In this post I will be summing up the points found in a plethora of my articles/rebuttals in support of Jesus Christ being identified the eternal Creator and Sustainer of all creation. Obviously, this is to be understood in the context of his being the uniquely begotten Son of God and the eternal Companion of the Holy Spirit, and therefore means that Jesus is not the sole Creator and Life-giver. Rather, the one uncreated Creator and Sustainer is Triune by nature, eternally existing as the Father, and his Son, and the Holy Spirit.

YHWH: THE SOLE CREATOR AND SUSTAINER OF ALL CREATION

The inspired Scriptures proclaim that YHWH is the only God whom believers are to worship and serve:

“Then Jesus said to him, ‘Go, Satan! For it is written, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.”’” Matthew 4:10

One of the reasons for worshiping YHWH is because of his being the eternal Creator and Sustainer of the entire creation:

“You alone are Yahweh. You have made the heavens, The heaven of heavens with all their host, The earth and all that is on it, The seas and all that is in them. You give life to all of them And the heavenly host bows down to You.” Nehemiah 9:6

“And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying, ‘Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.’” Revelation 4:9-11

The Holy Bible proclaims that YHWH alone created and preserves all creation, having made creation all by himself without any assistance:

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1

“Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts. And on the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because on it He rested from all His work which God had created in making it. These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that Yahweh God made earth and heaven. Now no shrub of the field was yet in the earth, and no plant of the field had yet grown, for Yahweh God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground. But a stream would rise from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground. Then Yahweh God formed man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and so the man became a living being.” Genesis 2:1-7  

“Who alone stretches out the heavens, And tramples down the waves of the sea;” Job 9:8

“Did not He who made me in the womb make him, And the same one fashion us in the womb?” Job 31:15

“I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ And to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’ Bring My sons from afar And My daughters from the ends of the earth, Everyone who is called by My name, And whom I have created for My glory, Whom I have formed, even whom I have made… The beasts of the field will glorify Me, The jackals and the ostriches, Because I have given waters in the wilderness And rivers in the wasteland, To give drink to My chosen people. The people whom I formed for Myself Will recount My praise.” Isaiah 43:6-7, 20-21

“Thus says Yahweh, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb, ‘I, Yahweh, am the maker of all things, Stretching out the heavens by Myself And spreading out the earth all alone,’” Isaiah 44:24

“But Yahweh is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. At His wrath the earth quakes, And the nations cannot endure His indignation. Thus you shall say to them, ‘The gods that did not make the heavens and the earth will perish from the earth and from under the heavens.’ It is He who made the earth by His power, Who established the world by His wisdom; And by His understanding He has stretched out the heavens.” Jeremiah 10:10-12

Being the one and only Creator and Preserver of the entire creation means that YHWH alone is to be worshiped as God Almighty.

JESUS CHRIST: THE ETERNAL CREATOR AND SUSTAINER

Astonishingly, the inspired Christian Scriptures identify Jesus Christ as the God who brought all created things into being, and who personally sustains the entire creation by his powerful word!

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men… There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens everyone. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him… And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:1-4, 9-10, 14

“He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves. In him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For everything was created BY HIM, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through him and FOR HIM. He IS before all things, and BY HIM all things hold together. He is also the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile everything to himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” Colossians 1:13-20 Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

Even more remarkable is the fact that the Father himself takes the following Psalm, which describes YHWH as the unchanging Creator and Sustainer of all creation,

“A Prayer of the afflicted when he is faint and pours out his complaint before Yahweh. O Yahweh, hear my prayer! And let my cry for help come to You… But You, O Yahweh, abide forever, And the remembrance of Your name from generation to generation… Of old You founded the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands. Even they will perish, but You will remain; And all of them will wear out like a garment; Like clothing You will change them and they will be changed. But You are the same, And Your years will not come to an end.” Psalm 102:1, 12, 25-27

And ascribes it to his Son, thereby glorifying and praising the Son as that very unchangeable YHWH God Almighty!

“But of the Son He says, ‘Your throne, O God (ho theos), is forever and ever, And the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness above Your companions.’ And, ‘You, Lord [the Son], in the beginning founded the earth, And the heavens are the works of Your hands; They will perish, but You remain; And they all will wear out like a garment, And like a mantle You will roll them up; Like a garment they will also be changed. But You are the same, And Your years will not come to an end.’” Hebrews 1:8-12  

Jesus Christ is even worshiped by the entire angelic host in a context where he is described as creating, sustaining and redeeming the creation that the Father brought into being through his agency!

