In the modern world, people sometimes attempt to claim that they are not sinning because the sin is removed a few levels from their action, although their action is causing the sin. If a scientist builds a virus knowing it will escape his control and kill millions, is he guilty of murder?

An astute Christian might recall that David committed a heinous sin through proxy in which he murdered someone by merely setting up circumstances in which the person would die in a war by an enemy’s hand.

2Sa 11:14 In the morning it happened that David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah.
2Sa 11:15 And he wrote in the letter, saying, “Set Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retreat from him, that he may be struck down and die.”

Now a crafty theologian might claim that David was not sinning. He merely wrote a note with words. It was Joab who read it, interpreted it, and followed it. David did not use his swords to kill Uriah. The enemy killed him, as happens in war. The disassociation argument did not pass God’s muster:

2Sa 12:9 Why have you despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon.

God first accuses David of murder, then God discerns the motive and points to the murder weapon (“the sword of the people of Ammon”). David, although his crime was accomplished through proxy, was guilty of murder.

When God uses people to lie or kill, we cannot excuse those actions because God did not do it directly. If God creates a world of people fated to sin, we cannot pretend He is not accountable. People (and God) can sin through proxy. The pagans understand this and rightly question the god that is presented by Christian Platonists. Where Calvinists have no answers, the God of the Bible (who is relational, powerful, and suffers to be in a love relationship with his creation) shines.