The Bible is unique in how it deals very openly with the sins of people. Biographies are generally biased and tend to exaggerate the character traits, depending on the viewpoint of the writer. For example, if we look at the prominent men and women in history, we see that most are portrayed as great with few personal flaws. Examples abound, from Washington to Lincoln, Mother Teresa to Voltaire, Freud to Darwin; we hear about great accomplishments, but little about personal failures.
The Bible does not follow this pattern. It shows people as they are: sinful, lost, and in need of a Savior. Moses, David, and the apostle Paul were all murderers. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were all liars. The disciples were cowards. The genealogy leading directly to Jesus included prostitutes, liars, thieves, idolators, cowards, and murderers. This is hardly a ringing endorsement of the goodness of mankind nor a book likely to have been written by the deceitful human heart.
From A Closer Look at the Evidence by Kleiss, June 24.
