Tough Questions for Christians #13: Reluctant God

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According to most Christians, God is omnipotent. He knows all. He knows the past, the present, and the future. He knows the outcome of every decision anyone will ever make. In fact, the entire history of the world was known to God before he even created it.

He knew Adam and Eve would fall, and he knew that the ONLY way he could forgive sin would be if he sacrificed himself – to himself.

But he waited 4,000 years to do so.

As I see it, when you read through the Bible it’s a history of God doing everything he can to GET OUT OF SACRIFICING HIMSELF. He is a reluctant God.

When Adam and Eve sinned, God didn’t immediately offer himself as a sacrifice and take sin out of the picture, no – he did everything he could to try to civilize the world and then when that failed he just drowned billions of people.

Then you have the Tower of Babel, you’ve got the Israelites in slavery, God used the Kings, the Judges, and the Prophets, everything he can to try to get out of this. Then FINALLY he decides that nothing else is working, so he comes down in the flesh.

The day before he is to die, he goes and prays to himself and begs himself to get himself out. “God please remove this cup from me.” “Please, let me out of it, I don’t want to do this.”

If God already knew that the only way he could convince himself to forgive sin would be if he came down and killed himself for us, then he should’ve come down as Abel, the very first human born to Adam and Eve. He could’ve consequently been slain by Cain, and could’ve been “slain for our sins.”

There was no need, and no benefit to waiting 4,000 years and issuing laws that he’s just going repeal later.

If your God is not a reluctant God, why did he wait 4,000 years before coming down and offering himself as a sacrifice? Why not do it immediately? And why did he try so many other plans before finally deciding that the only way he could do it would be to come down himself? Why after he was here did he beg himself to let himself off the hook?

Why do you worship a reluctant God?

TOUGH QUESTION FOR CHRISTIANS #13:
WHY WAS GOD SO RELUCTANT TO SACRIFICE HIMSELF FOR YOUR SINS?

originally posted on YouTube at: www.youtube.com/azatheist