God is not a carnivore.

It’s a classic scenario, one that is put to students in every philosophy and ethics class everywhere. It begins with, “Would you be willing to die for a cause/ideology/religion  you believed in?” Almost everyone says yes. There is a glory to martyrdom that appeals to the ego, and it attracts like mosquitos to a bug-zapper. It is a glory that, to a lesser degree, appeals to those in the military. They would not die as martyrs, but as soldiers on the battlefield, or at least consider the possibility. To go out in a blaze of glory has always drawn people to step forward into harm’s way.

The twist comes when the class is asked the next part of the scenario. “Would you be willing to sacrifice someone you love for same cause/ideology/religion?” To this almost everyone answers no. The reason is expressed in different ways, but boiled down  is the same all over: by definition, to love someone is to protect them from all harm, even if it means allowing harm to come to you instead. So, by human standards, sacrificing someone else in your place is incompatible with loving them, because you are placing their survival below yours in priority.

Genesis 22:1-12
“Some time after these things God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am!" Abraham replied. 2 God said, "Take your son - your only son, whom you love, Isaac - and go to the land of Moriah! Offer him up there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I will indicate to you." 3 Early in the morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took two of his young servants with him, along with his son Isaac. When he had cut the wood for the burnt offering, he started out for the place God had spoken to him about. 4 On the third day Abraham caught sight of the place in the distance. 5 So he said to his servants, "You two stay here with the donkey while the boy and I go up there. We will worship and then return to you."  6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and put it on his son Isaac. Then he took the fire and the knife in his hand, and the two of them walked on together. 7 Isaac said to his father Abraham, "My father?" "What is it, my son?" he replied. "Here is the fire and the wood," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" 8 "God will provide for himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son," Abraham replied. The two of them continued on together. 9 When they came to the place God had told him about, Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood on it. Next he tied up his son Isaac and placed him on the altar on top of the wood. 10 Then Abraham reached out his hand, took the knife, and prepared to slaughter his son. 11 But the Lord's angel called to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!" "Here I am!" he answered. 12 "Do not harm the boy!" the angel said. "Do not do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God because you did not withhold your son, your only son, from me."

So the question is, did Abraham truly love his son? We know that he did, after all, God states it plainly. But if Abraham loved his son Isaac, why would he be willing to sacrifice him simply because God had commanded it? Perhaps Abraham figured God wouldn’t really make him carry out the sacrifice. Abraham’s explanation to Isaac about God providing the lamb for the burnt offering would indicate this. But if this is so, then how is it a true test of Abraham’s loyalty to God? The only explanation is that Abraham must have believed that God really wanted him to kill Isaac. And for him to go through with it must mean that Abraham loved God more than his own son.

Thankfully, God is not a fan of human sacrifice, a favorite of pagan religions all over the world. He is, however, sympathetic to sacrificum deus, that is, divine sacrifice. For what the story of Abraham’s aborted sacrifice of Isaac foreshadows is exactly that. And because the Father and the Son are of the same essence, God is both demonstrating His willingness to die for the human cause/ideology/religion, and also protecting those He loves.

Romans 5:8 – “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”