“God, having spoken long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days spoke to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds, who is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power; who, having accomplished cleansing for sins (katharismon ton hamartion poiesamenos), sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they. For to which of the angels did He ever say, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You”? And again, ‘I will be a Father to Him And He shall be a Son to Me’? And when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says, ‘And let all the angels of God worship Him (kai proskynesatosan auto angeloi theou).’” Hebrews 1:1-6

Remarkably, in the aforementioned passage the inspired writer attributes the very work of YHWH making purification for sins and the worship that he receives from all the angels to Jesus himself!

“Rejoice, ye heavens, with him, and let all the angels of God worship him (kai proskynesatosan auto angeloi theou); rejoice ye Gentiles, with his people, and let all the sons of God strengthen themselves in him; for he will avenge the blood of his sons, and he will render vengeance, and recompense justice to his enemies, and will reward them that hate him; and the Lord shall purge the land of his people (kai ekkathariei Kyrios ten gen tou laou autou).” Deuteronomy 32:43 LXX – Cf. Psalm 96:7 LXX

This solidifies that Jesus is none other than YHWH Almighty, the eternal Creator and Preserver of all creation, who is essentially one with the Father and the Holy Spirit!

FURTHER READING

JESUS AS THE ETERNAL CREATOR IN HEBREWS

JESUS THE ETERNAL CREATOR AND SUSTAINER

The Book of Hebrews and Jesus as Creator

JESUS CHRIST – THE CREATOR AND SUSTAINER OF ALL THINGS, PT. 2

JESUS CHRIST: SUPREME OVER ALL CREATION

THE NWT TESTIFIES THAT THE TRINITY IS THE ETERNAL CREATOR!

According to one of the most famous passages of the Holy Bible God sent his only-begotten into the world to save it so that whoever chooses to believe in the Son will be spared from perishing and be granted everlasting life:

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up;so that whoever believes (pas ho pisteuon) in Him will have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes (pas ho pisteuon) in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.” John 3:14-17

The Greek pas is crucial in understanding the meaning of this inspired proclamation. Grammarians and scholars of the New Testament assert that pas is indefinite, meaning it is an invitation to any and every individual to believe in God’s uniquely begotten Son.

In other words, the meaning of this construction is that John isn’t referring to any particular group but is inviting anyone and everyone to believe. As such, this shows that God’s desire is for the whole human race to be saved, not just the elect as some Calvinists teach.

Ironically, even the Swiss reformer John Calvin admitted that this is the plain, explicit meaning of the aforementioned passage:

That whosoever believeth on him may not perish. It is a remarkable commendation of faith, that it frees us from everlasting destruction. For he intended expressly to state that, though we appear to have been born to death, undoubted deliverance is offered to us by the faith of Christ; and, therefore, that we ought not to fear death, which otherwise hangs over us. AND HE HAS EMPLOYED THE UNIVERSAL TERM whosoever, BOTH TO INVITE ALL INDISCRIMINATELY TO PARTAKE OF LIFE, and to cut off every excuse from unbelievers. Such is also the import of the term World, which he formerly used; for though nothing will be found in the world that is worthy of the favor of God, yet he shows himself to be reconciled TO THE WHOLE WORLD, when he invites ALL MEN WITHOUT EXCEPTION to the faith of Christ, which is nothing else than an entrance into life.

Let us remember, on the other hand, that while life is promised universally to all who believe in Christ, still faith is not common to all. For Christ is made known and held out to the view of all, but the elect alone are they whose eyes God opens, that they may seek him by faith…

17. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world. It is a confirmation of the preceding statement; for it was not in vain that God sent his own Son to us. He came not to destroy; and therefore it follows, that it is the peculiar office of the Son of God, that all who believe may obtain salvation by him. There is now no reason why any man should be in a state of hesitation, or of distressing anxiety, as to the manner in which he may escape death, when we believe that it was the purpose of God that Christ should deliver us from it. The word world is again repeated, THAT NO MAN MAY THINK HIMSELF WHOLLY EXCLUDED, if he only keep the road of faith. (Calvin’s Commentary on the Bible, Chapter 3; emphasis mine)

In fact, according to A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (also known as BDAG), in the singular often pas ho, pasa he, pan to with a participle means every one who, whoever.

I now cite a slew of verses where singular pas and its various forms are used with a participle and the Greek definite article, just as we find in John 3:15-16, in order to illustrate this rule.

“Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes (panta ton pisteuonta) in Him receives forgiveness of sins.” Acts 10:43

“and that in Him, everyone who believes (pas ho pisteuon) is justified from all things which you could not be justified from through the Law of Moses.” Acts 13:39

“For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes (panti to pisteuonti).” Romans 10:4

“For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes (Pas ho pisteuon) upon Him will not be put to shame.” Romans 10:11

“But I say to you that everyone who is angry (pas ho orgizomenos) with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ shall be guilty before the Sanhedrin; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.” Matthew 5:22  

“but I say to you that everyone who looks (pas ho blepon) at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Matthew 5:28

“but I say to you that everyone who divorces (pas ho apolyon) his wife, except for the reason of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” Matthew 5:32  

“For everyone who asks (pas gar ho aiton) receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.’ Matthew 7:8

“And everyone hearing (pas ho akouon) these words of Mine and not doing them, may be compared to a foolish man who built his house on the sand. Read full chapter Matthew 7:26

“Everyone who comes (Pas ho erchomenos) to Me and hears My words and does them, I will show you whom he is like:” Luke 6:47

“For everyone who asks (pas gar ho aiton), receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened.” Luke 11:10

“For everyone who exalts (pas ho hypson) himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Luke 14:11

“Everyone who divorces (Pas ho apolyon) his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman who is divorced from a husband commits adultery.” Luke 16:18

“I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other, for everyone who exalts (pas ho hypson) himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Luke 18:14

 ‘I tell you that to everyone who has (panti to exchonti), more shall be given, but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.” Luke 19:26

“Therefore you are without excuse, O man, everyone who passes (pas ho krinon) judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.” Romans 2:1

“but glory and honor and peace to everyone who works (panti to ergazomeno) good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” Romans 2:10

“Now everyone who competes (pas de ho agonizomenos) in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible.” 1 Corinthians 9:25

“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs (pas ho kremamenos) on a tree’” Galatians 3:13

“Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, ‘The Lord knows those who are His,’ and, ‘Everyone who names (pas ho onomazon) the name of the Lord is to depart from wickedness.’” 2 Timothy 2:19

“For everyone who partakes (pas gar ho metechon) only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant.” Hebrews 5:13

“Everyone who denies (pas ho arnoumenos) the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also.” 1 John 2:23

“If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who does (pas ho poion) righteousness has been born of Him.” 1 John 2:29

“Anyone who goes too far and does not abide (pas ho proagon kai me menon) in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. The one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son.” 2 John 1:9

“I bear witness to everyone who hears (panti to akouonti) the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book.” Revelation 22:18

It is apparent that the meaning of the various forms of pas with the participle and the definite article in all these preceding examples can only mean, “any one who,” “everyone who”, “whoever.”

Therefore, since this is the precise construction employed in John 3:15-16 there can be absolutely no doubt that the meaning is that whoever chooses to believe in the Lord Jesus will be saved. It is an invitation from God to all mankind, calling every individual to saving faith in his uniquely begotten and beloved Son.

There’s simply no way of getting around this explicit testimony of inspired Scripture.

All biblical references taken from the Legacy Standard Bible (LSB).

FURTHER READING

JOHN’S PROLOGUE VS. LIMITED ATONEMENT

EARLY CHURCH ON JESUS’ ATONING DEATH

John Calvin and Particular Redemption

LIMITED ATONEMENT DEBATE PT. 1

The Case for Unlimited Atonement Pt. 1

For Whom Did the OT High Priest Make Atonement? Pt. 1

CHARLES HADDON SPURGEON VS. JAMES WHITE

MACARTHUR ON JOHN 3:16

HOW JUDAS ISCARIOT REFUTES CALVINISM

HEBREWS 2:16 AND LIMITED ATONEMENT

TURRETIN ATONEMENT DEBATE

TURRETIN ATONEMENT DEBATE PT. 2

The following post is taken from this site: Does God So Love the World? – Grace to You with John. All emphasis will be mine.

John MacArthur

Love is the best known but least understood of all God’s attributes. Almost everyone who believes in God these days sees Him as a God of love. I have even met agnostics who are quite certain that if God exists, He must be benevolent, compassionate, and loving.

