Isn’t the crucifixion of Jesus cosmic child abuse carried out by an angry Father?

This is perhaps the most attention-grabbing objection – propitiation equates to “cosmic child abuse.”  And this is the very objection we heard that in some of the quotes I read at the beginning.  The jaw dropping language of this accusation no doubt draws attention. There few things more disgusting than abusing an innocent child.  But before giving any credence to this notion, the nature of abuse must be understood. Let’s start with a definition.

Abuse can be defined as an act in which a person, filled with hate, seeks to bring gratification to himself by inflicting harm against an unwilling victim. In relation to the cross, this definition fails on numerous counts.  Let me briefly highlight three.

First, Jesus was not unwilling.  Scripture is emphatically clear that Jesus went to the cross by his own volition, and laid down his life by his own accord (Mark 10:45; John 10:17-18; 19:30) – in fact in Isaiah 53:11 it said he was satisfied.

Second, Jesus is not a victim.  Portraying Jesus as a “victim” is a gross misunderstanding of the doctrine of the Trinity – that God is one in essence, three in person.  This Christian doctrine shows that although the Father and Son are separate persons they share the same being and substance.  So when Jesus was on the cross it was not as though a third party was being victimized; it was God himself.  As John Stott has so clearly said, ““God took his own loving initiative to appease his own righteous anger by bearing it his own self in his own Son when he took our place and died for us.”[1]

Third, using the nomenclature of “cosmic child abuse” is equating the crucifixion to a hate-filled, vengeful act.  However, the cross is the pinnacle and showcase of God’s loving goodness; it is the polar opposite a vindictive, malicious act.  The New Testament insists the atonement flows from God’s holy love, not some mean-spirited, personalized hate ( John 15:13; Romans 5:8; 1 John 3:16; 4:10).  Calling the work on the cross “hateful” is a distortion of Scripture and an inaccurate portrayal of God’s goodness.