Anthony Buzzards Misquoting of Scripture

Usually Anthony is a stickler for proper rendering of the scripture.  Anthony knows Greek and Hebrew and is a respected scholar in many circles.  However Anthony has committed a most horrible sin in his use of James 1:13.  You see, Anthony has made quite a name for himself in disproving the trinity; he has written books and engaged in debates.  Anthony has made proving Jesus is not God a career and has devoted most of his time and effort in this endeavor.  Jesus commanded that his sheep be fed and to preach the gospel but Anthony is intent to the point of obsession to continue his war against the Trinitarians and Binatarians and has placed other spiritual issues secondary.

Now I will show you and Anthony his sin of scriptural butchery.

KJV James 1:13
 13.  Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:

When Anthony uses this scripture to prove Jesus is not God he eliminates the last two words “with evil” and says, “God cannot be tempted, Jesus was tempted therefore Jesus is not God“.  While I totally agree with Anthony that Jesus is not God I strongly disagree with his improper use of this verse to prove it.  In doing so Anthony has made a horrific error that he is unable to see because he is caught up in his obsession and is blinded to the impact of what he has concluded from this misuse of scripture.  Anthony has carried the thought of Jesus being tempted and extended it into the idea that Jesus was a potential sinner, that the messiah could have sinned as a man on Earth.  This is a case of one error feeding another and the ramifications of this have led to a heresy just as great as the trinity lie.

Anyone who is a scriptural scholar should agree that Anthony’s cutting off of the two words “with evil” changes the meaning of James 1:13.  Anthony in his desperation to find yet another way to prove Jesus is not God has butchered scripture in an attempt to make it say something to support his view.  This is a shame because there are many ways to prove Jesus is not God by proper use of the scripture.  For Anthony to resort to this tactic I feel is beneath him. 

James 1:13 is saying that God cannot be tempted with evil; that is God cannot be induced, enticed or tempted to commit evil.  Anthony makes it say only that God cannot be tempted.  The truth is that God can be tempted but God cannot be tempted with evil.  If any being cannot be tempted with evil then it would be impossible for that being to sin.  It is not a sin to be tempted but sin comes when the temptation produces enticement, causes one to consider doing the evil they are being tempted with. 

KJV James 1:14-15
 14.  But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 

This is speaking of when the temptation is successful and you think of doing the evil.

15.  Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

The tenth commandment says that coveting or lusting is sin.  Lusting begins in the mind or spirit of man.  If Jesus was truly tempted successfully by Satan and enticed then Jesus sinned.  The account in Matthew 4 informs us that Jesus never responded to the efforts of Satan to even consider doing what Satan was tempting him with.  Satan tempted Jesus “with evil” but Jesus could not be tempted “with evil” because God created His son in the express image of His likeness, of His character.
Jesus cannot be tempted “with evil” and the encounter with Satan served to prove this fact and is not a farce as Anthony Buzzards thinks.  Anthony seems to have a mental block with this issue and focuses on temptation only when the temptation involves the idea of enticing one to do evil. 

An example of the convoluted logic of Anthony Buzzard is below:

For God cannot speak any evil. -  Fictional example

Anthony Buzzards interpretation:

God cannot speak, Jesus spoke, therefore Jesus is not God. 

Just cut off the words “any evil” and you can have proof that Jesus was not God.  This type of scriptural butchery is not only improper it is dishonest. 

Because Anthony is well respected in the Restoration Churches and has an impressive academic record his words have great impact on those people he teaches.

The entire idea that Jesus was tempted, in Anthony’s mind, means that Jesus was capable of sin.  This all based on his misuse of James 1:13 by cutting off the words “with evil”. 

This amounts to using a butchered scripture to say Jesus was a potential sinner and thus Anthony’s sin is compounded.  The truth is that Jesus, in his encounter with the master tempter, was unaffected by all of Satan’s efforts to get Jesus to sin.  This proves that Jesus could not be tempted with evil just as God cannot be tempted with evil which is exactly what James 1:13 says.

Scripture says that Jesus was created in the express image of God; Jesus was not God but was the very image of Gods character, Gods nature of love.  None of Adams descendents could have been the messiah because of the sin of Adam passing on to us all.  The second Adam, Jesus the man messiah, was created by God in righteousness, which is another word Anthony does not understand, calling it, “a dreary word”.  God is righteous and God is love because love is righteousness in action, love fulfills the law, Jesus fulfilled the law.  Jesus had the same love and righteousness as his God and Father.  This is the reason why Jesus was and could be our messiah.  This is why Jesus is the first born of many, why Jesus could say, "if you have seen me you have seen my Father also."  Jesus was the image of the invisible God.  You and I must become like the man Jesus and not as Anthony does, bring the son of God down to our level rather than seeing that we must rise to his.

Anthony Buzzards false translation of James 1:13 and the conclusions he has drawn from this lie have led to his ignorantly denying the very qualities God created his son with so that Jesus could be the messiah. In effect Anthony, and all who believe this horrible lie, have denied the Father and the son.  This also impacts Anthony’s understanding of the gospel as the saints are to transformed into the image of Jesus who Anthony says was a potential sinner.  Anthony wants you to believe that a potential sinner ascended to heaven to sit at Gods right hand, this is impossible because sin, nor its potential, can exist in the kingdom of God.   If you are being transformed into the image of Jesus are you being transformed into a potential sinner?

It is hoped that you can see the error of Anthony Buzzard and the other problems caused by it.  A lie is a lie and I cannot remain silent, I must expose Anthony Buzzards lie about Jesus. I hope Anthony repents of this and asks God for forgiveness in the name of the one he has profaned.