the very narrow sense of emotion and remorse, the fact remains that God does not repent in any sense. 1 Sam. 15:29 and Num. 23:19 makes this quite clear. Whether he is sorrowful or not is irrelevant. God does not repent, period. Apologists use the phrases universally when it suits their purpose, but in a restricted sense when it is obviouly wrong to employ the broad sense.
After saying God could repent in a sorrowful or remorseful sense, Archer states:
"Yet when it comes to His announced covenant purposes towardHis covenant people, God is indeed incapable of repentance."
(1) But there is no evidence of such a distinction in scripture. Num. 23:19 and 1 Sam 15:29 says that God does not repent. They do not say this applies only to those situations which involved "His annouced covenant purposes toward "His covenant people." Acher has inserted a provision which clearly nowhere in evidence.
In groping for a way out of this quagmire, Archer has grasped at two straws. Readers are free to choose either. "Repent" is only meant in an anthropomorphic sense or God does not repent "when it comes to His announced covenant purposes toward His people." There is not the slightest evidence for either assumption.
(F) With respect to seeing God's face Archer says: "The Bible draws a clear distinction between gazing on God in his unveiled glory and beholding a representative or reflection of God..."
(1) The issue concerns whether or not God's face is seen, not whether his glory or a mere relection is viewed. Acher has reframed and rewritten the problem. Ex. 33:11 and Gen. 32:30 clearly say God's face was seen, not a representation.
(2) The Bible draws no distinction in these verses between his glory and a mere reflection. Archer has artificially created a difference which does not exist. He is trying to escape from the problem by admitting a reflection of God was seen but not his essence, his glory.
Archer continues: "John 1:18 declares, "no man has seen God at any time (thatis, his full glory as Creator and Sovereign of all the universe.
(1) John 1:18 says nothing about "his full glory as Creator andSovereign of all the universe." There is no such proviso, noteven implicitly.
Archer then says: "We behold the face of God by faith as we look to Christ, 'He who has seen Me has seen the Father.' (John 14:9) God therefore showed His face and declared His glory through His Son, who was God Incarnate."
(1) Yes, the Bible does say men see God through Jesus but it also says God is seen face to face. The latter is prominent also. The Bible nowhere states that one excludes the other.
Archer proceeds: "God showed His face through an angel ( as at the interview with Moses at the burning bush ( Ex. 3:2-6), or else through his glory cloud,..."
(1) The Bible clearly states that Moses(Ex. 33:11) and Jacob (Gen.32:30) saw God face to face, not "through an angel" or "through His glory cloud." Archer is guilty of insertionism-the unwarranted and unsubstantiated insertion of words into Biblical verses to escape contradictions or a mistake.
(2) Archer chose a bad example from his perspective when he used Ex. 3:2-6. It says "And Moses hid his face: for he was afraid to look upon God." How then, could he have seen God's face through an angel or otherwise.
He adds: "We are therefore to understand that Yahweh met with Moses and talked to him in some glorious representation that fell short of a full unveiling of His face. In that sense He talked to Moses face to face..."(1) Again Ex. 33:11 and Gen. 32:30 say "face to face" not "in some glorious representation that fell short of a full unveiling of His face. And finally, Archer falsely alleges the in Ex. 33:18: "Moses asked to see the very face of God."
(1) This verse actually states that Moses asked to see God's glory, not his face. They are not identical. God did not deny this request as verse 19 shows, but stated in verse 20 (RSV) that it would not extend to revealing His face.
COMMENTARY
(A) One of the most important concepts in Christianity is original sin or the belief that all mankind has inherited a sinful nature brought about by the acts of Adam and Eve.
Rom. 5:12 "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:"
Rom. 5:19 "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners,..."
1Cor. 15:22 "For as in Adam all die, ..."
Yet, no amount of theological reasoning can make an inherently unjust idea seem right. Punishing billions of people for the acts of one is not only inherently unfair and unwarranted but also in opposition to other Biblical verses such as:
Deut. 24:16 "The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers.
2 Chron.25:54, "... :every man shall be put to death for his own sin."
2 Kings 14:6, "wherein the LORD commanded, saying, The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor the children be put to death for the fathers; but every man shall be put to death for his own sin."
Ezek. 18:20 "The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bearthe iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him."
Ezek.33:20 "O ye house of Israel,I will judge you every one after his ways."
Jer. 31:29-30 "In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children's teeth are set on edge. But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge."
Rom. 2:6 "Who will render to every man according to his deeds."
Ezek. 18:4 "... the soul that sinneth, it shall die."
Each of these verses shows that every person should only be punished for those sins which he commits, not those of others.
Original sin makes about as much sense as if I were sitting at home one evening and the following occurred. The police came to my door and stated I was under arrest because my father in Europe just shot and killed someone. I responded by asking what that had to do with me and they said, "He's your father isn't he?"
(B) Another false conception held by many Christians is that the Bible is without contradictions. Few beliefs are more erroneous.
Rom.3:23 "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."
1Kgs. 8:46 "...for there is no man that sinneth not,...."
Prov.20:9 "Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?"
Eccl. 7:23 "For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not."
Mark 10:18 "And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God."
Rom. 3:10 "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one."
(Also 1 John 1:8 & 10, Rom. 3:12, 5:12, Gal. 3:22)
Versus
Gen. 6:9 "Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God."
Job 1:1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.
Job 1:8 "...my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?" (Job 2:3)
Gen. 7:1 "And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation."
Luke 1:5-6 "In the days of Herod, the king of Judaea,there was a priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abia: andhe had a wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.(RSV)
(C) Another clear contradiction concerns whether or not God repents.
Num. 23:19 "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent."
1 Sam. 15:29 "And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent."
Versus
Jonah 3:10 "And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not."