All those things are infinitely true about God, of course, but not in the way most people think. Because of the influence of modern liberal theology, many suppose that God’s love and goodness ultimately nullify His righteousness, justice, and holy wrath. They envision God as a benign heavenly grandfather-tolerant, affable, lenient, permissive, devoid of any real displeasure over sin, who without consideration of His holiness will benignly pass over sin and accept people as they are.

Liberal thinking about God’s love also permeates much of evangelicalism today. We have lost the reality of God’s wrath. We have disregarded His hatred for sin. The God most evangelicals now describe is all-loving and not at all angry. We have forgotten that “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31). We do not believe in that kind of God anymore.

We must recapture some of the holy terror that comes with a right understanding of God’s righteous anger. We need to remember that God’s wrath does burn against impenitent sinners (Psalm 38:1-3). That reality is the very thing that makes His love so amazing. Only those who see themselves as sinners in the hands of an angry God can fully appreciate the magnitude and wonder of His love.

In that regard, our generation is surely at a greater disadvantage than any previous age. We have been force-fed the doctrines of self-esteem for so long that most people don’t really view themselves as sinners worthy of divine wrath. On top of that, religious liberalism, humanism, evangelical compromise, and ignorance of the Scriptures have all worked against a right understanding of who God is. Ironically, in an age that conceives of God as wholly loving, altogether devoid of wrath, few people really understand what God’s love is all about.

How we address the misconception of the present age is crucial. We must not respond to an overemphasis on divine love by denying that God is love. Our generation’s imbalanced view of God cannot be corrected by an equal imbalance in the opposite direction, a very real danger in some circles. I’m deeply concerned about a growing trend I’ve noticed — particularly among people committed to the biblical truth of God’s sovereignty and divine election. Some of them flatly deny that God in any sense loves those whom He has not chosen for salvation.

I am troubled by the tendency of some — often young people newly infatuated with Reformed doctrine — who insist that God cannot possibly love those who never repent and believe. I encounter that view, it seems, with increasing frequency.

The argument inevitably goes like this: Psalm 7:11 tells us “God is angry with the wicked every day.” It seems reasonable to assume that if God loved everyone, He would have chosen everyone unto salvation. Therefore, God does not love the non-elect. Those who hold this view often go to great lengths to argue that John 3:16 cannot really mean God loves the whole world.

Perhaps the best-known argument for this view is found the unabridged edition of an otherwise excellent book, The Sovereignty of God, by A. W. Pink. Pink wrote, “God loves whom He chooses. He does not love everybody.” He further argued that the word world in John 3:16 (“For God so loved the world…“) “refers to the world of believers (God’s elect), in contradistinction from ‘the world of the ungodly.'”

Pink was attempting to make the crucial point that God is sovereign in the exercise of His love. The gist of his argument is certainly valid: It is folly to think that God loves all alike, or that He is compelled by some rule of fairness to love everyone equally. Scripture teaches us that God loves because He chooses to love (Deuteronomy 7:6-7), because He is loving (God is love, 1 John 4:8), not because He is under some obligation to love everyone the same.

Nothing but God’s own sovereign good pleasure compels Him to love sinners. Nothing but His own sovereign will governs His love. That has to be true, since there is certainly nothing in any sinner worthy of even the smallest degree of divine love.

Unfortunately, Pink took the corollary too far. The fact that some sinners are not elected to salvation is no proof that God’s attitude toward them is utterly devoid of sincere love. We know from Scripture that God is compassionate, kind, generous, and good even to the most stubborn sinners. Who can deny that those mercies flow out of God’s boundless love? It is evident that they are showered even on unrepentant sinners.

We must understand that it is God’s very nature to love. The reason our Lord commanded us to love our enemies is “in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matthew 5:45). Jesus clearly characterized His Father as One who loves even those who purposefully set themselves at enmity against Him.

At this point, however, an important distinction must be made: God loves believers with a particular love. God’s love for the elect is an infinite, eternal, saving love. We know from Scripture that this great love was the very cause of our election (Ephesians 2:4). Such love clearly is not directed toward all of mankind indiscriminately, but is bestowed uniquely and individually on those whom God chose in eternity past.

But from that, it does not follow that God’s attitude toward those He did not elect must be unmitigated hatred. Surely His pleading with the lost, His offers of mercy to the reprobate, and the call of the gospel to all who hear are all sincere expressions of the heart of a loving God. Remember, He has no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but tenderly calls sinners to turn from their evil ways and live.

