By Doug Cox

Why would a group of people get angry enough to take a street preachers Bible, throw it on the ground, kick it around like a deflated soccer ball, tear pages out of it and finally throw it in a latrine? The answer is either not as obvious as it seems or more obvious than we want to admit.

For a long time, I steered clear of the Bible. I was raised to believe you can’t trust it, that it had been corrupted in translation and you need other books than the Bible to know and follow God. Being taught that from a child I never challenged the idea. After starting a family, I remember randomly opening the Bible to read. It fell open to Deuteronomy 5:9 which says “For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me.” I’m sure my body language would have told you those words penetrated my heart. They scared me because I knew I wasn’t living my life right. I closed the book and walked away for a time.

One thing I didn’t feel however was hatred toward God. I knew I was out of His will, but I didn’t hate Him. I didn’t use His Name in vain, at least not on a regular basis. I admit I said God or Jesus in a demeaning way on occasion, when my temper flared, or when trying to impress peers, but I always felt bad afterwards, but I never hated God.

So why would someone want to spit on, kick, tear pages out of and flush the Bible? Is it because they hate God, or do they sense the authority the Bible contains and despise it? The Bible is meant to be relational. It’s common for children to despise their parent’s instruction and authority, yet not hate them.

In the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans, he says what some people consider disturbing, that “God’s wrath” is revealed from heaven against “all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth.” That “what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.” And that, “since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power… so that they are without excuse.” (See Romans 1:18-20)

What that means is God makes Himself known to people through His creation. Creation points to a Designer. Logic says that couldn’t have happened by random chance when looking at things like the bombardier beetle. So deniers demean the Bible, walk away from it or kick it around and defile it. They agree with their peers that it is uninspired and outdated, but their opinion doesn’t make it true. Denial, hatred and unbelief do not dismiss God’s authority or invalidate His promises. Denying God’s promises will however disqualify the denier from God’s blessing.

So, people can rant and rave and hold their breath until they turn blue if they want. They can kick the can of unbelief down the road of time until it’s too late. Meanwhile, God’s love remains true. He is still saying “come unto Me all who are weary and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) Hopefully, people will despise their sin that Jesus carried to the cross and not despise “…the riches of His goodness… the goodness of God that leads them to repentance (Romans 2:4) All ye, all ye, sinners, come in and be free.