1 Sam.15:11 "It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king...."
Exod. 32:14 And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.
Psalms.42:10 "... for I repent me of the evil that I have done unto you."
Gen. 6:6 "And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart."
1 Sam. 15:35 "...and the LORD repented that he had made Saul king over Israel."
(D) Another contradiction worthy of note. It concerns the question of whether or not God's face has been seen.
John 1:18 "No man hath seen God at any time;..."
Exodus 33:20, And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.
John 6:46 "Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father."
1 John 4:12 "No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us."
Versus
Gen. 32:30 "And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved."
Exod. 33:11 "And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend."
Num. 14:14 "...that thou LORD art seen face to face,..."
Job 42:5 "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee."
Deut. 34:10 "And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face,..."
Deut. 5:4 "The LORD talked with you face to face...."
(also Psalm 63:2 Isa.6:1 & 6:5, Amos 7:7-8, Ezek. 20:35, Ex 24:9-10
REVIEWS
In April 1982 Zondervan Publishing House issued one of the most comprehensive writings in recent memory to justify Biblical fallacies. Entitled An Encyclopedia of Biblical Difficulties, the promotional campaign by "Christian Readers News" describes it as a work which "exhaustively studies every difficult passage in the Bible-Genesis to Revelation." This is erroneous as this issue of Biblical Errancy, and those that follow, will show. For example, the author, Gleason Archer, a professor at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, neither explained how we could all be victims of original sin because of the deeds of one nor how Noah could be perfect if all have sinned.
Incidentally, it is always interesting to note the terminology employed by Biblical apologists with respect to contradictions. They are rarely referred to as contradictions. Such words as "difficulties," "discrepancies," "detractions," and "problem," are far more evident than contradictions, fallacies, and falsehoods. Using the former denotes an obvious attempt to minimize inconsistencies. A minor discrepancy sounds far less serious than a contradiction.
(E) What then are Gleason Archer's explanations for the above mentioned contradictions. In regard to the problems of God's repentance, he offers the following:
"...it is a mistake to infer from this (God's omniscience) that he is incapable of emotions or reactions to willful depravity of his creatures."(p. 80)
(1) If the word repent means anything, it says, I somehow made a mistake, not that I merely regret the results of my acts. I went down the wrong road. If you regret the outcome you are also saying, I wish I had done something else. (2) But even if repent is restricted to the very narrow sense of emotion and remorse, the fact remains that God does not repent in any sense. 1 Sam. 15:29 and Num. 23:19 makes this quite clear. Whether he is sorrowful or not is irrelevant. God does not repent, period. Apologists use the phrases universally when it suits their purpose, but in a restricted sense when it is obviouly wrong to employ the broad sense.
After saying God could repent in a sorrowful or remorseful sense, Archer states:
"Yet when it comes to His announced covenant purposes towardHis covenant people, God is indeed incapable of repentance."
(1) But there is no evidence of such a distinction in scripture. Num. 23:19 and 1 Sam 15:29 says that God does not repent. They do not say this applies only to those situations which involved "His annouced covenant purposes toward "His covenant people." Acher has inserted a provision which clearly nowhere in evidence.
In groping for a way out of this quagmire, Archer has grasped at two straws. Readers are free to choose either. "Repent" is only meant in an anthropomorphic sense or God does not repent "when it comes to His announced covenant purposes toward His people." There is not the slightest evidence for either assumption.
(F) With respect to seeing God's face Archer says: "The Bible draws a clear distinction between gazing on God in his unveiled glory and beholding a representative or reflection of God..."
(1) The issue concerns whether or not God's face is seen, not whether his glory or a mere relection is viewed. Acher has reframed and rewritten the problem. Ex. 33:11 and Gen. 32:30 clearly say God's face was seen, not a representation.
(2) The Bible draws no distinction in these verses between his glory and a mere reflection. Archer has artificially created a difference which does not exist. He is trying to escape from the problem by admitting a reflection of God was seen but not his essence, his glory.
Archer continues: "John 1:18 declares, "no man has seen God at any time (thatis, his full glory as Creator and Sovereign of all the universe.
(1) John 1:18 says nothing about "his full glory as Creator andSovereign of all the universe." There is no such proviso, noteven implicitly.
Archer then says: "We behold the face of God by faith as we look to Christ, 'He who has seen Me has seen the Father.' (John 14:9) God therefore showed His face and declared His glory through His Son, who was God Incarnate."
(1) Yes, the Bible does say men see God through Jesus but it also says God is seen face to face. The latter is prominent also. The Bible nowhere states that one excludes the other.
Archer proceeds: "God showed His face through an angel ( as at the interview with Moses at the burning bush ( Ex. 3:2-6), or else through his glory cloud,..."
(1) The Bible clearly states that Moses(Ex. 33:11) and Jacob (Gen.32:30) saw God face to face, not "through an angel" or "through His glory cloud." Archer is guilty of insertionism-the unwarranted and unsubstantiated insertion of words into Biblical verses to escape contradictions or a mistake.
(2) Archer chose a bad example from his perspective when he used Ex. 3:2-6. It says "And Moses hid his face: for he was afraid to look upon God." How then, could he have seen God's face through an angel or otherwise.
He adds: "We are therefore to understand that Yahweh met with Moses and talked to him in some glorious representation that fell short of a full unveiling of His face. In that sense He talked to Moses face to face..."(1) Again Ex. 33:11 and Gen. 32:30 say "face to face" not "in some glorious representation that fell short of a full unveiling of His face. And finally, Archer falsely alleges the in Ex. 33:18: "Moses asked to see the very face of God."
(1) This verse actually states that Moses asked to see God's glory, not his face. They are not identical. God did not deny this request as verse 19 shows, but stated in verse 20 (RSV) that it would not extend to revealing His face.