Changing God’s Word
Be Strong, Be Well — Sunday, September 27, 2020
Satan knows the power of God’s word in transforming lives. So he will use any platform he can find to stop people from learning the truth. What better avenue to spread a lie and cast a dark shadow of doubt on the scriptures than using the government of the largest populated nation in the world?
The Chinese government has been in the news quite a bit these days. This regime is known to lie and misrepresent the truth on many fronts. Even more dangerous is the fact they are atheistic and have no respect for the Bible or those who believe its teachings.
It shouldn’t surprise us to know Satan has used this powerful entity to propagate false information as it pertains to God’s Son and His word.
A textbook, published by the government-run University of Electronic Science and Technology Press, is used to teach “professional ethics and law” in vocational schools. In this textbook, the government used the biblical story of Jesus and the woman taken in adultery.
We remember the story in John 8. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought a woman to Jesus who was caught in the act of adultery. They asked Him if she should die by stoning because this is what the law commanded. As an act of mercy, Jesus told the rulers, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.”
Convicted in their hearts, one by one they all left. There was no one to accuse her. Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
The Chinese decided to change the scriptures and revise the story. Their ethics textbook reads, “When the crowd disappeared, Jesus stoned the sinner to death saying, ‘I, too, am a sinner. But if the law could only be executed by men without blemish, the law would be dead.’”
By having Jesus admit He was a sinner, destroys the idea of a perfect Savior, a spotless Lamb sacrifice, and the forgiveness of sins. It brings into question the perfect Son of God and His infallible law.
After the adulterous woman incident, Jesus began to talk about truth. The Jewish rulers argued with Him, but He said, “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it” (John 8:44).
This information teaches us a couple of things.
First, we can confidently say, those within an atheistic government who change or twist the scriptures, are liars—there is no truth in them. They stand condemned before God. He calls on them to repent and turn from their evil ways.
Second, God’s people can become just as callused and hard-hearted as those of the first century Jewish rulers. May we remain true to God’s word. And take courage and tell people what they need to hear, not what they may want to hear. —Chris