Bible’s purpose: create saving faith

Isaac Asimov is a good read when it comes to science fiction, not so good when it comes to theology. I recently read a quote of his saying “Properly read, the Bible is the most potent force for atheism ever conceived.”

The Bible was, of course, not conceived as a “potent force for atheism.” The purpose of the Bible is the same purpose of the book of John, as written in John 20: 31: “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

I write this in response to a letter promoting Asimov’s viewpoint in the April 11 Collegian. Rather than going through, systematically, the out-of-context examples of the letter, I’d like to focus on one in particular: Abraham’s nephew, Lot.

As a Bible-believing Christian, I’m glad for God’s grace in Lot’s life. Yes, Lot did offer his daughters to the would-be-rapists at his doorstep, and later, having become drunk, he did father their sons. But through faith in God’s promised Messiah, Lot was saved. Through faith, the righteousness of Jesus was accredited to Lot, as it is for all Christians. So yes, Lot was righteous, but not through his own righteous acts.

You see, God is perfectly just. Sin must be punished. But God is also love. These attributes of God come together in Jesus Christ on the cross. Jesus died that all sinners, Lot included, could be saved.

Jeremy KnutsonMathematics