Reformed theology has historically been the branch of evangelicalism most strongly committed to the sovereignty of God. At the same time, the mainstream of Reformed theologians have always affirmed the love of God for ALL SINNERS. John Calvin himself wrote regarding John 3:16, “[Two] points are distinctly stated to us: namely, that faith in Christ brings life to all, and that Christ brought life, because the Father loves the human race, and wishes that they should not perish.”

Calvin continues to explain the biblical balance that both the gospel invitation and “the world” that God loves are by no means limited to the elect alone. He also recognized that God’s electing, saving love is uniquely bestowed on His chosen ones.

Those same truths, reflecting a biblical balance, have been vigorously defended by a host of Reformed stalwarts, including Thomas Boston, John Brown, Andrew Fuller, W. G. T. Shedd, R. L. Dabney, B. B. Warfield, John Murray, R. B. Kuiper, and many others. In no sense does belief in divine sovereignty rule out the love of God for all humanity.

We are seeing today, in some circles, an almost unprecedented interest in the doctrines of the Reformation and the Puritan eras. I’m very encouraged by that in most respects. A return to those historic truths is, I’m convinced, absolutely necessary if the church is to survive. Yet there is a danger when overzealous souls misuse a doctrine like divine sovereignty TO DENY GOD’S SINCERE OFFER OF MERCY TO ALL SINNERS.

We must maintain a carefully balanced perspective as we pursue our study of God’s love. God’s love cannot be isolated from His wrath and vice versa. Nor are His love and wrath in opposition to each other like some mystical yin-yang principle. Both attributes are constant, perfect, without ebb or flow. His wrath coexists with His love; therefore, the two never contradict. Such are the perfections of God that we can never begin to comprehend these things. Above all, we must not set them against one another, as if there were somehow a discrepancy in God.

Both God’s wrath and His love work to the same ultimate end — His glory. God is glorified in the condemnation of the wicked; He is glorified in every expression of love for all people without exception; and He is glorified in the particular love He manifests in saving His people.

Expressions of wrath and expressions of love — all are necessary to display God’s full glory. We must never ignore any aspect of His character, nor magnify one to the exclusion of another. When we commit those errors, we throw off the biblical balance, distort the true nature of God, and diminish His real glory.

Does God so love the world? Emphatically — yes! Proclaim that truth far and wide, and do so against the backdrop of God’s perfect wrath that awaits everyone who does not repent and turn to Christ.

Does the love of God differ in the breadth and depth and manner of its expression? Yes it does. Praise Him for the many manifestations of His love, especially toward the non-elect, and rejoice in the particular manifestation of His saving love for you who believe. God has chosen to display in you the glory of His redeeming grace.

Arthur W. Pink, The Sovereignty of God (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1930), 29-30.

Ibid., 314.

John Calvin, Commentary on a Harmony of the Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, William Pringle, trans. (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1979 reprint), 123.

Adapted from The God Who Loves © 2001 by John MacArthur. All rights reserved.

FURTHER READING

JOHN’S PROLOGUE VS. LIMITED ATONEMENT

EARLY CHURCH ON JESUS’ ATONING DEATH

John Calvin and Particular Redemption

LIMITED ATONEMENT DEBATE PT. 1

The Case for Unlimited Atonement Pt. 1

For Whom Did the OT High Priest Make Atonement? Pt. 1

CHARLES HADDON SPURGEON VS. JAMES WHITE

HOW JUDAS ISCARIOT REFUTES CALVINISM

HEBREWS 2:16 AND LIMITED ATONEMENT

TURRETIN ATONEMENT DEBATE

TURRETIN ATONEMENT DEBATE PT. 2

The second century AD Christian apologist and martyr Justin Martyr addressed the issue of the pagan copycat religions and their resemblance to the Christian faith. He argued that the pagan myths were satanic corruptions of biblical prophecies announcing the coming of the Lord Jesus, in order to mislead people from following the true religion.  

