Child Abuse!
Was God giving Abraham a command to sin when he told him to sacrifice Isaac, his son?
This was asked on twitter.
In Genesis 22 we read:
After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here am I.” He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”
Abraham follows God’s command and prepares to sacrifice his son only to be prevented by an angel sent from the Lord. God tells Abraham in Genesis 22:12 “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.”
So was Abraham’s act a sin? It seems sinful. To kill your own son. Is there a higher form of child abuse than actually killing your own child? But we read: in James 1:13 – “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.”
So the answer would be no. We’re aware that it’s impossible for God to tempt Abraham to sin, therefore Abraham wasn’t going to sin. Let’s assume that this is because God was going to prevent Abraham from completing the act (already knowing the end from the beginning, but wishing to show Abraham and us a picture of the sort of sacrifice necessary for the remission of sins).
But would things be different if the sacrifice actually happened? What if God really did demand the sacrifice of a Son? God, you may be aware, has a Son named Jesus Christ and he really was sacrificed.
“Cosmic Child Abuse” is the term many opponents of the Gospel bring up. So did God sin by sacrificing His own Son? Again the answer is no. While Isaac was bound, which suggests that he was given no choice in the matter, Jesus died as a sacrifice willingly (John 10:17).
I can’t know what was running through Abraham & Isaac’s minds during their time on the mountain before God revealed His true purpose for them. I can imagine it wasn’t pleasant. That God allowed for a sacrifice of His Son, and that Christ allowed himself to be sacrificed speaks volumes about the deep, penetrating stain of sin in our lives and the requirements of cleansing it (forever).