Chapter 69. The devil, since he emulates the truth, has invented fables about Bacchus, Hercules, and Æsculapius

Justin: Be well assured, then, Trypho, that I am established in the knowledge of and faith in the Scriptures by those counterfeits which he who is called the devil is said to have performed among the Greeks; just as some were wrought by the Magi in Egypt, and others by the false prophets in Elijah’s days. For when they tell that Bacchus, son of Jupiter, was begotten by [Jupiter’s] intercourse with Semele, and that he was the discoverer of the vine; and when they relate, that being torn in pieces, and having died, he rose again, and ascended to heaven; and when they introduce wine into his mysteries, do I not perceive that [the devil] has imitated the prophecy announced by the patriarch Jacob, and recorded by Moses? And when they tell that Hercules was strong, and travelled over all the world, and was begotten by Jove of Alcmene, and ascended to heaven when he died, do I not perceive that the Scripture which speaks of Christ, ‘strong as a giant to run his race,’ has been in like manner imitated? And when he [the devil] brings forward Æsculapius as the raiser of the dead and healer of all diseases, may I not say that in this matter likewise he has imitated the prophecies about Christ? But since I have not quoted to you such Scripture as tells that Christ will do these things, I must necessarily remind you of one such: from which you can understand, how that to those destitute of a knowledge of God, I mean the Gentiles, who, ‘having eyes, saw not, and having a heart, understood not,’ worshipping the images of wood, [how even to them] Scripture prophesied that they would renounce these [vanities], and hope in this Christ. It is thus written:

Rejoice, thirsty wilderness: let the wilderness be glad, and blossom as the lily: the deserts of the Jordan shall both blossom and be glad: and the glory of Lebanon was given to it, and the honour of Carmel. And my people shall see the exaltation of the Lord, and the glory of God. Be strong, you careless hands and enfeebled knees. Be comforted, you faint in soul: be strong, fear not. Behold, our God gives, and will give, retributive judgment. He shall come and save us. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall hear. Then the lame shall leap as an hart, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be distinct: for water has broken forth in the wilderness, and a valley in the thirsty land; and the parched ground shall become pools, and a spring of water shall [rise up] in the thirsty land. Isaiah 35:1-7

The spring of living water which gushed forth from God in the land destitute of the knowledge of God, namely the land of the Gentiles, was this Christ, who also appeared in your nation, and healed those who were maimed, and deaf, and lame in body from their birth, causing them to leap, to hear, and to see, by His word. And having raised the dead, and causing them to live, by His deeds He compelled the men who lived at that time to recognise Him. But though they saw such works, they asserted it was magical art. For they dared to call Him a magician, and a deceiver of the people. Yet He wrought such works, and persuaded those who were [destined to] believe in Him; for even if any one be labouring under a defect of body, yet be an observer of the doctrines delivered by Him, He shall raise him up at His second advent perfectly sound, after He has made him immortal, and incorruptible, and free from grief.

Chapter 70. So also the mysteries of Mithras are distorted from the prophecies of Daniel and Isaiah

Justin: And when those who record the mysteries of Mithras say that he was begotten of a rock, and call the place where those who believe in him are initiated a cave, do I not perceive here that the utterance of Daniel, that a stone without hands was cut out of a great mountain, has been imitated by them, and that they have attempted likewise to imitate the whole of Isaiah’s words? For they contrived that the words of righteousness be quoted also by them. But I must repeat to you the words of Isaiah referred to, in order that from them you may know that these things are so. They are these: ‘Hear, you that are far off, what I have done; those that are near shall know my might. The sinners in Zion are removed; trembling shall seize the impious. Who shall announce to you the everlasting place? The man who walks in righteousness, speaks in the right way, hates sin and unrighteousness, and keeps his hands pure from bribes, stops the ears from hearing the unjust judgment of blood closes the eyes from seeing unrighteousness: he shall dwell in the lofty cave of the strong rock. Bread shall be given to him, and his water [shall be] sure. You shall see the King with glory, and your eyes shall look far off. Your soul shall pursue diligently the fear of the Lord. Where is the scribe? Where are the counsellors? Where is he that numbers those who are nourished — the small and great people? With whom they did not take counsel, nor knew the depth of the voices, so that they heard not. The people who have become depreciated, and there is no understanding in him who hears.’ Isaiah 33:13-19 Now it is evident, that in this prophecy [allusion is made] to the bread which our Christ gave us to eat, in remembrance of His being made flesh for the sake of His believers, for whom also He suffered; and to the cup which He gave us to drink, in remembrance of His own blood, with giving of thanks. And this prophecy proves that we shall behold this very King with glory; and the very terms of the prophecy declare loudly, that the people foreknown to believe in Him were foreknown to pursue diligently the fear of the Lord. Moreover, these Scriptures are equally explicit in saying, that those who are reputed to know the writings of the Scriptures, and who hear the prophecies, have no understanding. And when I hear, Trypho, that Perseus was begotten of a virgin, I understand that the deceiving serpent counterfeited also this. (Dialogue with Trypho the Jew, Chapters 69-88)